Get advice from seasoned professionals about all your compliance questions and concerns. Also, they give continuous optimal performance. With these 33 employee appreciation ideas, you will see reduced turnover and retain your top talents. 1. The box also had a few ingredients, fresh produce, and a list of recipes you could make with everything. Share funny videos, do some riddles and brainsteasers, put music on in the background. This peer-to-peer employee recognition idea is about encouraging everyone from the organization to recognize good work. Some of these challenges involve participants play-acting and using props during Zoom calls, while simpler versions consist of a series of riddles on Google Forms. For our workers who have never worked from home, social isolation is deeply felt. Find out how to shape a culture that attracts, engages, Instead of the usual tables and activities, they had booths set up where treats were handed through the window. The knowledge that there is a whole day dedicated to employee appreciation should let you know its significance. Check the COVID-19 page on your city or county website to find out if you can sign up to offer your time this way. Remote teammates can enjoy a show while learning more about coworkers special skills and abilities. Gather the kids and create Paper Mice, Halloween skull jewelry, and more. The best way to decorate virtual offices is by using virtual meeting backgrounds. In stock now. As we reflect on two months (or more) of mandated virtual work, HR and people teams around the world are looking back on their most successful morale-boosting activitiesand searching for new ideas to keep their teams happy, healthy, and engaged. Even after COVID-19, hand sanitizers are a welcomed gift, no matter your customer base or your business. Websites like Elfster or DrawNames will organize the whole process for you, letting you set a gift budget and providing space for participants to share their wish lists: I worked in a fully remote environment last holiday season, and this had been a tradition for several years, though it was entirely opt-in. Sometimes, the utmost appreciation that an employee seeks is a promotion in his job role. A team lunch is a great way through which everyone can bond with each other and with you. In times of isolation it can be very difficult to stay on top of where everyone is at. It all started with a group chat. A few more things that made it special: The best part about it was everyone participating posting a small list of likes and dislikeswe all got to know each other better through reading those lists and connect over shared interest. You might find that employee appreciation becomes a tad bit easier and a whole lot more fun. To play a murder mystery online, first find a game or script, and then invite teammates to a Zoom meeting to play out the scenario. The thing that giants like Google and Airbnb have understood is that the physical environment of the office matters. Gathering via video call and online communication platforms gives groups a chance to relax, re-energize, and reconnect with teammates. It becomes less of a break and more of a disappointment. Yet now is a time when communication actually needs to be ramped up. I wont be able to attend as COVID-19 gave me the chance to move out of state and go full-time remote, but I actually think its a great idea. Also, remember to turn your phone off. For more ideas, check out our roundup of team building workouts. This is a time to focus only on the people sitting before you. This is how COVID-19 will change the office lunch - Fast Company Some ideas include: Characters from a favorite movie I also hired a local small business to make some custom iced cookies for us. Or take a field trip to the local entertainment venue. But employees with a few years of experience should be matched with a career mentor to help them grow in their position. Meetings and frequent check-ins both with the whole team and individual team members need to sit at the top of your to-do list. Spirit week is a week-long event that promotes company pride and employee engagement through fun activities. Perhaps to no ones surprise, drinking seems to be quite popular this year, and some companies have figured out how to incorporate it into remote events. 2022 Alle rechten voorbehouden. Employee appreciation is the cornerstone of developing a robust and meaningful workplace culture. Work-Life Challenges and Integration in the Context of COVID - OHSU But there is one occasion that should be praised with the same level of spirit and vigor as the restthe work anniversary. Breakout Rooms! You can celebrate the spirit of a challenge in your Spirit Week by hosting a Versus Day. They take place using video call software, online communication platforms, and occasionally social media. Companies all over the world are making their operations remote for the first time to combat the spread of the coronavirus. 26 Working From Home Tips During the Coronavirus Outbreak - Healthline Having direct access to a mentor gives junior professionals valuable one-on-one training. We gathered the top employee morale tips, tricks, and ideas from businesses around the world. How to Volunteer Remotely During the COVID-19 Crisis - AFAR Working remotely creates a new set of challenges that arebeing amplified by the added stress of school closures andby the anxiety many are facing during this pandemic. This prevents you from working to the point of hunger and then scrambling to decide what to eat. When an employee above and beyond on a project at work or accomplishes a personal goal, give them a shoutout on social media to commend their hard work. The BIG List of School Spirit Week Ideas (80+ Activities!) Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses. A UK study finds workers job attitudes can be bolstered by allowing them to personalize their office. With most schools and districts shut down for the foreseeable future, many faculty and teachers are struggling to find ways to connect with their students. 