Allow employees to conduct research and present their findings and support their efforts by providing lunch for the team. Unlike the in-person version, virtual lunch and learns don’t require a physical space, but they do require a digital platform to bring everyone together. But when done right, you can host virtual lunch and learns that are equal parts enjoyable and educational and, most importantly, that your employees actually want to attend. The concept of a virtual lunch and learn might seem counterintuitive.
If some people don’t have pets, they can share a picture of a pet they used to have or what their dream pet would be. One of the great things about remote teams is that they can be comprised of an incredibly diverse group of people. By pinpointing where everyone on the team was born, it creates a visualization of this reality. Looking for something simple that can jumpstart or complete your virtual lunch? Ask everyone ahead of time to show up with some recommendations for great music, films, books, articles, or, well, just about anything.
Skill-Sharing Sessions
By having the ingredients delivered early, event attendees will have ample time to get their mise en place together prior to the function’s kickoff. The user-friendly session planner makes quick work of putting together an engaging virtual lunch meeting. You can personalize each session to your liking, with a huge range of interactive elements to choose from.
Also, since queries are out in the open at one time, askers are not at the mercy of the facilitator calling on raised hands. Experts can even prioritize the most popular questions based on how many other participants like or react to a posted inquiry. Above all, aim for a schedule that encourages ongoing knowledge-sharing, without overwhelming employees’ calendars. This game can be a great way to spark healthy discussion between your team and get to know everyone a little better.
Featured Products & Activities
Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software’s Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. The closest to the sun icebreaker game helps you to get to know your co-workers based on their responses to questions and statements.
You can also provide materials such as handouts, recommendations for podcasts and books for deeper learning, and other opportunities for team members to deepen their knowledge in their own way. We recommend allocating minutes at the start of your session for socializing and icebreakers, then pivoting into the learning portion of your session. When it comes to dietary restrictions, never assume what your employees will and won’t eat!
The Ultimate Guide to the Top 5 Company Offsite Retreat Locations in the United States
Despite the benefits of remote work (e.g., higher productivity, greater job satisfaction, and reduced employee turnover), it can be difficult to build relationships from afar. There is no watercooler to gather around, and you can’t strike up a spontaneous conversation at your co-workers’ desks. Today, with virtual and distributed teams being more common in the workplace, managers will need to get creative to build tight-knit, collaborative teams.
- Taking your team on a virtual lunch adventure can mean everything from exploring Google Maps street view on a shared screen to hiring a virtual tour guide to show everyone around an exotic locale.
- Project managers will appreciate Trello’s rich selection of tried and tested project planning, management strategies, and tips on maximizing the platform.
- Stick with us while we explore 25 ideas to ensure that your team’s remote lunches are a hit every time.
- Ashlee believes remote workers are most successful when their job is a good fit for them — a belief reflected in every blog post she writes.
When you’re choosing a date and time for your virtual meal, you need to be cognizant of the different time zones your remote employees work in so you can maximize attendance. If you’re going to host a virtual lunch regularly, select a standing date such as the first Monday of every month at 12 pm. Additionally, you can share informative and interesting articles with everyone by posting educational URLs. remote work blog Remember, the whole idea behind hosting a virtual lunch meeting is for everyone to enjoy themselves. Whether you’re working on your next big project or creating a fun, virtual team building game, Lucidchart and Lucidspark will help keep your office connected. Plan to send a meal to your employees using a food delivery app service or partnering with a local restaurant if your team is in the same city.
Virtual team lunch sessions are fantastic opportunities for cross-departmental interaction and learning. By bringing everyone together for dialogue and a meal, you’ll create space for employees to connect authentically and form connections. To simplify your lunch and learn, you can provide employees a stipend or gift card to order their own food of choice. Or, if providing a group meal, ensure it includes plenty of diverse and inclusive meal options to choose from.
You can provide additional materials such as highlights of the talk, the speaker’s social media handles and website, links to related resources, and the meeting recording. In addition to looking outside of your organization for speakers, you can also showcase your employees. Your colleagues https://remotemode.net/ have knowledge about a variety of work and non-work subjects. Peer to peer lessons give teammates a platform to share that expertise. Additionally, try hands-on polls, quizzes, and games for participatory learners. Auditory learners will love hearing from guest lecturers and panels.