Use these virtual happy hour ideas to give your team or employees a way to connect while having a remote or partially remote schedule.
While it’s likely that many companies will ultimately decide on a hybrid work schedule, there are still many others that are and will stay fully remote.
The question is always, “how do we create bonds with our teams? Or celebrate a project completion?
With our tips and planning ideas, you can make your virtual happy hour a fun and simple way to connect and celebrate
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Virtual Happy Hour Ideas
- Decide how many you would like to be grouped together. Each person should be able to have some screen time, so make sure that the groups are not too large.
- Also another consideration is where each person is located. Obviously everyone needs to be grouped by their time zones, if that is something that is relevant for your company.
3.Choose if you want to send an online invitation or a simple email. Either way you would probably want to have some graphics to use.
Canva.com is free and it is an incredibly easy way to add graphics to an email to send to your team.
- Use your preferred platform, whether its zoom is another software that you normally use. If you are not sure, check out this guide on the best virtual event platforms.
- Once you decide what the occasion is that you are celebrating, you can choose a theme. Themes are not necessary, but depending on your company culture, it could be a fun addition.
You can tie your cocktail to the theme such as
Roaring 20’s, have everyone make a 20’s style cocktail and add any fun embellishments. A 20’s hat or pearls or fringe top. Whatever you have around to add to the fun.
Tropical theme with tropical cocktails, sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts!
Chocolate theme with spiked hot chocolate or chocolate martinis!
- Ideas for your team should include both alcoholic and non alcoholic options.. Know your state’s liquor laws before shipping any alcohol or purchasing a kit that contains alcohol.
- One option is to have your team choose their desired infusion from here. Each person can choose their flavor and create their own cocktail or mocktail.
They are easily customizable by adding their preferred liquor, water or tea. Don’t let anyone feel left out because they don’t drink alcohol! Let steep in the refrigerator per the flavors instruction.
- Have each person that is participating choose any juices or sparkling water to use as a mixer if they choose.
- Play a good work ice breaker game! Use our free work icebreaker questions download to engage your team.
How do you make virtual happy hours interesting?
Playing some happy hour games or icebreakers, can make your event more fun and get people involved. The key is to keep the conversation light and work free.
What are good virtual happy hour games?
Try these ideas for virtual happy hour games or fun trivia games for groups. Or how about an old fashioned “show and tell.” Have each person choose an object to talk about and share with the class!
What happens in a virtual happy hour?
What happens depends upon what the objective is. Drinking is the essential part of happy hour, but that doesn’t mean that it must be alcoholic.
There is often some type of game to break the ice that helps create a more relaxed atmosphere.
How do you throw a Zoom happy hour?
Just follow some simple steps to create your own happy hour. The host can send a link for each person to order their preferred cocktail.
Alternatively you could send each person a set amount of money that they can then spend on their preferred beverage.
Ice breaker questions for work
Use these icebreaker questions that are perfect for virtual meetings or virtual happy hours. Questions are a great way for your team to open up and get to know each other better even when over zoom.
Fun ice breaker questions for work
- Use these at your next happy hour or gathering with friends to break the ice!
- What is your favorite ethnic food?
- What do you cook that is your signature dish?
- What is more your style, lying on the beach or hiking up a mountain?
- What is one thing that you would change about your work day and why?
- What career did you want when you were a kid?
- What is your favorite exercise or way to stay active?
- What is your most underrated skill?
- You get to spend an evening talking to anyone, living or dead, who do you choose?
- Name a favorite movie that you can watch over and over?
- What is your favorite casual clothes to wear?
- What is your favorite work tool and why?
- What app do you use the most often?
- If you could have one season last for half the year, which would it be and why?
- What color would you like your office to be?
- Name something on your bucket list.
- What was the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
- What is something that you were nervous to do, but did it anyway?
- How far do you like to push yourself out of your comfort zone?
- What is usually the best part of your day?
- Are you more of a morning person or a night owl?
- Where were you born?
- What is the place that you were born known for?
- What was your high school or college mascot?
- What was your favorite class in college?
More Ice breakers for work
- What tech toy do you enjoy?
- What is your favorite local restaurant?
- Name a goal that you have that is not work related.
- Do you have any unusual skills?
- What was the last movie that you saw?
- What sporting events do you like to go to?
- If you are watching a sport, what is the most likely?
- What was the last party game that you played?
- What was the best thing that you have watched on tv or streamed in the last month?
- What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
- Name a favorite weekend activity.
- What do you like to do when you want to relax?
- Do you enjoy traveling?
- What was one of your favorite vacations?
- What country would you like to visit for a month?
- What type of vacations do you love the most? An active outdoor vacation more a luxury resort?
- How will your life change when you retire? Are you planning to move?
- What is a traditional meal that your family makes that you love?
44 What was the last craft that you made?
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- Are you good at fixing things around the house?
- What was the last animal that you saw? (other than a cat or a dog)
- How often are you out in nature?
- What do you like to listen to in the car?
- Do you have a favorite podcast right now?
- What was the last book that you read?
51. What genre of movies do you enjoy the most? Action, horror, drama, romantic comedy or historical?
Conclusion Virtual happy hour ideas
Whenever you need to reconnect with your team, virtual happy hours can make a real difference. Alcohol is not necessary, but some crafted drinks, and trivia or icebreakers will do nicely.
By either allowing your team to purchase their own drinks or using infusions, holding a virtual happy hour is not hard to host.
Download our Virtual happy hour icebreaker questions for work infographic. Cheers!