2. Get to know your employees and find out what they like so you can give gift cards that are tailored to their interests. You can even display this social media recognition on your offices digital displays to make sure the whole team sees it. Coronavirus has put a particular national spotlight on unmet needs of the growing older population in our country, and the tens of millions of overstretched family and professional caregivers they . We regularly share the progress our sunflowers are making. Top Pandemic-Friendly Business Ideas - U.S. Chamber 1. Not to fear: There are plenty of Halloween-inspired crafts to go around. Also, its really great to take your mind off the news that we are surrounded with every day. Theres nothing quite like desserts and ice cream to alleviate stress. Spirit weeks are a time-honored tradition, in elementary, middle, and high schools alike. 5 Radical Ideas For Schooling During Coronavirus : NPR Priorities. This activity won't cause too much distraction or mess. Make it a fun and memorable experience. Participate in the Boost Educators Challenge Encourage each student's family to challenge the rest of your school's families to give their teacher (s) a shout out or thank you over the school's social channels. Superhero Academy is a perfect fit for a hero or villain themed online spirit day. The tours could happen on a single day, or throughout the week. Support families to. Need more tips for how to keep your employees happy during COVID-19? One of the simplest and most popular solutions has been virtual happy hours. The Coronavirus Crisis 9 Ways Schools Will Look Different When (And If) They Reopen 1. Just be sure to offer nonalcoholic options too: We had a celebration that even I (a person averse to holiday parties and Zoom calls) liked. Anxiety. I recently asked Ask a Manager readers to share how their teams are observing the holidays in lieu of in-person parties this year, and it turns out companies have gotten really creative. You get the best effort from others, not by lighting a fire beneath them but by building a fire within. These light-hearted contests can also easily be tied to raising money for charity. - Joe Wilson, Senior Career Advisor at MintResume, Our company gave us all sunflower seeds to care for and grow as we work from home. Want to submit a guest post? Getting your workplace ready in case COVID-19 arrives in your community. Themed dress-up days are popular favorites, but they're really just the start. To establish team norms, ask: What behaviors and practices are most important right now to our teams effectiveness?. Or, if you hold virtual escape rooms or similar games, then include puzzles. It's run by a different division each week to encourage everyone to get involved and has been a fun way to spend a few hoursand a welcome distraction. - Anna Barker, Founder at LogicalDollar, I arranged a remote talent show for our team. These events can help virtual offices grow closer. You can also make sure you take at least a 30-minute lunch break. California-based Chowbotics, has seen an uptick in demand for its fresh food robot "Sally.". The team that plays together bonds better. Simply designate a theme for each day or meeting, then choose the best dressed for each category. 33 Amazing Employee Appreciation Ideas [2023 Update], The Ultimate Guide To Employee Rewards and Recognition, 50 Best Words of Appreciation for Employees, Gift Cards Make For The Perfect Employee Rewards, Indias Largest Telecom Company Boosts their Global Employee Engagement with Vantage Rewards, 25 Employee Engagement Activities To Reinvent Your Workforce, 25 Employee Recognition Statistics You Shouldn't Ignore, Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours, 23 Awesome Ways To Make Every Employee Work Anniversary Memorable, All You Need To Know About Sales Incentive Programs In 2023, 10 Intrinsic Rewards That Your Employees Look Forward To, Empower the Workforce With A Culture of Peer-to-Peer Recognition. Some are great artists, while some spend their time doing charity work. Paint Pumpkins. Perhaps the best gift to give your employees is recognizing your employees publicly for a great job done. I cannot wait. Top 10 Ways to Grow School Spirit From Afar - PTA High 53F. Employee appreciation is meant to make the workplace feel a little bit like home. If you work in an industry where teamwork is crucial, sudden orders to . 31. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of. Keep Teamwork Alive Working From Home During Coronavirus | Wirecutter Players square off in trivia challenges, lightning scavenger hunts, and a listening/drawing game called Can You Hear Me Now? A charismatic host keeps score while keeping teams energy and spirits high. Or, you could start a gallery on social media or a cloud-based photo album, and invite teammates to vote on their favorite uploads throughout the week. Clarify expectations, for example, of performance, workflow or performance management. They are great team members. 50 Spirit Week Ideas For Work To Energize Any Size Team - SnackNation Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. We All Hate It. Dress-up days are one of the main events during spirit days at schools and offices. Simply gear each day's activities around a particular topic. What every woman needs to know during COVID-19 - Lean In To help your employees stay active and get a break from working inside, suggest that they take conference calls that don't require sitting in front of a screen outdoors. At the end of the week, count up the wins, and have the victors face off against each other for the championship. When you actually take the time out to get involved with them personally, employees feel that you genuinely care about them. Open windows, increase circulation, and keep room density as low as possible with fewer people in one space. Theme Days. It is capped at $200 per day, and $2,000 in total, for employees who have a family member affected by COVID-19 or a child staying at home because their school is closed. The Ultimate Guide to Employee Rewards and Recognition. Its been close to two months since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the novel coronavirus an official pandemic. In advance we were all given a link to a store that sells cocktail making kits. Trivia can be a good way to help teams relax, inspire conversation and build relationships. We do a