Here is our list of the best online happy hour ideas.
Online happy hour ideas are activities for events for remote teams. These events happen on online platforms like Zoom and include icebreaker activities and games for remote employees. Examples include mixology classes, sneak it in, and talent show. These activities aim to reduce the barriers of shyness in remote teams and encourage them to collaborate and bond by participating in activities.
These events are ways to team building with remote staff and virtual team building activities. These gatherings are similar to online coffee breaks.
This list includes:
- online happy hour games
- online happy hour activities
- Zoom happy hour ideas for work
Let’s get started!
List of online happy hour ideas
Team bonding is necessary for employees and is often difficult for remote teams. However, games and activities can boost employees’ morale and help them interact more regularly. Our list of online happy hour games and activities includes ideas that can help you ensure team building among remote employees and boost their confidence.
1. DIY Science Experiment
You can elevate team bonding during happy hour with an engaging DIY science experiment happy hour! To get started, ship each team member a mini science kit. After folks get their drinks, dive into hands-on experiments. For instance, perhaps you could craft a mini volcano eruption or mix vibrant potions. This activity fosters a shared sense of discovery and fun. Science experiments are a delightful break from the usual work routine, sparking curiosity and teamwork.
Check out these awesome science kits.
2. Spa Happy Hour
A spa happy hour is a relaxing addition to your team’s virtual schedule! Before the gathering, send out personalized spa packages. These boxes can contain essentials like face masks, scented candles, and herbal teas. Participants can grab a drink, put on a face mask, and relax! Team members can unwind together, sharing self-care tips in a supportive environment. This workplace wellness day promotes relaxation, stress relief, and team bonds.
3. Celebrity Impressions
You can add a touch of humor into the workday with celebrity impressions! Colleagues can turn into their favorite celebrities, creating a light-hearted and entertaining break. From actors to musicians, team members can showcase their impression skills. To gamify this activity, you can also have employees guess who their colleagues are impersonating. This activity is a lighthearted addition to your happy hour agenda.
4. DIY Cocktail Garnish Challenge
Creating your own virtual DIY cocktail garnish can be a fun and easy activity to add some flair to your drinks. First, gather your favorite fruits like citrus slices, berries, or even herbs like mint. Next, grab toothpicks or skewers to secure the garnishes. If you want to get creative, consider using cookie cutters to shape fruits into fun designs. During your virtual gathering, show off your ingredients, tools, and steps. Participants can experiment with different combinations and share their creations. This activity is a fantastic way to add a personal touch to your drinks and enjoy a virtual cocktail experience together!
5. Virtual Bob Ross Painting Party
You can turn work-related stress into creativity with a virtual Bob Ross painting party! Before the event, send participants painting kits with canvases, brushes, and paint. Then, team members can join a virtual painting session led by the soothing videos of Bob Ross. No prior painting experience is necessary. With favorite beverages in hand, colleagues can paint together, fostering a relaxed and creative atmosphere. This artistic activity is a fun addition to any happy hour.
Check out Bob Ross’s YouTube channel.
6. Global Snack Exchange
Teams can go on a tasty adventure with a global snack exchange during a virtual happy hour! This activity is best for team members who live across the globe. Each team member gets to share a bit of their culture by sending and receiving delicious snacks from different parts of the world. Whether it is unique chips, candies, or treats, folks will gather online to unwrap surprises and learn about diverse flavors. This activity is a delightful way to bond over a love for food. Plus, nothing pairs better with cocktails than snacks!
7. Custom Emoji Creation Contest
During this contest, teams will design their own special emojis that represent inside jokes, work moments, or favorite expressions. The emoji could be a quirky face, an animal, or even a team logo. During the happy hour, participants will reveal their creative emojis and choose the ones that best capture the team’s spirit. Then, folks can add these emojis to Slack or other communication channels. These custom emojis will add a personal and playful touch to the team’s daily messages!
Check out this custom emoji maker.
8. Mocktail Master Challenge
You can add a fun mocktail mix to your happy hour event! During this challenge, each team member pulls up their own virtual picker wheel. Then, participants add any drinks or liquids they have at home, like juice, milk, or even soy sauce. Each individual spins the wheel three times and uses their choices to create a surprise combo for their mocktail. Then, folks will head to the kitchen to mix up their creations. Whoever makes a mocktail that tastes the best earns the title of Mocktail Master!
Here is a free picker wheel to use.
