Virtual Team Building for your Remote Team

Remote work is new to nearly everyone, and although many businesses are reopening, some are sticking to working from home for the remainder of the year.

And for those with little experience in this form of work, it can be difficult to remain a tight-knit team and keep motivation as high as it was in the office.

For many businesses, you’ve got Zoom calls and virtual check-ins down. But aside from those meetings, the connection you’ve built with your team might feel like it’s lacking. The happy hours after work, mid-day catch ups in the kitchen, or whatever you all practice to keep connected, is tricky to establish across a computer screen. This is where virtual team building comes in!

Why is team building important?

Let’s face it — your work is much more enjoyable when you love what you do, but also when you love who you do it with!

New research found 94 percent of surveyed employees reported mutual respect is crucial for a team’s success, and nearly 20 percent report that respect is the number one factor in their team’s emotional well-being.

With this being said, it’s very important to keep your team positively engaged with one another in order to remain successful and satisfied. So, let’s walk through a few thought starters on virtual team building activities to keep your team close and motivated!

Ice breakers

We know, you’ve heard it before. Chances are, your team has already participated in something like this, but it’s time to give the questions a fun flare to keep the crew smiling! Begin your next meeting with this 5-minute exercise to get to know your team further. Here are some example questions:

• What is your most-used emoji?
• If you could bring back one fashion trend, what would it be?
  
• If financials didn’t matter, what would your job be?
  
• Which actor would you like to play you in a movie about your life?
  
• What would you do with your “15 minutes of fame”?
  

Virtual lunches

In an effort to mimic your regular lunch date with co-workers, schedule a virtual lunch with your team via any video conferencing tool. Chef up your favorite dish or pick up curbside from a local cafe and meet your team virtually for the lunch hour! In order for employees to keep feeling like they’re in the office, dropship branded kitchenware to your team.

Health and wellness challenges

While gyms and recreation centers are closed, many have taken to yoga mats in their living rooms to break a sweat. Challenge your team individually, in partners, or in small groups to reach physical goals every week — physically or mentally! If your team participates, share their experience on social media to share your culture with your audience. Here are a few examples:

• Run/jog/walk a collective 10 miles by the end of the week
• Incorporate greens into your diet every day of the week
  
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day for optimal hydration
  
• Meditate for 10 minutes per day
  

Collaborative playlists

If your HQ is anything like ours, then you also have music playing throughout the office the second the first person arrives in the morning. To mimic this experience, create collaborative playlists that your team can work together to create the perfect set of tunes. Categorize these playlists based on the tunes: Motivation, De-Stress, etc.!

Since music is many people’s motivator, it can’t hurt to have noise-cancelling headphones to ensure zero distractions. Consider sending your hardworking team wireless headphones branded with your logo to keep them on track.

Let’s collaborate

Speak to a branding expert today to get started on branded merchandise to surprise and delight your team for their next virtual team building event!