Snow days, virtual opera: The office holiday party goes on
With dancing, drinking and fancy dinners a no-go because of virus concerns, companies are getting creative about their holiday office parties this year. The challenge is how to organize a virtual celebration that doesn't feel like yet another Zoom meeting.
Many are forgoing parties altogether and instead giving employees gift baskets, extra time off or donations to charities of their choice. Just 23% of companies were planning celebrations, down from 76% last year, in a survey of 189 companies by global outplacement firm
The companies going ahead found their pandemic-weary employees want some kind of bash to break up the anxiety and isolation permeating the holidays.
“People are itching to see each other in person, but I also don’t feel totally comfortable holding a typical dinner and open bar,” said
He landed on the idea of a snow day at a resort near
Still, “people are thrilled it’s back on,” Ross said.
Demand has been high for off-the-wall virtual parties, said
Most popular are celebrations that involve sending food and drink to employees for online cocktail or chocolate-making classes, Como said. Also big are virtual escape rooms where employees can play games.
That's the route marketing firm Rank Fuse is taking, bringing its employees together for a virtual murder mystery through Red Herring Games, said
“It will likely be very silly because every employee will be given a character to play,” Roller said. "Truthfully, we almost didn’t have a company party. However, numerous people started asking about one, so we decided it was the least we could do.”
Many companies are using virtual celebrations to offer something people have missed throughout the pandemic: live entertainment.
HireSpace, a
On Site Opera, a
“It’s just a chance for the attendees to nerd out with us, to have a good time,” Einhorn said.
Some larger companies are spreading out events over several weeks and letting employees choose between ugly sweater contests, cooking lessons or pet costume competitions. Others are dividing celebrations up between teams.
A team of social media managers at PC maker
“It’s been a wild year, and as a new team we had to work extra hard — and in new and different ways — to build community,” said
The caution in the private sector contrasts with the
President
Secretary of State
A statement released by the
“We’ve taken every precaution to thin out the number of individuals,” the statement said. “We do not anticipate any problems in monitoring the number of individuals in these indoor spaces.”
The statement noted that the sheer number of
Chan reported from
Richard Alan Drummond's new book “Katrina: One Man's Defining Moment of Reference” looks into the clear reality of how one great typhoon ultimately changed lives
Lawsuit alleges Texas Children’s Health Plan’s conspiracy, fraud, negligence, and retaliation: placing children in harm’s way
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News