As many organizations make the transition to managing remotely, it is integral to maintain employee engagement even when working virtually! Think about ways to draw your employees together for communication, problem-solving, or creative-thinking tasks, which will strengthen teamwork and improve the bonds within your company. In this blog, I will share with you three virtual team building activities for remaining connected when working remotely.
Virtual Lunch Meeting
Set up a video call lunch meeting with your team, covering their meal expenses if your organization is able. Encourage your employees to order from local restaurants and host a casual gathering where team members can catch up on their personal and professional lives. With the added fun of food, team members will be drawn to this event! Think about making it a monthly recurrence to maintain these levels of communication. With this activity, you encourage communication within your organization while also highlighting the ways your company supports local establishments.
Opening Meetings with Check-Ins
Working from home can be incredibly stressful and isolating. Team leaders can help employees lessen this burden by showing interest in their mental and emotional states through this team building activity. At the start of weekly meetings, go around the virtual conference room, and encourage each team member to share one word about how they are currently feeling. Whether this be sad or happy or hopeful, this moment of vulnerability and trust allows leaders to gain insight into what their team needs and helps employees gain a sense of how their co-workers are feeling. If you want to make it fun, you can ask them to share one word of how they are feeling and then followed by them sharing the last thing they ate.
Family and Pet Video Chat
Small children and pets can often be a distraction for our team members working from home, but this activity puts them in the spotlight! Schedule a short, around 30 minute, meeting for your organization, and encourage employees with children or pets to bring their little ones to the video call. Start the meeting by asking your employee’s children to share what they think their parents do at work! This is sure to bring a bundle of joy and laughs to your team and show team members that you care about their family and home life. This is the perfect light-hearted team building activity for the end of a busy week or stressful quarter!
I hope these three ideas help you and your virtual teams increase interconnection and employee engagement. With a little bit of creativity, we can put together exciting activities that draw our teams closer to one another and ease the isolation and social stresses of working remotely. If you are doing something interesting with your organization, please share it with us in the comments below!
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Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs, and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.