Champagne toast at our holiday party every year, and theres some rumors about mini bottles being shipped out for a Zoom toast, but Im not sure! Real world elements make virtual exercises more engaging and interactive. Wed have the holiday party on Zoom, where folks would open what they had received from their gift giver. Also, they grow more motivated to maintain or improve their good work. You can also offer a myriad of health benefits. One employee's commute could be inexpensive, while for another, it could be prohibitive. Avoid the cafeteria as it can be very distracting. This year, the questions are quite different, and nearly all are some variation of What do we even do for the holidays in a pandemic? Many employers are simply canceling holiday celebrations, since theres no way to safely gather. COVID-safe holiday office parties don't have to be boring Get 5 morale boosting tips here, learn how to celebrate employee milestones virtually here, and get some more general tricks for managing your remote workforce here. Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of Here are some suggestions: A team reset meeting will ensure team members take time to identify how to best work together in this new reality so that the team can maintain a sense of community, transition through this change effectively, and maintain (and even improve) team performance during this time while supporting the well-being of team members. Its a way for us to provide food and a gathering without being on-site and in groups. Revamp your break room. You could even hold contests to name and reward the best virtual backgrounds for each meeting. You signed up for your preferred one beforehand and received a list of ingredients, then once the drinks were made, people came back to the big room and there were a couple of facilitated games and stuff (like trivia). Virtual workout or meditation classes. That's why it's vital to spread your actions around multiple methods of transports to appeal to the broadest proportion of your workforce. Be sure to grab plenty of screen shots throughout the afternoon or evening. We all know that employees are the most valuable asset for a business. Its hard to replicate daily interactions with co-workers, casual encounters by the water cooler, or after-work drinks, but we are encouraging our employees to find time for virtual coffees, lunches, or even happy hours with their colleagues. - William Taylor, Career Development Manager at Velvetjobs, Something that has really helped us keep spirits up is our Slack 'meme' channel where we encourage everyone to post the best memes they find throughout the day. Here are instructions on changing virtual backgrounds in Zoom, GoogleMeet, and Microsoft Teams. For employees, having access to a mentor can add velocity to the workplace learning curve. Hosting this year has been no small featand the biggest party season of all is almost here. $10 at Amazon. -Bob Nelson, In the United States, 20,000 workers were surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group. Virtual talent shows double as entertainment and team bonding. So far, people have hosted presentations on their favorite hobby, sports team, family, the country they come from, favorite food, favorite lockdown activity, etc. Illustration by Supriya Kalidas. Learn more about virtual costume contests. School spirit week is a fun time for everyone to come together and show off their pride. Want to enhance employee morale while improving productivity and boosting creativity? If theyd just put an extra $100 in my paycheck and said we cant have a party this year so get yourself a nice treat, Id have appreciated that too. Things to do: 100 indoor activities if you're not feeling social yet Or you might feel concerned about the health of others, such as those who you care for or live with. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the federal government (OSHA) has provided detailed guidelinesfor workplace safety policies. And encouraging a cake culture can never be a bad thing. Dessert buffets are fun and positively addicting. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. For the main event, meet up on a video call to sip tea, chat, and play games. For example, theme days, virtual talent shows, and costume contests. It definitely is the easiest and quickest Zoom icebreaker out there. Virtual tea parties are calm yet quirky online events to hold with remote teams. Because honestly, everyone expects the managers and leaders to be bossy and unreachable. Teams complete comic-book-themed riddles and puzzles and virtual minute-to-win-it challenges to climb the leaderboard and save the world. Moreover, you can drop an appreciation mail to the employees so that it stays with them forever. There is also the threat of a recession. Eight Fun Student Engagement Ideas During COVID-19 and Beyond Without a doubt, getting a specially curated box of snacks will make employees feel happy and contented. Then there will be a contest with prizes for best house, most creative house, house that looks like the before pic on a HGTV show, etc. Encourage healthy work-life balance by modeling healthy boundaries around time spent working and time off. An escape room Escape room activities are available virtually and in person. Not to mention, care packages add a tactile element to your all-online spirit week. Subjects should be fun and non-work related. Some employees even showcased their talents liveranging from musical performances to cake baking to cat training. Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace 2. Plus, you can capture a screenshot of the whole crew dressed up. Unique SWAG ideas have the power to set your company apart. Just beware of overdosing on sugar. How to Be Physically Active While Social Distancing Along with trivia nights and snack boxes, some enterprising folks have floated the idea of virtual cocktail parties, costume contests or craft workshops to spice up virtual holiday celebrations.. PDF Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 - World Health Organization Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus, This is a BETA experience. Aside from regular appreciation, you can ensure that your employees feel valued on important occasions, such as by sending Thanksgiving messages to employees. Consider sending your top ten performers off for a day or two at a spa to provide an incentive for continued outstanding performance. Online retreats are company gatherings that take place online. 