With people going back into their offices and others opting to stay remote, now companies face a new challenge: how do they still stay connected, and foster their corporate culture when there’s a mix of home and office staff? How do employers ensure that everyone still feels valued and engaged? If offices are now hybrid, can team-building events be…hybrid?!
The answer is: Sort-Of.
In our experience, hybrid meetings work fine if employees are listening to a speaker or presenter, as participants can sit in the room or watch from home, and there’s not a big difference. But if you are trying to have an actively participatory event like team building with some people in the room and others at home, invariably the people at home feel like they are watching everyone else have a great time and it only adds to their feeling of isolation.
In order to provide a great time for everyone, we suggest an event that has both a Virtual and an In-Person option and here’s why: your employees still want to be part of the team, they still want to connect with their colleagues, and everyone needs some laughter and light-hearted fun. Teams experience the same style of event, whether virtual or in-person.
Here’s an example of how it works with one of our most popular events: the Amazing Race…
In-person teams will travel around their city using a map we provide to find random places we’ve selected and solve various physical and mental challenges. Have you ever wondered if your co-workers have thought about what a Zombie Apocalypse would look like?! You might just find out!
While your In-Person group is experiencing the Amazing Race in a city-center, their Remote-working counterparts will participate in a Virtual version of the Amazing Race, having a similar experience, but they will be traveling via Google Maps through various cities all over the globe, and solving trivia questions for more points. They may find themselves hopping in a boat with their team and exploring the twists and turns of the Venice canals while looking for a code word to unlock the next destination!
Both events are a race against the clock, and while we have yet to have a company offer a $1,000,000 prize like the famous TV show, teams work just as hard for a blinged out dollar-sign necklace, or a virtual trophy made of virtual gold!
Hybrid workforces are here to stay, so it’s important to find a way for employees to connect with their colleagues. We all want to feel like we belong, and we all need a little fun and laughter in our lives. Offering something for everyone is an amazing opportunity to continue to grow and enhance your corporate culture while also showing your employees that you value their contribution to the company, whether they are working from home or going back to the office. As we always say, you will learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Don’t wait a year, choose to play today!
