As more work teams become hybrid and remote, there are new ways to recognize their achievements.
A virtual team celebration brings excitement right to their screens and injects some remote motivation.
Ready to turn an everyday win into a moment that inspires? Let’s dive in!
Why is it important to celebrate with virtual teams?
Celebrating team achievements is critical for creating a team with solid bonds. If work goes unrecognized, teams can feel disconnected and undervalued over time. In fact, research has shown that as many as 40% of Americans say they’d put more energy into work if they were recognized more often.
This is increasingly true for remote and hybrid teams. Keeping your squad engaged as they work from afar is paramount to the company’s success. Here at Surf Office, we love helping managers reward their teams, whether on-site or fully remote.
27 of the ideas to celebrate with virtual teams
So for your remote workers, what are the best ways to celebrate with them? Below are 27 fantastic ideas to enhance remote engagement by celebrating their dedication and hard work.
1. Virtual award ceremonies
Starting off the list, don’t ever let an employee’s hard work go unnoticed. Show how much you cherish their work by hosting an award ceremony with real meaning.
Fill a bi-annual or end-of-year celebration with the best categories to shout out your remote superstars. Of course, you want to hand out the classic “Salesperson of the Year” and “Customer Service awards,” but how about some funnier ones too? Use these:
- The Early Bird Award: For the team member who consistently logs in before everyone else.
- The Email Vigilante: For the employee who always responds to emails in a flash.
- Confetti Award: For the person who finds the most reasons to celebrate!
Create an environment where hard workers feel valued, no matter the distance.
2. Group uber eats
In a similar vein to a snack package, take it one step further by dishing out codes for Uber Eats, and pig out together! Create a rotating poll and let the popular vote decide what’s on the evening menu. To make it even more meaningful, invite the boss to join and share in the team celebration. This could be a great time to shout out some of your team members who have been performing above the norm. Fuel everyone’s day and share some foodie-love with a remote group UberEats celebration.
We must say that bagels are our current group go-to, we just can’t get enough.
3. Book club
It’s a great idea to use the world of literature as a way to celebrate team performance. Many people cherish time with a good book and are constantly searching for new literary recommendations. Sharing deep book discussions from your own home lets people connect beyond work tasks. Teams can share thoughts and emotions on shared reads, and don’t be afraid to experiment with the genre. Self-help and professional growth books are a good start, but branch out into sci-fi, horror, and mythology if your teams are into it.
4. Make a team timeline
Another great way to celebrate with your teams is to take a stroll down memory lane. A team timeline lets members look back at their achievements so far, celebrating wins and laughing at unique moments. Timelines are great to share in company get-togethers and corporate events. Use a digital tool to build a timeline filled with photos of treasured work memories. Highlight the best moments with your teams and remind everyone just how far they’ve come!
5. Hire an entertainer
Infuse your remote gathering with some entertainment to make a team celebration to remember. There are many great websites to find talented people who work remotely, so search for a comedian, musician, or magician who can wow your teams in a virtual setting. Lift the spirits of your teams with a live act to inject some surprise and reward hard work!
6. Show off your setup
Remote workers strive to optimize their setup, so encourage them to share their layout and home working space. Make a game of it by asking each team member to send in an anonymous photo of their home setup. Share your screen and have everyone guess whose workspace is in the photo.
After correct guesses, ask each person to give the lowdown on their workspace oasis, or even the details in the photo, like a strange coffee mug or snack stash. It’s a lighthearted way to create a personal atmosphere and encourages team members to make the most of the space they use to work.
7. Parade your pretty pets (or plants)
Create an event where everyone can show off their furry (or feathered) friend for an enjoyable remote team celebration. Have each person introduce their beloved companion, with a quick rundown of their name, age, and favorite treat.
Those who sadly don’t have pets can share a leafy friend instead. Remote workers often enjoy looking after a plant and showing off the things they love in their homely work area. Brighten up the meeting with a session dedicated to their animal companions!
8. Online wellness session
Be the first to let your remote teams know you have their well-being and health in mind with an online wellness session. There’s an endless selection of ways to help them relax, with online sessions of yoga, guided meditation, and stretching exercises. Sometimes remote workers can feel a little detached from the workspace, so an online wellness session can be focused on their mental well-being too. A calm mind leads to happier and more productive teams, so bring their wellbeing to the forefront and they’ll thank you for it.
9. DIY craft hour
How about getting a little crafty as a celebration for remote teams? Send out a craft kit or a list of crafting supplies in advance, and get funky. Candle-making kits and mini-painting sets are great choices. A hands-on activity lets people unleash their creative side and try something new. There’s something rejuvenating about stepping away from work on a screen and crafting something with your hands. You might be unlocking a secret passion someone has for handicrafts, and everyone has a small keepsake to remind them of the moment. Wonderful stuff!
