Virtual team building activities to boost engagement
In the current situation, staying at home is important to stay safe. This has had a big impact on everyone’s way of life and how we enjoy things. Technology has always been prevalent for work, socialising and entertainment, but the online world has become even more important in recent months. From ordering groceries online to spending weekends with friends on the House Party app, flipping up phones and laptops to complete everyday tasks is more common than ever. We believe that whilst being away from the office, taking the time to complete some virtual team building activities has a variety of benefits and allows us to stay connected during this period.
Virtual team building apps
If you are remote working, chances are you use a virtual chat and meeting software such as Zoom, which allows companies to keep connected with their team, share projects and stay in the know via video conferencing. This technology is incredibly important. Not only is it needed to keep up with work tasks and colleagues, but the increased time we are spending alone means that feelings of isolation may be more common. Mental health is so important and now so more than ever. Keeping up with your team members and continuing to engage in social exercises helps beat the loneliness and keep everyone’s spirits up.
What is team building?
Team building is an important part of any office space, particularly if employees or often wrapped up in their own projects. A harmonious workspace allows for a better environment, stronger communication, and ultimately an improved quality of work. Investing time in your employees benefits them personally and can boost their engagement, making them more effective employees. If your team know how to communicate with each other, this also helps projects run smoother.
Remote team building activities
As having office team building is a no go at the moment, we’ve collated our favourite virtual team building activities which you can engage in with your employees via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype. If you are part of a team and want to join in some remote team building activities, why not send this blog over to management.
Pub quiz
There is nothing like a pub quiz, and as we cannot enjoy a physical one, why not create one for your team. Ask everyone to jump into a video call and bring a pen, pad and their thinking hats. There are loads of pub quiz question ideas online, or why not create your own? If you want to make this into weekly sessions, you could ask for topic suggestions each week. Go for music, geography, history, pop culture and general knowledge to give everyone a chance to answer their favourites. If you want to make it work specific, create some questions based on your industry to get people thinking. Have employees work individually or join forces to boost teamwork skills. If you want to ramp it up a notch, why not suggest a theme for each quiz and invite your team to dress up. Movie themes, books or even just to find the brightest piece of clothing they wear. Your team will love the chance to catch up with the office and test out their knowledge. If you want to give the winner a prize, an inexpensive online gift card is perfect.
Problem-solving
If you want to be more work-focused with your activities, a problem-solving game is perfect to test employees critical thinking. Before the call, ask everyone to come up with a problem which they are comfortable discussing on the video chat. Specify the sort of issue which you want to hear. This could be an issue they are having currently with work, something which had happened at an old job which was never resolved, or even a challenge they are facing at home with the current measures in place. Read each one aloud and have everyone contribute with possible solutions. If this is a current problem, this gives the team some potential solutions which they can implement. If this was something in the past, it allows the individual to retrospectively reflect on what happened and how they could combat something like this in the future. It also gives them a chance to explain any frustrations accompanied by an unresolved issue and connect further with their team. Sharing problems and solutions is a great bonding strategy which can bring your team closer together.
Fun icebreakers for virtual teams
A team catch up first thing is perfect as it goes in place of the usual morning chit chat which we are all currently missing. As well as catching up on our evenings of Netflix, it gives a chance for the team to present their plans for the day and discuss if they need anything to complete their projects. The morning meeting is a perfect time to complete virtual team building activities such as lateral thinking puzzles or riddles as it prepares everyone for the day ahead. Select a few each day and get your team to guess the answer.
Here are some of our favourites:
- The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? (Footsteps)
- What belongs to you, however, other people use it more frequently? (Your name)
- You live in a bungalow made of redwood. What colour are the stairs? (There are no stairs, it’s a bungalow)
- O O U S W T D N E J R, spells just one word. What does it spell? (Just one word)
- What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? (Short)
- What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it? (Silence)
Why not try creating your own riddles? Or ask your team members to find their favourite and everyone can have a turn at quizzing. There are so many examples online to choose from so get creative and see how well your team can test each other for the perfect morning icebreaker.
Virtual team building activities conclusion
Now you’ve seen some of our favourite virtual team building activities which can be performed remotely, which one is your favourite? Are you going to adapt any of our ideas to suit your team? Why not have a go at creating brand new games for a Friday afternoon team building session. Remember the importance of communication amongst your colleagues, friends and family during this period. Be there to support each other and use some of the amazing online video apps to do so.
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