10 Virtual Happy Hour Ideas You’ve Never Seen Before
Hive’s 2020 Remote Work Survey reported that 47% of people experience loneliness and isolation as a result of working from home, and an additional 27% lack motivation without a team by their side. Team bonding is more important than ever – but through a screen, it can feel challenging to connect.
If you’re stumbling around looking for virtual happy hour ideas that provide some team bonding, look no further. We know that virtual team building activities might feel overdone at this point, but don’t worry – these aren’t your typical team building exercises. From themed mixology classes or virtual games, we’ll cover entertaining virtual happy hour ideas you’ve never seen before.
1. Virtual escape room
If you’d prefer some virtual happy hour ideas that use your brain, try out a virtual escape room. No one likes a virtual happy hour where everyone is sitting around trying to find something to talk about, and here, the conversation is built into the game. In these escape rooms, you’ll essentially do everything you’d do in real-life and more – you’ll be breaking your way out of a virtual room by solving puzzles and finding clues all within a set time frame.
These games are more than just bonding experiences between you and your team. You’ve got to communicate well, and you’ve got to do it fast, or else you might not get out of the escape room. You’ll be learning even more about their problem-solving abilities under stress, and some of the strengths or issues in your teamwork style might be highlighted.
2. Talent show
Teamwork starts with recognizing talent, and while you might already know about your coworkers’ Excel or project management skills, there’s probably a lot you still don’t know. Everyone’s got something they’re good at, from singing or playing an instrument to juggling a beanbag or doing a fun dance. So show off your favorite ability in a team-wide talent show!
Of course, you’ll learn new things about your teammates, judging by the skills they show you. But you can also see what kinds of values they have, if they take themselves seriously or if they’re silly and wacky. You might even have a teammate that’s very calm and collected in the workplace, but their talent is unicycling – you’ll never know until you see for yourself.
3. Laughter workshops
Virtual happy hours can often turn into an extended session of complaining about one’s home life, how busy they are, or their other various responsibilities. But that’s the last thing you want to be doing at the end of a long day. Laugh through your virtual happy hour with a laughter workshop or a series of comedic icebreaker questions.
The best way to learn more about someone isn’t to find out what makes them tick – it’s to find out what makes them laugh. Solidify your team dynamic and lift everyone’s spirits by using this opportunity to let your coworkers in on your sense of humor. You might even end up with some inside jokes you can use as emojis in the workplace.
4. Alcohol sampler
If you’re more interested in keeping things traditional, there are virtual happy hour ideas that offer all the perks of an in-person happy hour – namely libations. If you’re tired of alcohol being used as simple social lubrication, a group tasting is right up your alley. While you might not learn about your team’s skills, you and your coworkers can sometimes afford to be off the clock to show each other what you’re like outside the office.
There are alcohol samplers for every set of taste buds or dietary restrictions, from beer samplers to wine tastings. And if you’re not interested in imbibing, you can always try a juice tasting kit instead.
5. Holiday any time
If your virtual happy hour is getting a little drab or repetitive, kick it up a notch by celebrating a holiday. First, gather your team’s consensus and vote on your favorite holidays, then plan out a virtual happy hour dedicated to that holiday. This can include costumes, different Zoom backgrounds, themed snacks, and Jackbox games. You can even choose some fun holiday-themed icebreaker questions that stir up discussions.
These small events aren’t just fun opportunities to have another Christmas or Halloween. They’re also great ways to get the pulse on your team and see how energetic they’re feeling. You don’t have to go all out for a holiday happy hour, and if burnout is rampant among your colleagues, you can keep it simple and stick to icebreakers and funny hats rather than elaborate party planning.
6. Watch party
If your virtual happy hour ideas revolve around the same conversations time and time again, you need to find something to enliven the discourse, like a watch party. You may have already watched shows with your friends or family during COVID utilizing one of the many online tools available. But watching things with your team is less about shutting your brain off with a silly show and more about turning your brain on with something mentally stimulating.
You don’t have to just watch the latest adult cartoon to have fun – check out a motivational video, an interesting TEDTalk that can facilitate discussion, or a show that reminds you of your team dynamic. That way, you can enjoy your virtual happy hour while also making way for intellectual discourse.
7. Virtual murder mystery
Another way to add excitement to your virtual happy hour is with a virtual murder mystery party. Whereas with an escape room, you’re solving riddles, in a murder mystery party, you’re cracking the case by talking to other people. And even if you think that you know your colleagues pretty well, you’ve probably never seen them performing as another person before.
While virtual murder mystery parties are meant to be fun, there’s a lot to be learned about your team. You can discover which one of your colleagues is crafty, who’s a good actor, who excels at character work, and who gets giggly when they’re suspected of the crime. This bonds your team even closer together by allowing them to show more of their true selves.
8. Mixology classes
Make your virtual happy hour a little more exciting making drinks together instead of everyone making their own drinks alone. Mixology requires a keen eye and a systematic approach, and you can come away from virtual class with a new skill in addition to closer team bonds.
Additionally, a mixology class helps you discover new things about your teammates by taking in their unique method of cocktail making without judgment or bias – if they’re precise or prefer eyeballing, if they’re clean or messy, or if they’re focused or distracted. No one way of cocktail making is better than another, and it might even vary to taste. If you keep your mind open, you may leave a virtual mixology class with a greater understanding of how your coworkers’ minds work.
So there you have it. A list of fun, creative virtual happy hour ideas that will get your team excited for your next online gathering. Have other ideas you think we should add to the list? Share your favorite out-of-the-box virtual activities in the comments below.
9. Virtual charades
Here’s another great way to get some laughter out of our team: invite them to play virtual charades. Split your team in two groups and use a charades idea generator to come up with the words and phrases. You can also prepare the material beforehand and create categories, for example, movies or TV shows, places (countries), famous people, animals, sports, and objects.
The player receives the charade via private message and uses the Zoom spotlight feature when acting out. Have a timer ready and set for one minute and make sure it’s visible to everyone. You can set rules or give players the choice to act (remember, no sounds are allowed) or draw (use the Whiteboard feature on Zoom. Click: Share your screen > Whiteboard). Pro-tip: Virtual charades are extra-fun if winners get real prizes!
10. Paint and sip
This activity reveals talents and unlocks creativity among your team members. All you need to do is provide the painting supplies, some drinks to sip, and an image to be the subject of the activity. You can leave the picture on your screen as a point of reference with your team, while they can leave their camera showing their canvas. If you want to take this virtual happy hour to the next level, consider booking a professional art teacher to conduct the session. The instructor can offer tips to your artists on shading, coloring, and drawing techniques. In the end, ask everyone to share their masterpiece. You can even host a virtual gallery show with the entire company.
