It just had to happen: virtual office party coming your way

PUSH, a wellbeing and performance company, has announced an alternative to the traditional office party, with a very 2020 twist.

After a year that has seen employees disconnect from the office, and each other, digital gatherings are our best shot at bringing people back together in time for Christmas.

An assortment of virtual events run by ping-pong champions, festival-promoters, DJs and artists will deliver morale-boosts along with Push’s holly, jolly, virtual party.

Ping Pong Fight Club

Hosted by ex-junior international table tennis player Ade Lee, Ping Pong Fight Club’s Lockdown Challenge is a team-based game show where players connect and compete with work colleagues — all from the comfort of home.

The 45-minute show features five 60-second ping pong-related challenges, a trivia round and game show banter with bonus points awarded for best team attire and artistic interpretation. Scores are uploaded via an app, with team positions displayed at the end of each round on a Eurovision style leader-board.

A Very Creative Christmas

Creativity author and educator Dave Birss offers a Christmas cracker session of games, tasks and quizzes.

This high-energy, 45-minute session will boost the company’s festive mood without anyone needing to be in the same room. Those taking part will find themselves rushing around the living room on a treasure hunt, collecting scores on quizzes and playing games that stretch the mind.

Breathing through the mayhem

This workshop aims to break down people’s preconceptions of breath work, and share practical tools to help them regulate their emotions and performance — at home, at work, and especially over the holidays.

With the respiratory system dialled straight into the part of the brain responsible for emotions, host Chevy Rough will teach attendees how to harness breath for physical and mental performance, as well as understand stress and how to combat it.

Healthy holiday cooking

A 90-minute session offering a cook-along with Cheryl Telfer, one of PUSH’s holistic chefs. With the seasons changing, and everyone’s minds on how to boost immunity, healthy eating is a must.

Telfer will share how to make a hearty chickpea stew, field questions about ingredients, and show how eating seasonally can keep us healthy.

Cocktails and mocktails

Fun and festive, without a barstool in sight, mixologist Murray Anderson hosts a cocktail- and mocktail-making class. Creating and drinking a Rosemary Gimlet, a Tom Collins and a New York Sour, Anderson’s job sounds like fun. He’ll also talk about the history behind these classic drinks.

Push founder Cate Murden believes we all need a little festive fun. “As the end of the year looms and we still have so much uncertainty, we are trying to focus on supporting people and, more than anything, offering a little festive light relief. Our creative and communal sessions are designed to let you reconnect with colleagues and remind you that we are a people of resilience and resourcefulness — even if you aren’t very good at ping pong.”

Companies can also book sessions on journaling, writing and poetry workshops, drawing games and even an ’80s dance party. Push will continue to offer mental health 1-2-1s and resilience training throughout the holiday period.

For more information on Push, visit www.pushmindbody.com