Birthdays are always a time for celebration, but with remote and hybrid workplaces, celebrating your employee’s special day can be challenging. While planning a birthday in the office is difficult enough, coordinating online celebrations can be overwhelming due to shifting schedules and different locations. You may find yourself desperately wondering how to celebrate a remote employee’s birthday in a way that works for your team and still feels fun and meaningful.

Thankfully, we’ve rounded up seven fun ways to celebrate a remote employee’s birthday, so you can ensure your remote team members feel valued. From hosting an online celebration to swapping gift cards and dinner coupons, here are some of the best ways to celebrate a remote employee’s birthday.

Online Celebration

The obvious first option for celebrating a remote employee’s birthday is an online celebration using your company’s Slack channel. Slack is a great way to coordinate workplace meetings, so why not use it to celebrate your employee’s birthday? Pick a time that works for most of your team members, and consider using some Slack game integrations to spice up the event. You can even have a virtual gift exchange if that fits the tone of your celebration.

No matter what you add on, make sure to bring the same energy you would to an office birthday party. Consider sending out DIY party hats or encouraging team members to change their profiles to something festive. With a little creativity, an online celebration can be just as fun and meaningful as an in-person office birthday bash.

Send a Gift Card

What if there was an easy way to send your coworker a birthday gift with the push of a button? Well, thanks to the invention of the gift card, there is. With virtual and physical gift cards from countless stores, you can let your coworker know you’re thinking of them with an all-expense-paid shopping spree at their favorite vendor. Or, well, as much of an all-expense-paid shopping spree as a $25 gift card can cover.

If you’re looking for a lower-key way to celebrate as an office, coupons and discount codes are always another option, especially if you run an e-commerce business. Who doesn’t want an added 10% off on top of an employee discount?

Even if you don't run a shop, finding discount coupons for different stores and services can be a great way to let remote employees know you're thinking of them; make sure whatever store you pick also exists in their region if they're international!

A Morning Off

What better way to say “we appreciate all you do” than giving your remote employee the morning off? Getting started for the day can be challenging even if you’re working from home, so why not let them take a load off and ignore notifications until lunchtime? While you might think of a morning off as a step down for a birthday celebration, any employee will tell you getting extra time to sleep in is the best birthday present they could ever get.

Sign an E-Card

Handing a gift card around an office is harder with hybrid or remote teams, so why not cut out the physical factor of this tradition and instead send around an e-card for everyone to sign? A quick scribble in an editing app or on your phone, and you have a personalized gift card perfect for any remote team member's birthday. You can even animate some e-gift cards with team members' pictures or profile images for a one-of-a-kind present that will make their day a little brighter.

If you’re feeling dedicated, you could always print out a gift card and mail it to different team members to sign. This shows you’re going above and beyond for your remote employee and gives that gift card a story. You can even have everyone keep the stamps needed to send the letter around as a testament to the card’s long journey.

Company Shout-Out

Another way to show you appreciate your team members is by setting up company-wide Slack integrations, so you can spend less time keeping track of birthdays and more time celebrating your remote employees. This lets members of other teams easily wish your team member a happy birthday and helps craft a positive, supportive workplace across different teams.

You can even use this system to celebrate work anniversaries, important workplace events, and more, all through an easy-to-use automation system.

Set Up a Wishlist System

If you have team members working worldwide, figuring out what they want for their birthday can be difficult. With employee wishlists, you can take the guesswork out of shopping for your remote team members.

Have each employee set up a wishlist on an easy-to-view site like Amazon, set a price limit on items, and tada! You have access to a frequently updated list of everything your coworker wants right at the push of a button.

By connecting these wishlists to an international distributor like Amazon, you can make shopping for your team as easy as clicking a button. You can even collaborate with your team to choose a website for wishlist items, allowing them to customize their preferred retailer.

Team-Wide Treats

The best part of celebrating a workplace birthday is the treats. You don't have to say goodbye to a cupcake break because your employees are remote. Instead, you can coordinate with your team to send a voucher for different food sites, like DoorDash.

Each team member can get a treat to celebrate an office birthday. If you have many team birthdays, choose one day each month to celebrate several birthdays and host an online snack get-together on that day.

If you’re looking for more ways to connect with your remote team members, check out CultureBot. This all-in-one Slack integration allows you to easily keep track of employee birthdays, anniversaries, wellness initiatives, and more, all through the power of automation. If you want to transform your company’s next online event, CultureBot is here to help. Our latest features include gameshow-style live events and game features seamlessly integrated into your company’s Slack, allowing you to throw workplace events easily.

~ Amy