A virtual office party? Never heard that before!

After going through this dreadful year of Crisis and boredom, just when everyone wanted a change, PUSH, a wellbeing and a performance company, announced an alternative to the traditional office party with a twist of 2020. This year saw many employees disconnecting from the offices and their colleagues and as a way to connect them back, digital gatherings seemed to be a best shot to bring the people back together just in time for Christmas. Therefore PUSH decided to give an assortment of virtual events run by Ping-Pong champions, festival-promoters, DJs and artists who will deliver morale boosts in this jolly virtual party.

The Ping Pong fight club, was hosted by ex-junior international table tennis player Ade Lee. Ping Pong Fight Club’s Lockdown Challenge was a team-based game show where players connect and compete with work colleagues and all from the comfort of their home. This 45 minute show featured five of 60 second each Ping pong related challenges, a trivia round and a show banter with the bonus points awarded for the best team attire , artist interpretations etc.  The scores were uploaded via an app which displayed the team positions at the end of every round, on a Eurovision style leader board.

Creativity author and educator, Dave Birss, offered a Christmas cracker session of games, tasks and quizzes. This high energy, 45 minute session boosted the morale and company’s festive mood without even the need of being in the same room. Those who took part found themselves rushing around the living room participating in treasure hunts, collecting scores in the quizzes and playing games that stretch out the mind.

This workshop aimed at breaking down people’s presumptions of breath work, and shared some practical tools to help them regulate their sentiments and performance at home, at work, and especially over the breaks. Chevy Rough, the host, taught the attendees on how to use breathing techniques for physical and mental performance, while understanding the stress points and how to overcome it.

Next up there was Cheryl Telfer, PUSH’s holistic chef who offered a cook along session of 90 minutes. This session was important as healthy eating was very much required for the employees to inculcate into their day to day routine and boost their immunity with the seasons changing. She shared the recipe of making a hearty chickpea stew and followed up with the field questions about the ingredients and showed how important the seasonal eating could keep everyone healthy.

What is a party without the mocktails and few cocktails? It was all fun and festive but without a bar stool in sight. Murray Anderson, hosted a cocktail and mocktail making class. He created a Rosmary Gimlet, a Tom Collins and a New York sour with the participants whilst sharing the history behind the classic drinks.

Cate Murden, the founder of PUSH believed that everyone needed a little fun in between. He said, as the end of the year emerged and they still had so much uncertainty, they were trying to focus on supporting people and, more than anything, offering a little festive light relief. Their artistic and communal sessions were planned to let the employees reconnect with colleagues and remind all that they were a people of resilience and resourcefulness, even if they weren’t very good at ping pong.

Companies can book sessions on journaling, writing and poetry workshops, drawing games and even for the 80s dance party with the PUSH, and they will continue to offer mental health and resilience training all throughout the holiday period.