All work and no fun is not good for anyone.
Keeping virtual teams productive and excited about doing their work is one of the challenges resulting from an offsite or remote job environment. When people are isolated, like when working from home, they are easily hit by feeling blue. Even professional remote service providers still experience solitariness that eventually leads to a decrease in productivity.
As offsite working becomes the norm, labor experts continue to study and find data-driven methods for improving the experience of working from home. One strategy for keeping remote teams energized, and boosting their morale is to conduct virtual team-building activities.
What Are Team Building Activities?
According to Indeed, virtual team-building activities are group activities in which employers can bond with virtual employees. A virtual team building event is commonly done to make the remote employees feel part of the company.
It can be quite difficult to build a relationship among remote team members because they do not experience traditional interaction within a shared office space. In an offsite work environment, remote workers go on months without seeing coworkers or perhaps will never even meet outside of email.
Online Team Activities Can Boost Work Productivity
To foster camaraderie among virtual workers, employers can organize online team activities or virtual team games. At least one virtual team-building activity can be executed occasionally to make remote employees feel more motivated to work. Elevated team morale and a positive company culture can benefit the business in the long run because it promotes team member retention, and even boost revenue.
Try These Virtual Team Building Ideas To Engage Remote Teams
1. Online Office Games
If an in-person meeting has been converted to a virtual meeting, then in-person office games can also be remade into online office games.
Online office games are a virtual team-building activity that can be hosted by an organization that specializes in operating such training or by a team leader with sufficient knowledge of the virtual team-building game.
According to a company that offers services for remote team-building activities, Online Office Games is a form of “Office Olympics”. The experience is energetic, and competitive, and can build team engagement while working from home.
Examples of Online Office Games are:
- Fast-paced trivia
- “Go Get It”
- “Can You Hear Me Now?”
2. Tiny Campfire
Tiny Campfire is a popular virtual activity that promotes togetherness among remote members.
The organization that originated the virtual team bonding explained the activity includes sending team members a s’mores kit, graham crackers, mini marshmallows, Hershey chocolate, and a tiny tealight campfire.
Remote team members go online simultaneously to enjoy the s’mores like experiencing an in-person campfire. A senior facilitator will arrange camp games and trivia, and narrate historic ghost stories.
3. Virtual Bingo
If you are looking for an uncomplicated online team-building game, consider organizing an online bingo. According to an online report, virtual bingo is one of the perfect activities to help remote teammates bond by using their unique strategy, wit, and skill in a game of chance. Moreover, research has shown that playing online bingo with your colleagues is a great way to boost employee morale, increase productivity, and even improve team communication.
4. Virtual Icebreakers
Virtual icebreaker is a very easy virtual game. At the beginning of a video call or team meeting, the host will ask a trivial question and let everyone share their brief answers or opinions.
Indeed suggests some of the virtual icebreakers that can be executed in any video conferencing platform:
- Share a fact
- Share a photo
- Would you rather?
- This or that
- Two truths and a lie
5. Online Scavenger Hunts
A virtual scavenger hunt is a fun virtual game where a host asks for particular objects, and participants race to find and show the objects within a set time. According to a company that organizes virtual team-building activities, the game revolves around a series of item or clue prompts, and players have to present the items one at a time. The first player to complete the puzzle and show the requested object wins the round. Scavenger hunt is one of the many virtual games suitable for remote work settings.
6. Trivia Night
Indeed mentioned one of the more popular virtual team-building games is Trivia Night. This can become a regular activity if the team enjoys it enough. Before you start the event, choose a team member to be the host as you will need someone to read out the questions and keep track of points. The staff should also be broken down into smaller teams that can be placed into breakout rooms while discussing the question.
Here are some suggestions for Trivia Night topics:
- What’s the national flower of Japan? Answer: Cherry blossom
- How many stripes are there on the US flag? Answer: 13
- What country has the most islands in the world? Answer: Sweden
- What’s the smallest country in the world? Answer: The Vatican
- What is the slang name for New York City, used by locals? Answer: Gotham
- What is the best-selling book series of the 21st century? Answer: Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling
- Who invented the World Wide Web, and when? Answer: Tim Berners-Lee, 1990
- How many keys does a classic piano have? Answer: 88
7. Virtual Murder Mystery
According to Indeed, Murder Mystery is a classic party game, where everyone gets a role, including the murderer and victim, and the group has to help solve the mystery. This type of virtual team-building exercise might need some preparation. If you think you need help, there are plenty of companies online that you can choose from.
8. Chubby Bunny
Chubby Bunny is a popular, fun game, frequently played by campers around a bonfire.
When adapted in a remote work setup, Chubby Bunne players put an increasing number of marshmallows in their mouths and attempt to clearly and audibly say the phrase “Chubby Bunny”. The winner is the person who can say the phrase with the most marshmallows in his or her mouth.
9. Virtual Karaoke
Thanks to technology, people are not required to visit a bar to sing karaoke.
A fun way to have virtual karaoke is to instruct each participant to prepare their best song before the event. On the date of the virtual event, one after another will belt out their song like a virtual talent show.
Employers could up the stakes by making it a competition where the best presenter wins a prize.
10. Virtual dance party
If karaoke can be done virtually, then group dancing can be adapted too. Online dancing can be thrown via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other video conferencing apps.
Why Is Virtual Team Building Important?
Online games should neither be complicated nor a burden when executed. Virtual team-building activities should be fun. The goal of such group activities is to make remote members feel included and engaged.
Other online activities like a virtual debate club and a virtual escape room enable remote employees to know each other a little better. When workers build relationships, the company benefits too. Employees with positive morale can boost productivity and help businesses grow.
Contact The Best Outsourcing-Offshoring Agency Now
Many employers put in several work hours and efforts in managing offsite team members. One strategy for keeping the team engaged is to introduce and organize virtual activities. The best virtual team-building activity is anything that all other team members can enjoy without hassle.
If you are looking for ways to keep remote employees engaged, you can reach out to professionals with extensive experience in managing virtual teams. Remote Raven, a workforce solutions company, can discuss various strategies on how to seamlessly operate your business with remote employees.
Remote Raven has a proven track record of providing effective remote services to various businesses. Clienttestimonials mention Remote Raven has connected them to skilled individuals who have talents specific to their business needs.
Schedule An Appointment Now
Plan an appointment with Remote Raven now to start the discussion of finding the best virtual employee for your business! You can ask all your questions and inquiries during the initial consultation. Remote Raven will explain the hiring procedures, help you better understand remote employee compensation rates, expound on basic remote office policies, and discuss several other topics that come up when it is the first time hiring a remote employee. If you want to avoid being overwhelmed by the undertaking of onboarding a virtual worker from a foreign country, reach out to the best workforce solutions company–Remote Raven.
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