9. DIY Desk Sculpture Contest
You can turn your work area into an art studio with a DIY desk sculpture contest! Participants can gather items from their desks, like pens, sticky notes, or markers. Then, using these everyday items, folks will build unique sculptures on their desks. Teams will share their masterpieces, have a good laugh, and celebrate their talents. This activity is a fun way to get creative juices flowing!
10. Pajama Party
Hosting a pajama-themed virtual happy hour is a super comfy and easy way to have fun with your colleagues online. Teams can wear their coziest PJs to the happy hour. You could even set a funny dress code, like fuzzy slippers or silly sleep hats. During the call, show off your pajama styles and enjoy some laid-back conversations. This party is a chill and relaxed way to connect with your work buddies from the comfort of your own home.
11. Heads Up!
The Heads Up! game involves team collaboration and is an excellent way to encourage team building in remote teams. You can DIY and self-run the game. However, installing the Heads Up! app is better to make the game easy.
Here is how you can play the game.
- The participants will join the Zoom video call and open the Heads Up! app on their phones.
- One person will be the denner. The denner will open the game app and choose one deck from the options available. Each deck will be focused on a single category.
- Then the denner will click on the hide self-view option and show the mobile screen on the video to let the audience see the word or phrase.
- The participants will try to tell the denner what is written without using the actual word.
If the denner cannot guess the word, then they can also pass it on to the next one.
12. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is the favorite game of office parties. Playing a scavenger hunt is also easy for remote teams.
Here are the steps.
- Host an online meeting on a platform like Zoom.
- Prepare a list of random household items every participant should have in their house.
- Call out the names of the items, like a spoon, soap, or water bottle.
- The participants will have to rush to find the item in their house and show it off on camera.
- The participant who finds the most items in the least time will win the game.
You can also twist the game by giving hints about the items instead of revealing their exact name. For example, if the item is a spoon, you can hint, “We use it to eat, and it comes in small and large sizes.” You can also leave the prompts more open-ended, for example, ”something to keep your cat away from your keyboard.”
Check out more online scavenger hunt ideas.
13. Virtual Charades
Virtual charades can be your best pick if you are looking for the best Zoom happy hour ideas for work.
In this game, you will host a meeting on Zoom and divide the employees into two groups.
One group will decide on a phrase or word to act on for the other group. You can also ask the host to assign the words to each group. The group will receive the prompt via private chat.
The performing group will have one member come on the camera and act out the word for their team to guess. For each word guessed right, the team will get a point.
Then, the other team will come and act.
It is better to specify the category of the word. For example, you can give the name of a movie, an actor, or an animal to make it easy to guess for the teams.
Here are more online party games.
14. Either/Or
Either/Or is a fun game that can reveal the matching interests of employees. This game can also help the team members bond better as they know about their similarities.
In this game, each participant will ask a question with two possible answers.
Examples are:
- Ice cream or coffee in winter?
- Snapchat or Instagram?
- Cash or credit?
- Hard work or smart work?
- Vegetarian or meat lover?
- Texting or calling?
- Spicy or non-spicy?
When one participant asks a question, the other participants will answer and note it. For noting down the answers, you can use the polling feature, type the answer in the chat, or use the emoji reactions. The host can also answer the question they asked.
This game is a source of team building as employees will share their interests. This activity will also help the participants bond better and develop professional relationships.
15. Show And Tell
Show And Tell is a storytelling game in which all the employees will share a story associated with an item.
You will host a Zoom meeting and ask the participants to bring an item with special significance.
Each participant will show the item in the camera during the meeting and share the connected story.
To inspire participants, you can set themes for the show and tell, such as a workday the members remember, travel memories, or some memories of their family.
With this activity, the employees will get to know more about each other, which will help them bond better with their coworkers.
16. Geoguesser
Geoguesser is a unique game that makes one of the most engaging online happy hour activities.
In this game, you will organize an online meeting on Google Meet or Zoom. Then, you will divide the participants into two groups. Then, with a shared screen, you will open Google Maps street view.
Next, select a random location and ask one team to guess it. If the team members cannot, then the other team gets the chance to answer.
You can keep giving different locations to the teams. In the end, the team with the most points will win.
17. Guess The Song
Guess The Song is one of the best virtual happy hour games to make your employees enjoy themselves to the fullest while unveiling their love for music.
To ready the game, prepare a list of music on Spotify beforehand. If you have employees with varied music tastes, it is better to stick to a specific genre, like pop.
When the game starts, you will begin each song, and the participants will guess by typing in the chat. The participant who guesses in the shortest time will get the point.