17 Ways to Boost Employee Morale During COVID-19 That Arent Happy Hours, celebrate employee milestones virtually here, general tricks for managing your remote workforce here. Here come's the most impactful one in our list of employee appreciation ideas. Your Team Is Now Working Remotely5 Ways To Strengthen - Forbes Mask up. Offering extra time off pretty much never goes amiss, especially at this time of year: In lieu of bonuses and parties and all sorts of things, my employer is just closing for the week in between Christmas and New Years and giving everyone the time offits been a hit, because thats usually a huge use of vacation days for folks. While employee appreciation may seem a bit heavy on the pockets, the bottom line is that it will lead to several long-term benefits. The purpose of online spirit weeks is to boost employee engagement and morale. Since healthier employees are more productive, happy, and energetic, the company will benefit from this form of appreciation. Snacks are a fantastic food item that doesn't require you to get out of your desk when you want to eat something light. Make sure you exchange emails with a volunteer coordinator or call before you . The games last 90 minutes, giving remote colleagues plenty of time to bond and have fun together. Coronavirus Impacting Your Fundraising? Here's What to Do Some teachers may have to adapt courses from daily 45-minute periods to 90-minute blocks every other day; others will need to figure out how to plan small-group work so that it lines up with. Planning Your Holidays During the COVID-19 Pandemic We made an example virtual spirit week agenda: Creating a visually appealing spirit week announcement can help your crew be more excited and attentive towards the event. Working from home can be lonely and mundane. But providing a good employee experience is the future. 33 Safe Vacations During CoronavirusTypes of Vacations and Places that Half of the box contained things like hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, and other health-related products to help us stay safe. Pandemic office holiday party ideas. - Slate Magazine Home tours are a fun way for remote teammates to invite each other into personal spaces. Coronavirus NC: Virtual spirit weeks unite school communities | Raleigh How to Engage And Retain Your Employees During Covid - LinkedIn The best online spirit week ideas unite dispersed teammates, encourage interaction, and inspire fun. First, either mail employees tea and fancy snacks, or ask attendees to bring their own refreshments and reimburse them for the expense. One-Word Check-ins. Doesnt necessarily have to be alcohol or coffeeyou could do a juice tasting, or maybe a food tasting. But heres the thing. COVID-19 is expected to last for many months, with a potential resurgence in the fall. Metal Pen and Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer. Thus in this scenario, investing in an effective recognition program becomes a critical part of employee engagement. Show your employees some love by making sure that the snacks provided are healthy and nutritious. Declaring theme days is one of the easiest spirit week ideas for work from home. Believe it or not, such small stuff really sees a positively impacted company culture. Plus, the posts are a great way to advertise your companys culture to a wider audience. Wellness Resources Ive gotten a lot of reports of teams doing remote crafting sessions togetheroften around seasonal themes, like gingerbread houses: Our office is planning two optional events. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper. It's marketed as "COVID-19 style" since all schools across the state are currently shut down. Ask each person to share one word to describe how they are feeling in. We also included some essential office supplies to ensure our employees have everything they need to work remotely. - Stuart Cook, Marketing Manager at My Baggage, My company recently delivered a care package to all employees with a mix of fun and useful items. Wed all ooooh and ahhh, and laugh. Due to the physical demands and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been difficult for many of us to stay physically active. Elaine is a true partner in every sense of the word and would be a huge asset to any company. Find out how to attract and retain your employees through their entire lifecycle. Here are some ideas that seem newly relevant given the constraints of 2020 and beyond. Photo illustration by Slate. When employees feel that their work is valued, their satisfaction and productivity rise. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, Payroll, and Benefits. Why not see which team has the most steps or ran the furthest distance this week? While the other appreciation ideas might be feasible for particular projects and day-to-day work, employees will look for something more permanent in the long run. Children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity daily. Credit: HMH Books for Young Readers. Things to consider when you and your employees travel 4. Once the awards end, you can email digital certificates and e-gift cards to recipients, or mail trophies and paper awards to their houses. First, give teammates a few options for online courses and ask them to vote for their favorite. For example, new employees should receive a buddy to learn the ropes. Starting a business during COVID-19 may seem impossible, but these 15 types of businesses can help you launch a business and even help others during the pandemic. Get Competitive. The Internet might be intermittent in these spots, so you can also give teammates the option of joining via phone audio instead of mobile video app. Offering free meals and caffeine is actually a highly effective and cost-effective means of motivating and controlling young employees. Are they excited to be working for you? 15 gifts to give essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic