This fast-paced exercise is fun but gently challenging game that helps create focus and presence in a group. Get started by getting your team into a circle and ask them to move a clap around the room quickly by having two members clap at the same time. When someone finds a match, they each sign for the other person in that square of the grid. Declare your first winner as the person who gets three passions in a row.
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- Managing both of these involves engaging your group frequently and in varied ways.
- On that note, it’s worth mentioning that online workshops and remote working is new or difficult for many people.
- Remote team building activities create opportunities for team members to work together in a virtual setting.
Simply put, a webinar is an instructional event that is delivered online. In a webinar, one or more speakers often deliver instructional material to their attendees and conduct discussions, polls, and participation over online software. Remote work can be lonely, disengaged and unproductive; or the complete opposite. What makes virtual team building important is that it is the catalyst to the more positive outcome.
After comparing team-building and engagement, the next step is exploring 80 creative activities tailored for remote, hybrid, and onsite teams. After exploring connection strategies, the next step is examining the hurdles that come with virtual employee engagement. The cotton candy sticking to your fingers, the silly ring toss game that always felt impossible, the carousel ride that made you laugh until your cheeks hurt.
This creates ownership and ensures diverse perspectives lead the discussion. For maximum impact, schedule these regularly with 1-2 team members sharing each month, creating an ongoing connection point the team looks forward to. Invite team members to give virtual tours of places meaningful to them—their neighborhood, a favorite local spot, their home office setup, or even a virtual tour of their hometown via Google Maps. Give team members 1-2 days to create a piece of art in any medium, then host a virtual gallery opening where each artist presents their work. You’ll be amazed at how different personalities approach this—some add dramatic plot twists, others focus on character development, and some bring unexpected humor. These different approaches often mirror how people contribute to projects in your regular work.
Speed Dating Icebreaker
It promotes creativity and helps everyone stay on the same page during discussions or planning sessions. Organize virtual tea or coffee sessions where team members can gather online for casual conversations. Create a relaxed atmosphere where individuals can discuss non-work-related topics, share stories, or simply enjoy a virtual coffee break together. As a manager, fostering strong bonds within your remote team begins with leading by example. Communicate openly and frequently, creating an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.
Water Cooler Trivia
A workshop to explore personal traits and interpersonal relations using the Myers-Briggs personalities model. Use this tool to go deeper with your team to understand more about yourselves and each other on personal and professional levels. In this activity, invite your group to first take a version of the Myers-Briggs personality test. Start by asking each team member to reflect on their own personality type before then moving towards small group discussion. In this group game, players stand in a circle and perform a series of loud physical moves, passing from one person to the next.
In today’s world, where remote work and virtual meetings are commonplace, mastering virtual presence is essential for effective facilitation. It involves understanding how to project energy, interpret subtle digital cues, and utilize your voice and on-screen appearance to engage participants. By blending technical setup with adapted performance techniques, you can make virtual meetings just as impactful as in-person gatherings. LinkedIn, with its mission of connecting professionals, extends its community-building efforts to virtual spaces. It supports nine Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) where employees with shared backgrounds or interests can bond, which enhances remote work communities. LinkedIn also organizes unique bonding experiences, such as sending interns office-scented candles, helping remote employees feel connected to LinkedIn’s physical spaces and culture.
Consider occasional in-person meetups or retreats for your remote team if feasible. Face-to-face interactions can strengthen relationships, build trust, and foster a deeper sense of camaraderie among team members. Create a customized virtual team bingo card with various team-related activities or accomplishments. Team members can mark off the squares as they complete the tasks, fostering collaboration and encouraging team members to support each other. Create dedicated group chat channels using collaboration tools view like Slack or Microsoft Teams for informal conversations and socializing. These channels can be used for sharing updates, celebrating achievements, or discussing non-work topics like hobbies, interests, or current events.
It’s also representative of three code words of the NATO alphabet, and inspiration for one of the best remote team challenges you can do. The goal is to help you skyrocket your company culture and employee engagement. Overall, effective team-building activities for remote workers contribute positively to both individual and organizational health, boosting productivity, employee happiness, and long-term success. Are you struggling to keep your valued employees engaged while they’re working remotely? Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 reports that if the global workforce were fully engaged, the economy would gain $9.6 trillion in productivity, about a 9% increase in global GDP. It’s proof that employee engagement activities at work directly translate into measurable performance, retention, and financial impact.
Seeing facial expressions and body language helps build rapport and strengthens team connections. Another tip to build community in remote teams is to support your team members’ well-being and work-life balance. This helps your team members cope with the challenges and stressors of working remotely, such as isolation, distraction, or burnout. You can use various ways to support your team members’ well-being, such as flexible schedules, https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/how-to-find-your-soulmate-and-build-stronger-connections wellness programs, mental health resources, or check-ins.
This creates a single source of truth that keeps everyone aligned and on the same page. This model requires additional personnel, which may not be feasible for smaller teams. It also requires advance coordination and clear role definition to avoid confusion. Participants might be confused if the roles aren’t clearly explained at the start. Many companies have implemented communication protocols to improve their remote work experience. It goes without saying that participation shouldn’t be compulsory to sustain these clubs.
Lead by example, acknowledge the difficulty or strangeness, and move forward together. Once you and your organization have it down, remote working and online meetings can be effective for everyone – in the upskill and teething period, try and be kind and compassionate. As with any workshop setting, it’s the role of the virtual facilitator to model an example for the rest of the group to follow.