Last week, Link asked you to share how your UCOP teams have been staying connected while many colleagues have been working remotely, and what you have planned for upcoming holiday celebrations. Here’s what you shared.

How you’re staying in touch

• 46.7% of survey respondents have played online games/trivia with their teams
• 46.7% have met in-person for a meal, coffee or drink
• 33.3% have participated in a hands-on virtual activity or class
• 20% have connected in other ways
• 27% have not participated in team-building activities

A creative connection idea you’d like to try: A virtual reality meetup — “I realize very few people have the headsets but it still would be fun!”

Tools for connecting

• Gatheround — free for smaller groups, and then small fee as you include more people
• Gathertown     (same)
• Re-elevate
• Slack
• ndThread real-time messaging
• Zoom — in innovative ways. As one respondent shared, “We have a virtual hallway chat for anyone who wants to attend. Usually, about 100 people show up and we assign them to random breakout groups of about seven to eight people. It’s nice because you get to see team members you don’t work with every day.”

Holiday party ideas

Here’s how your colleagues plan to celebrate the holidays:

• Best decorations contest (live and background)
• Bingo
• Costume contest
• In-person meal
• Recipe swaps over Zoom
• Virtual holiday party with games

Recommended locations for teams to meet outdoors** 

Parks and other outdoor venues:

• Arlington Park (El Cerrito)
• Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt (Oakland)
• Jack London Square (Oakland)
• Lake Merritt (Oakland)
• Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (Oakland)
• Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park (Oakland)
• Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley)
• UC Berkeley Botanical Garden (Berkeley)

Restaurants and bars with patio/outdoor seating:

• Battambang (Oakland)
• Blind Tiger (Oakland)
• Black Star Pirate BBQ (Richmond)
• Doña (Oakland)
• Downtown Disney (Anaheim)
• Drake’s Dealership (Oakland)
• Le Cheval (Oakland)
• Nido’s BackYard (Oakland)
• Portal (Oakland)
• Social Bird (Lafayette)
• Starbucks (nationwide)

** Link does not promote in-person meetings. If your team plans a face-to-face gathering, ensure that all team members are comfortable with meeting in person and that you are following all state and local guidelines. 

Have another connection idea that you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below!

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