Halloween is a spooktacular opportunity to reconnect remote office teams and have some fun. As the advice to work from home stretches into Autumn what is missing from our work routines is the spontaneous connections and conversations that happen in an office. Communication between colleagues isn’t solely important for productivity when working remotely, it can also affect how happy we are. In a survey done by Buffer and AngelList, 20% said loneliness was the biggest hurdle in working from home. Celebrating holidays and special events is a good excuse to bring everyone together. It will also help to encourage connections between colleagues, even if it is online.
Planning and organising a Halloween office event online may seem overwhelming but if you emphasise the fun aspects and make the activity casual and flexible then everyone will be able to enjoy it. The benefits of these efforts are clear, Gallup found that employee satisfaction is increased by 50% when they experience meaningful relationships in the office and this can also be applied to remote teams. To help you brainstorm for your online Halloween office celebration we have highlighted 6 activities you can do to make it a fang-tastic experience this year with your workmates.
#1 Send a Sweet Surprise
Some of our favourite childhood memories of Halloween may be of trick or treating and the delicious sweets we would get. This year, if you can’t celebrate in the office why not try posting Halloween treats to your colleagues and reviving those magical memories. Even better, don’t tell them and make it a surprise! If you are the boss a Halloween themed care package will go a long way in making your employees feel appreciated and connected. It can contain sweets or include themed cookie cutters such as a ghost or a bat. A virtual trick or treat with riddles and jokes is also a fun approach. Alternatively, send an ecard or share a ghostly tale to get everyone in the spooky spirit.
#2 Host an Online Competition
Facilitate some friendly rivalry by organising a Halloween-themed competition. This is not only a great way to interact with your colleagues it is also an opportunity to have a team-building session. It is important to keep the competition criteria simple as not everyone will be interested in following strict or complex rules. For a costume competition everyone in the office can submit a picture of themselves or you can choose a theme such as characters from a movie or novel. If you are close with your peers why not try picking names out of a hat to dress up as one another! It can also be less specific, it can be a picture of your scary decorations such as a carved pumpkin or a decorated desk. A creative, eco-friendly way to decorate your desk is by asking everyone to use recyclable materials when making their decorations. These options encourage everyone to get involved at a level they feel comfortable with. Voting can take place throughout the week leading up to Halloween. Put the submissions in a group chat and wait for the results.
#3 Get Gaming Online
Online gaming is a great way to spark communication in the team. In fact, even the shyest person will love to take part. It is all about planning and making all the participants feel comfortable and interested in playing. Have an online scavenger hunt or someone can volunteer to create a quiz with Halloween questions. There are tons of questions you can ask from ones on Halloween movies and songs to the history of this day. Another great online experience involves getting into teams and holding a virtual murder mystery game or a virtual escape room. Whatever game you choose to play, it’s set to be a lot of fun. It is also a great way to engage everyone in the online culture of the company.
#4 Share a Hauntingly Good List of Movies and Songs
There are a wide selection of spooky soundtracks and Halloween movies available. Either share some recommendations or use Netflix Party to watch a movie together. There are lots of horror movies to choose from whether you want to watch a classic such as The Shining or new releases like Host which follows a group of friends in quarantine who conjure an evil spirit while holding an online seance. If you’re not interested in scary movies then there are plenty of family-friendly options such as Hocus Pocus or Casper. If you want some music to listen to as you work, set up a spooky playlist on Spotify and share for the whole office to listen to and feature famous songs such as Monster Mash. Alternatively, you can play an already made Spotify playlist.
#5 Dress Up Your Online Appearance
Decorate your face mask with fangs or throw on a witch’s hat. Many offices use Slack or similar mediums to communicate and adding a picture of yourself (where office policy allows it) makes it more personal. Surprise your team by editing your profile picture to include a witches hat or a cat perching on your shoulder. This can be easily done using Canva or by downloading a free photo editing app on your phone. It’s a fun, simple way to bring a smile to your colleagues’ face. Similarly, if you have an online meeting change your background or decorate your home office space with Halloween items.
#6 An Eerie-sistible Social Media Post
It’s important to include everybody in the Halloween celebrations, especially your customers. Most organisations have an online presence, utilise this to your benefit and plan a Halloween themed post. Add a caption wishing your followers a Happy Halloween or post a picture of an online meeting where your office is dressed up. If you want to engage your followers, put up a poll to see what they are dressing up as or find out what their favourite Halloween tradition is.
Special days such as Halloween are a chance to band the office together, even remotely. Introducing fun games and activities will help break down the barriers imposed by distance and online communication. It will generate some team spirit and help practice conversing while online.
If you need help in setting up a home office, our experienced sales team is on hand to help. You can also contact us today through our chat on the website or by emailing or calling us to discuss your requirements.
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