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Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

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Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#91

Post by jeromegv »

leetcrew wrote: post #80
noarchy wrote: post #38

Related note: do it during work hours, if possible. Not all of us want to be expected to take an evening to devote to work events. Even if I genuinely like my co-workers, there are times that I want to set aside where I don't have to think about work.

there are arguments for/against. it's nice that a work event during normal work hours doesn't cut into my free time, but it does cut into the block of time that I've already set aside to, you know, get my actual work done. I generally don't attend optional events scheduled during work hours unless I think attending will directly contribute to the work I am responsible for. "virtual happy hour" doesn't meet that crite…

The amount of work you are expected to complete should just not be as high if you have a work event during working hours.

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#92

Post by jfdi »

I use https://increment.me and toss some suggestions out and ask my team to send in theirs. Been great so far. Things that have come back for ex - calls with specific leaders in the company w/no agenda, just give people part of a day off, do some mid day gaming, etc. Thematically most wanted company fun inside working hours.

Only disclaimer, Increment’s my product.

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#94

Post by joshschreuder »

I’ve done a few Jackbox Party Pack games sessions over last year’s lockdown, they are good fun and there’s normally at least one game per pack that everyone can be good at, without necessarily being the funniest or most creative.

It works quite well over screen share due to being time based rounds with not a huge reliance on reaction times / audio

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackbox_Party_Pack

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#96

Post by LeifCarrotson »

frombody wrote: post #65
zucked wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Work "fun" events that happen outside of work hours are totally bogus.

Only if the place you work is no fun.

I'd disagree with this, and I consider my work 'fun'. In the Before Time, we had monthly summer grill-outs with families and Thanksgiving turkey bowling and winter pizza luncheons and other events. We had only one event (a Christmas party) at the founders' house after hours. But none of that was mandatory, try as you might one or two people are going to have a conflict for the Christmas party every year because the holidays are busy and that's fine.

But it's one thing to ask an employee to report after-hours for an emergency service call. It's another to demand they attend something (fun or not) that could have been during work hours but you scheduled it after hours.

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#97

Post by codezero »

A few of the things we've done:

- virtual murder mystery (two people on the team wrote it all up, it was intense, but I think you could buy a good package)

- drawing apps online we use https://skribbl.io but the ads are tedious

- we did a scavenger hunt for household items on different themes (we did a thanksgiving one) - this is easy to adapt to a lot and a lot of fun to see what folks have around their house - fills a lot of curiosity and makes folks feel more connected, also folks get creative in their finds - which adds to the fun.

- I like the other suggestions of a lego set / cooking - I have a friend whose company sent cooking ingredients and folks all cooked together - another that had two or three people "compete" like a cooking show with the rest of the team judging - good times.

- literally just get a cheesy icebreaker book - for once these things really do help get folks primed and engaged.

- Play Among Us

- Give folks a gift card and have them bring what they buy to a show and tell

Really looking forward to other folks' ideas.

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#98

Post by LeifCarrotson »

mbohorquez wrote: post #35

I really enjoy jack party games (someone buys it, shares the screen and everyone else connects by phone), but for a quicker setup this page is great: https://skribbl.io/ It's free and it's like playing pictionary, everyone can enjoy via a link after the host creates the room.

Nit: jack party games -> "The Jackbox Party Pack" (or any of 6 sequel packs)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/331670/The_Jackbox_Party_...

https://www.jackboxgames.com/

Re: Ask HN: Team fun event ideas during WFH?

#100

Post by kennethfriedman »

bighitbiker3 wrote: post #99

Shameless plug, but this is exactly what we do at Mystery. We have a curated catalog and the ability to distribute supplies to your team. The activities I’ve helped vet are all super fun and engaging and our customers have loved them as well. https://trymystery.com

typo, .com
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