How to do Team-building Remotely

According to the latest trends in work, people have turned to work from home. Working remotely also affects mutual communication and cooperation, more attention is paid only to work tasks and less to joint activities with colleagues. How to promote team building and strengthening at home?

Exciting and easy-to-implement team-building activities will help maintain team spirit as well as increase productivity. Read more: Why Team-building Can be a Challenge.

Team “players” 

In the work team, employees play roles, because not everyone likes to be actively involved, communicate and share new ideas. For employees who are accustomed to focusing on their work independently, this time, working remotely, is ideal for avoiding joint activities and successfully concentrating on work. Although these employees “play” an important role in the team. Read more: Top Mistakes When Leading a Remotely Working Team. 

It is important to nominate a team leader who is able to strengthen and unite the team by taking the initiative in activities that promote team unification. Such a person can be called a “charismatic connector” in a team, because this person is able to be active, involve any of the colleagues in a short or engaging conversation, pay attention to everyone and evaluate everyone’s performance, as well as actively listen and listen.

! Remember to take into account the opinions and recommendations of employees at work remotely, as well as the desire to engage in activities.

Bringing a team together from home can be an even greater challenge for team leaders than before, so interesting solutions help to realize the best and most suitable ideas.

Some of these virtual team-building activities will help strengthen and build a more inspired remote team.

Effective virtual meetings

In order to maintain awareness and employee engagement in current work processes, it is necessary to organize virtual work meetings every week or several times a week at the discretion of the company. Effective online meetings are based on:

• successful and correctly chosen application or technology (so that it is accessible, easy to understand and use for all employees, as well as so that there are no technical problems);

For example: Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet, etc. popular apps.

• “Informal” introductory part in the first meetings or with new participants or to reduce tension, awkward moments in the online meeting to talk about topical issues, experience in the daily life of employees;
• a well-thought-out plan or prior preparation is required, the main points of the plan are drawn up (in order for the meeting to be purposeful, it would be possible to discuss the necessary and topical issues);
• to set rules or restrictions that are comprehensible to all, so as not to interfere with the meeting, for example, when asking questions – either during the conversation or at the end of the meeting;
• to achieve active listening or involvement of employees so that information is exchanged, as well as the most important points remain in the employees’ memory and everything is understandable.

Virtual coffee breaks or lunch break

To maintain communication and joint activities in the daily work environment, you can try online coffee breaks when you discuss current events with colleagues, or during a lunch break, you can share stories about holiday events, the latest series, or a book you have read. This will help colleagues to find common interests and promote cohesion.

Evening for experience enrichment 

In an informal atmosphere, an experience or educational evening or afternoon can be organized with the work team, for example, on a Friday evening, where colleagues get to know each other’s interests and passions better. In such an online event, the employees tell about an interesting passion, a topic they have started to actively study or paint in their free time, play a musical instrument. Topics may be work-related, but may just as well develop into informal leisure activities.

Photo or article competition

Organize a competition within a week or a month, where team members have to send their own photos or written stories, reflections on the chosen topic. All employees can participate in the choice of the topic or the team leader chooses it at his / her own discretion. By adapting this competition to the wishes of the team, it can be diversified with photos and/or written stories. This will promote the spirit of team competition, as well as at the end of the competition everyone can get acquainted with the works of colleagues.

Virtual movie night

When working from home, it is even easier to organize this than working in person, because each of their homes can be conveniently connected in a common video call, choose snacks and drinks while enjoying a movie. As a weekly or monthly activity, employees can vote for watching a film together, then they will also be able to share their feelings and thoughts together after watching the film. This activity creates an informal and free atmosphere so that employees can get to know each other better and communicate.

Balancing work responsibilities and work activities

Team building is also possible from home, involving virtual teams in spirit-building activities, as employees can organize and plan their work in such a way that they also participate in organized activities. At home, employees feel less stress, so they also feel more open to various activities. According to Wrike statistics, “75% of workers who work from home say that working outside the workplace has improved their work-life balance.” Read more: What to Do When Leading a Remotely Working Team