2020: The Year of the Virtual Office Party

The traditional annual Christmas party might be off this year, but that doesn’t mean businesses aren’t celebrating what has been an unexpected year, to say the least. With nearly half the UK workforce working from home, it’s set to be the year of the virtual office party.

Virtual Office Party Ideas

Businesses can encourage festive cheer this year by throwing virtual office parties. Unlike Christmas workdos of yesteryear, businesses are thinking outside the box and encouraging teams to come together via Zoom to create some magical memories.

• Dinner delivery service: If your business is all about sit-down dining dos, then sending employees hampers of readymade gourmet food and pre-mixed cocktails is the ultimate party package. Other virtual experiences include wine and gin tasting, with kits sent out to team members who then host sessions online.
• Interactive team games: Encourage your team to work together and have a bit of festive fun with an interactive team game. Virtual murder mysteries are all the rage this Christmas and are a fun and informal way to celebrate this year.
• Crafty activities: Encourage your team to show their arty side with a virtual craft making class. From Christmas wreaths to gingerbread houses, crafty activities are a thoughtful and unique office party idea.
• Kitchen disco: We might not be able to dance together, but who says you can’t dance alone in your kitchen. Hosting a kitchen disco with a playlist of all your team’s favorite songs is not only fun, but it’s a great way to learn more about the musical tastes of your colleagues. And if you’re brave enough, you can even have a bit of karaoke!

Why a Virtual Office Party Might Be a Good Thing

It might be the one time of the year when the whole office can get together, but there might be some benefits to a virtual Christmas party – for both businesses and employees alike.

• Business benefits: Unsurprisingly, Christmas parties are an expensive affair for businesses. In fact, in the South Yorkshire based poster printers, instantprint, did some number crunching to find out just how much businesses would save. It turns out, a virtual Christmas party will save employers £138.97 per head, which equates to more than double the cost of the average Christmas dinner.
• Employee benefits: The office Christmas party is one of the only times employees can really strut their stuff, and with the average person spending just over £40 on new outfits, nearly £40 on drinks on the night-out, and an average of £12 of fast food at the end of the night, all in all, a virtual night in could save them nearly £100.

No matter whether you’re planning a socially-distanced disco, opting for a virtual murder mystery, or you’re keeping it simple with celebratory drinks and nibbles via Teams, there are plenty of ways to get the Christmas party started from the comfort of your own home.