10. Margarita making class
Another hands-on activity that can really shake things up is a virtual margarita-making class. These are rising in popularity and are an absolute blast to make. Send out your ingredient list or the whole kit in advance, then get an online mixologist to teach the art of crafting the perfect margarita. There’s a whole host of twists you can put on a margarita, like a frozen fruit variation or ones with a spicy jalapeno kick. Keep the mocktail option available for the non-drinkers in the office, and celebrate with a session of mixology.
11. Celebrate an unfamiliar holiday
Sometimes it’s best to just try something new, so how about getting into some of the lesser-known international holidays from around the world? If you have diverse teams from different backgrounds, ask them for their input on some celebrations from home. Perhaps you have some employees from East Asia who celebrate the Lunar New Year or the Mid-Autumn festival. Compile a list of lesser-known holidays and keep them on rotation year-round.
Dive into some of the sillier holidays if you’re short of ideas. We recently learned about the
National Sleepy Head Day, which is celebrated in Finland on the 27th of July. That sounds like a holiday everyone can tuck into!
12. Virtual karaoke party
Let loose and use the power of music to amplify team celebration. Put together a playlist of belting tunes and crowd-pleasers for the whole squad. Use cheesy ‘80s tunes and guilty-pleasure pop songs to entice your musical masters. Keep it low-pressure in case you have some shy staff who don’t like the spotlight, using duets and group jam sessions. A virtual karaoke party is a feel-good time, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Just grab a mic (or a hairbrush), crank up the volume, and sing your heart out!
13. Virtual happy hour and coffee breaks
Who says bonding only happens in the office break room? Virtual happy hours and coffee breaks bring the same vibe to your screens. Keep the tone light and relaxed, and stick a fun twist on it with some icebreaker questions to kickstart fun conversations. Send out packages of your drink of choice; artisanal coffee makes for a great talking point (as well as an electrifying energy boost). Call it coffee o’clock or cocktail hour, and encourage everyone to connect and have a chance to unwind.
14. Online movie night
Transform a regular evening into a cozy online movie night with the whole gang. Create a voting poll beforehand of the biggest crowd-pleasing film, and sync up using a streaming platform with group viewing. Allow everyone to grab their favorite snacks and maybe even wear PJs for maximum comfort. You could create a group chat or post-movie discussion board to share thoughts after the credits roll. This is a low-pressure, feel-good way to unwind that lets staff come together as they get their heads into blockbusting goodness.
15. Virtual gift exchange
Make someone’s day with a thoughtful gift exchange system. It doesn’t have to be big at all, just encourage something small and thoughtful. Small gestures go a long way in celebrating how much you appreciate your teams. Set a budget, match up employees, and let them get creative with some gift ideas. On the day you set, arrange a virtual meeting where people can open up their gifts together. This activity brings the spirit of giving to your teams, and you can kickstart the event by sending out your own small gift packages. Create moments that last as teams send thoughtful gifts to one another.
16. Sending out a snack package
Do something special for your remote teams by sending out some personalized snack packages. There are many companies to choose from that have bundles for a virtual celebration, like SnackNation and SnackPerk. Or, you could curate some treat boxes yourself. Organize a retro snack box of candies from childhood, or curious treats from around the world.
Food is one of the best and simplest ways to send a gesture of care and thoughtfulness. Spend a bit of time getting to know the snacks your team members love, and make everyone feel included. Taking care that snacks are vegan and halal friendly where needed adds that personalized touch.
17. Make a virtual team mural
Virtual team murals are a wonderful way to create an artistic expression of your team spirit. Platforms like Miro make it easy for the whole team to collaborate on a massive mural for team building. Creating a piece of art with a touch from every person brings unity to your teams. Once it’s finished, find a way to display the group mural, shouting it out in a company newsletter and making it the background to your remote communication channels. This is a lively way to build connections and strengthen the bonds in your team, so paint a picture of positivity for enhancing the team spirit!
18. Virtual teambuilding activities
A session dedicated to virtual teambuilding activities brings employees together in a fun and memorable way. We have so many to choose from, like scavenger hunts around the house and trivia showdowns, all ready for your teams to jump into. These shared experiences give your team a break from their working routine and create bonds of familiarity. Teambuilding activities bring a fresh sense of connection to the remote crew, so try them out to celebrate their hard work!
