Art, music liven up virtual off-sites
TO HELP TEAMS BOND WITHOUT THE OFFICE, COMPANIES ARE HOLDING QUIZZES, JAM SESSIONS, EVEN MEETMY-PET ZOOM EVENTS
What constitutes the office experience? Workstations, project deadlines and assignments to finish; but also the coffee breaks, the in-jokes and the bonhomie that make you feel part of a team, build trust and allow you to relax while getting work done.
The lockdown and working remotely from home has changed much of that. How can companies make teams feel like teams, keep morale up and foster connections like they used to? They’re starting to hold virtual creative and educative sessions aimed not at work but at play.
On May 6, thirty team members of the storytelling platform Terribly Tiny Tales went on a virtual off-site. No rooms were booked, but there was a Bollywood quiz, a group session of light yoga, a treasure hunt for household objects, and music.
“We were looking for a way to provide fun interaction for our team members,” says Anuj Gosalia, co-founder of Terribly Tiny Tales. Non-work Zoom calls weren’t enough. They hired luxury villa rental firm Vista Rooms to organise activities typically offered at off-sites, but to do them through screens. “It was engaging and meaningful and the feedback from the staff was positive,” Gosalia says.
It worked well for the organiser too. Hospitality is hard hit by the lockdown. Vista Rooms has seen cancellations since March 10. “We have a big events-and-experiences team for the parties, off-sites and weddings we host,” says co-founder Ankita Seth. The team includes comedians, musicians, yoga instructors. “They now form the online off-site team.”
Sadaf Khan, senior business lead for brand collaborations at Terribly Tiny Tales, thought the sessions were a welcome change from chores and Zoom meetings. “I’m on calls all day, but they’re all for work. This was one call where I got to have fun and catch up with my colleagues, it reminded us all of our breaks in the office,” she says.
Other companies, like edtech platform Udacity, are organising sessions in-house. “I hosted a quiz on the company’s history,” says Prerona Sanyal, community manager. One staff member who is good at public speaking, led a session for the rest last week, sharing skills informally.
Sanyal is quick to point out that they have fun and easy meet-ups too. “We had a pet introduction session,” she says. “Everyone who had pets introduced them to the team. And there was an international karaoke session where the Indian and Middle-eastern teams listened to each other’s music.”
Companies are getting specific with their choice of recreation. Office teams who have attended paintingpartiesarerecreatingthe experiencevirtually.snehalpatil, founder of Bombay Drawing Room, a company that provides art experiences, hosted sessions for75employeesofsonyonmay10 and for 30 employees of a major search engine on May 6 and 13.
“In these two-hour sessions, an artist hosts and guides people through the process of painting. In the end everyone comes forward with something they have created,” Patil says.