Virtual and remote working arrangements are becoming quite a norm nowadays, with so many more employees choosing to go this route. This implies that office and team parties are done virtually. Having one can be nerve-wrenching, as you’ll certainly have to make extra effort to bridge the physical distance and keep the party fun and interactive.
So, the virtual party being a virtual one doesn’t have to be a negative thing at all. You may miss out on the physical company, but it can still be just as memorable as a physical one. It starts with thorough planning to ensure that no detail is ever missed out on.
Today, we’ll go through some tips to help you achieve such as searching for the best farewell party event ideas, whether virtual or not.
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Plan In Advance
Just as you would with any other party, it’s important to plan in advance for this one. The venue is settled, with each co-worker celebrating from their own remote location. But there are other farewell party logistics to settle, like the number of attendees, the food, games, messages, and perhaps even the sending of gifts.
The earlier you plan it, the better. You may start as soon as you receive the memo or word about a certain employee leaving. This allows your team to have ample time to brainstorm ideas so the party doesn’t feel rushed.
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Have Food
What’s a party without food and drinks? Because you’re celebrating virtually, this is where you have to be more strategic about planning your food options.
For example, you can arrange to have snacks delivered to each co-worker’s address. Or, to make things easier, all attendees can agree to have a virtual potluck party, where each one prepares their own meals and enjoys them during the party.
The food you’ll have depends on the time of the party. If you have it during lunch hour, you must think about something ‘heavier’ and more filling. If it’s after work, that’s when appetizers will do just the trick.
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Compile A Video Tribute
If the party were a physical one, the tributes would usually be farewell messages spoken in person or through cards. Now that it’s an online party, the farewell messages then have to be in the form of a video tribute.
Here’s how to go about this. Ask each remote co-worker to record their own video messages. Set a deadline and a unified drive for them to save that file in. Then, request the team’s video expert to compile it into one video tribute.
After the party, don’t forget to send the file to the subject employee. This is something to keep in their memory box, which they can look back to during those days when they’ll miss their old job.
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Keep It Short
Timing is the key, especially for virtual parties. The same principle applies to virtual meetings. Keep it short; otherwise, the attendees will feel bored and anxious to leave the meeting. You’ll want to keep the employee engagement strong and high.
Remember that with virtual employees, the premise is their life schedule doesn’t fit fixed working hours in an office. They may have other responsibilities to attend to when you’ve set the party.
A good timeframe would be a maximum of 30 minutes. This keeps the hype up, so attendees will look forward to the party without that angst of feeling like it’s dragging too long into their schedule.
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Send Physical Gifts
The party may be virtual, but the gift doesn’t have to be. Days prior to the party, send a gift from the team. However, leave specific instructions not to open those gifts before the party. It’ll be much more interesting to have them open the gift during the virtual farewell party, as they would’ve done the same at a physical farewell party.
When choosing a farewell gift, however, you must put much more thought into this. Be sure that the gift is one they can easily bring to their new location and one they can use as well. That way, your gift will be useful and memorable to the recipient, even long after they’ve left your team.
Are You Ready To Host A Virtual Farewell Party?
One of the biggest criticisms about virtual parties is the fact that it is potentially awkward. Virtual and remote working may be a norm, but there could still be those individuals who aren’t comfortable facing the screen for work. Let alone now for a party. With the tips above, however, you can make that virtual party more fun and interesting for your co-workers, especially the one the farewell party is for.
Lastly, you don’t have to plan it all on your own. Let your co-workers join you as a team, so each can contribute to the success of the virtual farewell party.