19. Themed dress days
Celebrate in style by sticking some flair into the workweek. Employees in a remote setting can express themselves and show off some personality with a casual dress-up day. Snap a few screenshots and use fun filters and effects to create memorable moments. You can hold a quick vote for “best dressed” too and send a little reward or shout-out for their quirkiness. Some of our best dress day recommendations to use are:
- Icons from the 1980s
- Significant figure from history
- Pair dress up (Barbie and Ken, cookies and milk, Shrek and Fiona)
- Dress up like the company product
- Football fans (or even hooligans)
20. Virtual after-work session
Use a freeform after-work session that lets the team hang out and unwind together. Every team needs some downtime, so you create a poll to find the most popular activity your teams would like to do. Virtual icebreaker games are great for this. Or perhaps some of them just want to jump into a multiplayer session with a video game on Steam (We really like the multiplayer mayhem game Overcooked). Make sure it’s relaxed and low-key, and you could share a “moment of the week” to keep spirits high. Wrap up the day with a sense of community in a relaxed, after-work celebration.
21. Virtual pub quiz
Almost everyone has been a part of a pub quiz before. These days, there are many virtual pub quiz experiences to celebrate your remote team’s hard work. Kahoot is a solid choice, easy to set up, and fully interactive. You can create your custom quiz rounds on Kahoot or choose from some ready-made trivia trials. Kahoot also has a fun, game-show feel with real-time scoring, so you don’t have to. Create a lively pub quiz, and you could even reward quiz winners with a voucher to their local pub for a great lunch option. Happiness all round!
22. Virtual fundraiser
We think one of the best ways to celebrate as a unit is to give back to the community with a virtual fundraiser. You can choose a cause yourself, or open up polling to find a charity that resonates with the whole group. Get creative with your methods to receive donations. A virtual talent show may fit in well, or task them with a silly objective like sharing embarrassing baby photos. Make sure your charity of choice can accept virtual donations, and maximize celebrations when the final amount is in. Shout it out in the company newsletter so everyone hears the good news.
23. Team playlist creation
Turn up the volume and pump up the jam with a team playlist that gets everyone moving! Spotify’s Jam Session is an ultra-cool way to build playlists, so create a link for everyone to take part. You could even create a theme, like a “feel-good Friday” or “Songs to get us through deadlines.” This is a casual way to help people get to know each other’s musical tastes, which many people use as a way to express themselves. Build a unique soundtrack that generates energy in the remote setting. This might be a great chance to create the perfect “team anthem.”
24. Virtual company anniversary
Use a company anniversary as a way to celebrate a big milestone with your remote staff. Dedicate some time to everything the company has achieved on the journey so far. Share memories, look ahead, and celebrate members who went above and beyond in the past year. A heartfelt “year in review” section kicks things off well. Consider sending your remote team members a small party kit with mini-treats, drinks, and an ornate glass they can “cheers” with. Celebrate meaningful milestones that really honor the team’s hard work. Recognize growth when you see it, and use it as a theme of celebration.
25. Virtual birthday parties
Make an office birthday party something to remember, regardless of how far away the person is. If you can, make it as much of a surprise as possible, without the birthday person knowing what’s coming. Use a fun playlist to celebrate the occasion, with a slideshow of heartfelt messages from all team members. Mini-games and trivia questions about the birthday boy or girl keep things lively. Go the extra mile and organize a surprise delivery, right to their door. Everyone deserves to feel special on their day of birth, so celebrate the day to show employee appreciation on their birthday.
26. Guess the baby photo
Add a touch of nostalgia to a fun virtual celebration with a game of “Guess the baby photo.” You can try this in teams or individually. Before the virtual session, ask each person to send you a photo from their childhood (the cuter or sillier, the better). Compile all the pictures, keep them anonymous, and share each photo with the remote gang. Add a quirky childhood fact or story to each photo to let members find out some surprising things about each other. Who would have known, the boos used to have ginger hair before he turned 8 years old?
27. Virtual lunches and dinners
Our last celebration is with a virtual lunch or dinner with your remote staff. The way to a person’s heart is (very often) through their stomach, so order up and keep your remote employees satisfied. Especially for international teams, a “round-the-world” theme could be a great chance for them to bond. Let everyone indulge in a guilty pleasure that you send to them. Stir up a sense of community through food!
Show some love to remote employees with a team retreat!
Remote employees have new ways of connecting and celebrating with each other virtually. Yet, the best way to get bonds established is with a twice-annual remote team retreat. Organizing face-to-face team building for meaningful connections is what we do best.
Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Celebrate the achievements of your remote superstars with a remote team retreat, and watch your teams touch the sky!
Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!
