Whether remote work is a temporary solution or a normal day for you, “office work” isn’t restricted to a traditional office space anymore. With organizations expanding and being given more unified communication options, they are also progressively embracing remote work and distributed teams. One topic related to remote work that isn’t talked about very often is how to reinforce your relationships with team members with virtual team-building activities. Let’s take a look at some options to keep everyone on your team engaged while working from home.
Make Online Meetings Fun
Meetings typically are not peoples’ favorite part of the work day. However, virtual teams need to have periodic meetings to share updates, progress, and share information. So why not make them a little more interesting and refreshing?
How is everyone feeling this week?
One idea to break the ice during a quiet meeting is to have team members share a short update on how they’re feeling this week. Feeling overwhelmed with a home improvement project? Did you find a new hiking trail over the weekend that brought out your adventurous side? It doesn’t have to be work-related. This is an opportunity to share worries and triumphs about personal things as well.
What’s new with you?
Feel free to also share something new with your teammates to get a conversation going. It could be a new album you’ve been enjoying lately, or maybe a new a recipe that you made over the weekend. Did you find a new show on Netflix that you binge-watched? Share anything new that you discovered that week or month.
Share a funny picture, meme, or gif
We all know there’s a meme and gif for anything and everything. Incorporate this into the conversations you have with coworkers and take turns with each team member to share a funny picture, meme, or gif for a few minutes during a meeting. Funny pictures could include their pets, children, travels, or anything at all. Invite them to explain what’s happening in the picture and why they selected it.
Don’t feel like you have to use all these activities at once. Choose whatever works best for your team and you can always change it up if you want something different.
Virtual Team Building Icebreakers
Doing an icebreaker at the beginning of your virtual meeting not only helps your employees establish rapport, it can also increase interaction. When your employees take part in a virtual icebreaker, they will feel more comfortable and willing to speak up.
Create and share music playlists
Who doesn’t like listening to and talking about music? Ask your coworkers to share their favorite playlists for when they’re working, driving, working out, or just relaxing at the end of the day. You might discover teammates who share similar tastes or have attended the same concert. It’s a fun way to know more about a person and get some great music suggestions!
Messy desk showcase
When you’re working from the office, there’s an expectation that your desk will be relatively neat and organized. It’s a whole different story when working from home. Some people might sit at a desk at home, but others might like to work from the kitchen table or living room area. Have team members share pictures or even a short video clip showing their messy work space at home, and see whose is the messiest!
Guess who?
This virtual team-building activity requires a little prep work, but there can be prizes involved to make it more competitive. Have your manager ask everyone to share some fun, unknown facts about themselves. They will then compile this into a master document and everyone has to guess who each fact refers to. After a week or so, share the answer key and give a prize to whoever guesses the most correctly.
Team Building Games For Remote Employees
With many employees working remotely for the foreseeable future, it’s more important than ever for us to foster that sense of community through team building. This in turn can strengthen relationships and boost engagement by as much as 50%.
Virtual escape room
A virtual escape room can mean a lot of fun for your team. There are many virtual escape room options to choose from. Your team will have a host who will guide you through the room while you and your team work together to escape. Not only is it good fun, but it also encourages team members to bond and problem solve together.
Trivia contest
Who doesn’t love a good round of trivia? Try recreating this classic pub game virtually with a host or get a trivia app. Invite teammates to play in real-time, join teams or battle it out individually. Virtual trivia can help you build a stronger, happier, and more productive team.
Online lunch date/social hour
One thing everyone is sure to miss with remote working is going out to lunch or drinks after work on Friday. Set a date and have everyone order from their favorite meal delivery service while you kick back and relax. If someone in your team knowledgeable about mixing cocktails, you can host a virtual happy hour as well. Everyone can join in with their favorite drink!
With remote working at an all-time high, now is the perfect time to reevaluate your company’s team-building opportunities and strengthen your bond through various activities. A flexible and fun work culture allows employees to maintain a healthier work-life balance, which leads to better productivity. So, which team-building activity will you try first?