18. Sneak It In
Sneak It In is a fun game that will test the creativity of the thinker and focus and thinking skills of the audience. Such Zoom happy hour ideas for work are great for keeping your employees focused and engaged in the meeting.
In this game, you will arrange a Zoom meeting and pick one person randomly to tell a story on the spot. Then, you will assign a random word to the storyteller via private chat. The word can be a cat, table, sheet, or water.
The storyteller will have one minute to make up a story and include the assigned word as often as possible without getting noticed.
The employees will carefully listen to the story and try to catch the word. The storyteller will get points for how many times they use the word without getting noticed.
19. Watch Party
If your remote team needs a break, then arranging a watch party in a virtual happy hour is a great idea.
In this activity, you will make your team watch a video. You can make the participants watch a funny or motivational video to encourage and motivate them.
It is best to watch a TV show or movie together. You can even play games related to the show. For example, whenever a character says a particular word, take a sip, or pause the movie and have teammates re-enact scenes or trivia. You can also show motivational videos to the employees to boost their confidence and motivate them.
At the end of the session, you can ask the employees to share their feedback and discuss different points in the video.
20. Gratitude Wall
A gratitude wall is a fantastic idea if you are celebrating an event in your virtual happy hour.
In this activity, you will need to set up a digital whiteboard. However, a better idea is to look for a collaboration platform where you can write on sticky notes and share videos. For example, you can set up a virtual gratitude wall on Padlet.
Miro is another online platform for sticky notes. You can write your gratitude on the virtual sticky notes and share them with your coworkers.
The employees will share their thoughts and memories. In addition, the employees will also get a chance to say thanks to their coworkers and share their gratitude, which will help strengthen the bond between coworkers.
At the end of the event, you can ask the employees to read out what they wrote. Also, make sure to save a copy of the finished product.
21. Talent Show
Organizing a talent show is a great idea to encourage your employees to show their hidden skills to coworkers and can provide great entertainment for online happy hours.
In this activity, each employee will develop different skills to show over a Zoom video call. For example, one employee might sing a song, while another might show their favorite painting.
During each act, spotlight the performer on the video call software so that they appear large center screen rather than in a tiny box in the gallery view.
The talent show will help your employees know more about their teammates. Appreciating and encouraging the skills of others will also boost the confidence of employees and promote team building among remote teams.
22. Water Or Not Water
Water Or Not Water is a guessing game that will leave everyone laughing.
In this game, you will invite everyone to a Zoom video. Then, one participant will turn on the video and put two glasses on the table.
One glass will contain water, and the other will contain a transparent liquor, such as vodka or tequila. The employees in the audience will not know which glass contains water and which one is not water.
Then, the host will pick a glass and take a shot. The people in the audience will either say “water” or “not water.”
In this way, all the participants will take a turn. The host will get a point if the audience guesses the wrong answer.
23. Comedy Workshop
Sharing laughter strengthens the bond between coworkers. If your employees are working on a tough project and you feel they are exhausted after work, then arranging a virtual comedy workshop is a great idea.
A comedy workshop in a virtual happy hour is a great way to make your employees forget about their hectic routines and spend some time laughing. In these events, professional comedians teach attendees how to craft funny jokes and give participants practice at short standup routines.
Since comedy is an art form, it is best to book a professional facilitator to help employees master the craft. However, you can also run a DIY workshop.
24. The GIF Game
The GIF game is simple and will not take too much time in a virtual happy hour. Thus, you can also plan other games to make the happy hour fun.
The GIF game will consist of several rounds. In each round, a new participant will become the judge. As the game involves sending GIFs, you can also play it in chat.
In this game, one employee will become the judge and select a category. When the judge tells the category to the participants, they will start looking for the best GIF that matches the category and will send it in the chat.
Some examples of categories are:
- Action
- Chilling
- Angry
- Happy
The participants will also have a limited time of 20 to 30 seconds. When the time is over, the judge will select the best GIF that matches the chosen category.
Conclusion
A virtual happy hour is an excellent source of team building among remote teams. You can organize fun activities that can be productive yet relaxing for employees. Some activities will improve their focusing and thinking skills, while others will boost their confidence and help the employees build professional relationships. In addition, structured activities can take the pressure off socializing at these events.
Our list of virtual happy hour games for work includes all kinds of games that will benefit your employees in one way or the other. You can also combine the games and include several activities in one session.
Engaging your employees in virtual happy hour games will help remote teams know each other better.
Next, check out online fun Friday ideas.
