One of the BEST things about the office is hanging around the water cooler, taking turns shooting paper balls into the trash can during your lunch break, or getting drinks with your buddies after work.

Goofing off with your co-workers is more than just fun. Studies have shown that taking regular breaks improves productivity, reduces stress, and even improves focus and recall.

Of course, we’re not talking about all play and no work. We’re talking about the balanced need to have social interactions with your co-workers.

But wait, working remotely means social interaction with your workmates goes out the window…right? Not necessarily! There are TONS of virtual team-building activities that you can do while working remotely.

Virtual happy hours are an irreplaceable way to make online meetings more interactive and to make a virtual meeting fun.

In this article, we will show why you need virtual team-building activities and virtual happy hours by answering these questions:

• What is the future of virtual meetings?
• How will a virtual happy hour benefit me?
• How can I organize a virtual happy hour?

Virtual happy hour is an online social event held via a video conferencing platform such as Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, etc.

You should care about virtual happy hours because virtual meetings are here to stay.

Consider: Would you spend time and money redecorating a hotel room, even if it’s uncomfortable? Not likely as you are only there temporarily.

However, what if you moved into a new home? You would make your new place comfortable, enjoyable, and suitable to your lifestyle even though it will cost you time, effort, and money.

The comparison: When virtual meetings became popular during the pandemic, most just lived with the challenges of meeting online. However, with time it became apparent that virtual meetings and events weren’t going away and the benefits FAR outweigh the drawbacks.

• • • Save a Ton of Money
    • Eliminate Travel Time
    • Increase Participation
    • Customizable Experience
    • Extreme Flexibility
    • More Information Sharing
    • Gain a Global Reach
    • Environmentally Friendly

Successful companies accepted the change and took the time to put the energy and resources into making the most out of this new way of meeting.

What does that mean for you? You should invest in creating a healthy and sustainable work environment for any employees that work remotely (this includes hybrid remote workers too).

By focusing on virtual team-building activities, you are creating an environment that fosters:

• • • Team Collaboration
    • A Sense of Comradery
    • Collaboration Skills
    • Increased Production
    • Higher Morale
    • More Creativity
    • Improved Communication
    • A Sense of Belonging

To sum up: Virtual meetings are here to stay. Investing in them will create the most productive remote work environment possible. Virtual team-building activities mimic the in-person work culture and fill a gap that is created by working remotely.

You should care about virtual happy hours for several reasons:

• Virtual Team Building Activities are Healthy for Your Team

It’s healthy to acknowledge that the work environment can sometimes be stressful. Unwinding is EXTREMELY beneficial to keeping your employees satisfied at work.

Occasional virtual happy hour events also show your employees that you feel that their hard work is appreciated.

• Team Play Helps Develop Team Spirit

Virtual happy hours help your employees see who their fellow co-workers really are. And your participation in these events will help them see you as a real person that’s approachable and not just an authority figure.

Teams that know each other and are more comfortable with one another will work together better. This will go a LONG way in building collaboration and a sense of comradery during stressful work days.

• Virtual Team Games Improve Employee Productivity and Retention Rate

Happy employees are productive employees. Virtual team-building activities build a positive work environment by making your workers feel refreshed, energized, and ready to get back to work.

Creating a healthy work-life balance is essential for employee satisfaction. Employees are people, not productivity machines and your company culture should reflect that.

Virtual happy hour activities improve worker satisfaction, which means you will keep your most valuable employees longer.

To think about: Harvard Business Review published a study conducted by a global aviation firm whose aim was to find the link between employee productivity and vacations. They found a 33% increase in creativity, a 25% increase in happiness levels, and a 13% rise in productivity in employees who took mandatory scheduled vacations.

The underlying truth shown in this study proves the powerful impact that taking scheduled time away from the workstation has on employees’ creativity and happiness.

Key Takeaway: Virtual happy hours are an attainable, sustainable, and affordable way for ANY business to increase employee productivity.

You should make every effort to take care of your employees since they are the gears that move your business forward.

Employee productivity is a complex issue that requires constant attention. But the effort will be rewarded with satisfied employees that work harder to make your company more successful.

Here are 7 steps to putting on a virtual happy hour that’s both memorable for participants and easy to organize:

1. Plan the Details: Determine the date, time, and duration of the virtual happy hour. Send out invitations that include any specific instructions, such as dress code or any optional items participants can prepare in advance.

2. Choose a Theme (optional): It could be a costume party, a celebration of a company milestone, or something else entirely. Encourage participants to dress up or decorate their backgrounds accordingly.

3. Prepare Activities: Develop a loose agenda for the happy hour to maintain a flow of activities and conversations. Select virtual happy hour activities based on the interests of your team. This can include:

• • • Icebreaker questions
    • Virtual pub trivia
    • Virtual happy hour bingo
    • Virtual happy hour scavenger hunt

4. Encourage Participation and Networking: Be an enthusiastic host and encourage everyone to actively participate. Keep the atmosphere light-hearted and try to make everyone feel at ease. Create opportunities for networking by assigning participants to breakout rooms randomly or strategically to create more intimate conversations

5. Implement Good Time Management: Maintain a balance between structured activities and open conversation. Don’t make it so rigid that it feels like another work meeting but don’t let it drag on either. Try to strike the balance of keeping it relaxed but still moving at an enjoyable pace.

6. Consider Virtual Happy Hour Kits: Consider sending virtual happy hour kits to participants, which are packages that include snacks, decor items, or ingredients for cocktails or drinking games. Happy hour kits are a fantastic way to make attendees feel special while keeping things simple for you as the organizer.

7. Follow-Up and Feedback: After the happy hour, send a follow-up email to thank participants for attending. Encourage feedback and suggestions so that you can improve future virtual events.

We know that not everyone loves virtual meetings. But you don’t have to love them to embrace them. The future success of your business will be linked in part to your ability (or willingness) to adapt to changes.

Virtual meetings are here to stay. Will you make the most out of this reality? One way to do so is by creating virtual team-building activities through virtual happy hours.

Your team doesn’t need to feel disconnected even though they are working from different locations. By creating regular virtual team games, you will make employees feel more valued and like they are part of a team. The effect will be a strong company culture that leads to more productivity.

Are you scratching your head for virtual happy hour ideas? Are you scrambling for ideas on how to make online meetings more interactive? Virtual meetings are our bread and butter. Shoot us a message and we will give you some rock solid ideas that you can implement today.