We are excited to announce that Swoon has been named one of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For!
To receive this award, companies are evaluated based on various categories. The categories include compensation, benefits and employee solutions, employee enrichment, engagement and retention, employee education and development, recruitment, selection and orientation, employee achievement and recognition, communication and shared vision, diversity and inclusion, work-life balance, community initiatives, and strategic company performance.
“The Best and Brightest is a powerful community of elite leaders who share ideas and practices and have proven they are employers of choice. Best and Brightest winning companies have also been a voice for important actions in creating a sustainable culture that works, ensuring the wellbeing of their employees comes first,” said Jennifer Kluge, President and CEO, Best and Brightest Programs.
We are honored to have received this award for the second year. Thank you to our wonderful human resources team, leadership team, and all of our employees.
Grab your drink of choice, cuddle up next to your pet and get ready for your next happy hour!
Right now, since everyone is in sort of a long-distance relationship, virtual happy hours are more important than ever to keep up with social interaction, have some laughs and figure out different ways to connect with each other.
There are many ways that we’ve found to keep our employees engaged and feel involved while working remote and we want to share those with you!
Have Fun!
One way that we’ve found to keep these virtual happy hours fun and really learn more about each other is to incorporate remote team building! Not only does this allow your employees to know each other, but they are also a great stress-reliever.
Introducing Pets/Kids!
Coworkers hear stories about everyone’s kids or pets either when they were in the office or over chat. Give them the opportunity to meet them on camera.
Play Some Icebreaker Games
Okay, we know what you’re thinking, “…but these are so cheesy!” Yes, we know they’re cheesy, but they’re also amazing at allowing your employees to talk and get to know each other better. Being remote can get extremely lonely and you want to offer time for employees to unwind. Here are some of our favorites!
1. What’s Your Favorite Thing?
This is a great game to play when you aren’t sure how people will respond to playing an icebreaker game during a happy hour.
2. In Common
Is your team having trouble coming up with new ideas or communicating effectively while being remote? This could be your solution! This game allows your employees to get back on track and work as a team to achieve the end goal in a non-stressful environment!
3. A Picture into Your Life
This game will allow your team to have fun and put their creativity to the test!
4. Take A Guess
Here is another game that allows your employees to utilize their creativity skills and learn about their coworkers in a fun way!
5. Chat Channels
Create fun, dedicated chat channels and announce them during your virtual happy hour. Do you know that your employees won’t respond well to a team building exercise? This could be the way that you get your employees to connect in a remote environment!
Keep It Simple!
You don’t need to always do something outside the box. Sometimes, the best way to get your employees to feel included is to just set up a time and space for them to talk and see one another. Having them add in their drink of choice allows the environment to feel a little more comfortable and laid back.
Need Help?
We would love to help you and your team navigate this new work from home environment! No matter if that’s through finding the best virtual happy hour solution or just the best work from home solution for you and your team. We’ve been doing this for a little over a year, so we would love to provide you with our insight! Feel free to send us a message!