VIRTUAL TEAM BUILDING

Virtual Team Building: Why Should You Do It?

Team building is an essential component of any successful business or company. This unifying element is even more necessary when a team is primarily remote! What will virtual team building do for your team?

1. It will boost morale! Virtual team building is a unique way to improve the atmosphere in your office. These activities aren’t just about solving problems — they also build camaraderie, develop trust, and let people have fun! They give leaders the chance to enhance a work week and teammates a chance to relieve stress and make one-of-a-kind memories together.

2. It will foster connection and collaboration! Sometimes remote workers can feel excluded or relationally distant from their coworkers. Virtual team building can help remind them that they’re an indispensable part of the team! Remote working can also hurt a team’s communication. Good communication isn’t just about knowing how to relay information, but is also the ability to listen and understand others well. Participating in a virtual building event will allow team members to work through issues, tackle puzzles as a group, and collaborate on their wins! Not being in-person is a communication obstacle, but in the space of virtual team building, that obstacle can be used as a training tool.

3. It will improve productivity and innovation! Most employers know that sometimes the best method to produce results is to take a break from work! When coworkers have a chance to challenge themselves in a less stressful environment, they can return to work rejuvenated and with a fresh perspective. Collaborating together on a virtual team building activity also has the potential to inspire new, innovative ideas and professional solutions.

4. It will develop skills! Team building’s intent is to challenge team members to think differently and communicate clearly with each other. Clarity and critical thinking are skills most of us can use a refresh on every now and then. Virtual team building allows you to create an environment that is both useful for skill development while being fun and engaging. Other professional soft skills that can be important to exercise and grow on a regular basis are things like problem solving, time management, communicating clearly and kindly, public speaking, team work, adaptability, and leadership ability. To help develop professional capacity even further, try planning virtual team building events that are specific to the skills your team uses every day. Are you a team that works primarily in the field of marketing and information? Try a virtual event that focuses on having team members effectively communicate with one another. Maybe you’re a group that works in math and sciences. Try out a workshop or skills development lab! There are plenty of options for virtual team building and you’re bound to find one perfect for your team’s needs.

5. It will combat Zoom fatigue! If a majority of your team uses Zoom for work, at some point you’ve probably experienced “Zoom fatigue.” Zoom fatigue looks like end-of-day exhaustion, achy joints and muscles, difficulty concentrating, and increased irritability. Not the qualities of an outstanding team! While doing an online activity may seem counterproductive to prevent Zoom fatigue, you’d be surprised how it breaks up the monotony of back-to-back video meetings! Virtual team building will mix up the stimuli your team gets working on a computer all day!

6. It will prevent loneliness. While working from home has numerous benefits, humans simply weren’t created to be alone all the time. Most work environments are collaborative in nature and working solely from home can severely disrupt that process. Even with regular Zoom meetings, there’s a need for deeper interaction beyond work and a computer screen. Virtual team building gives teammates the opportunity to break out of the normal “wake up, eat, work, eat, sleep” cycle that they might find themselves in while working from home. This is especially helpful (and healthy!) for teammates who might live by themselves. When you can invest in your employees, you not only improve their professional output, but genuinely benefit their lives.

Timing: When and how often do virtual team building?

With a remote team, you can never put enough effort into ensuring your team stays connected, despite the distance.

Daily: Working from home, many remote workers don’t speak to each other all day long! Asking an ice breaker question to the group on an everyday basis is a great way to keep a team talking! Coworkers can learn about each other, get an opportunity for healthy interaction, and feel like an integral part of the group!

Monthly: Hosting a virtual team building activity is an effective way to reward hard-working team members after completing a major project. Everyone enjoys feeling valued and that their efforts don’t go unseen or unappreciated. Monthly virtual team building can keep your team feeling strong and motivated to complete future projects with even more finesse! Centering monthly team building around the completion of major projects is a fantastic way to motivate employees to achieve goals with excellence in a timely manner. Everyone works better when they know they’ll be appreciated and acknowledged afterwards!

Yearly: Once a year should be the absolute minimum amount of virtual team building an organization does. While different groups have different timelines and budgets available to set aside for team building, it is important to reward workers, provide opportunities for growth, and strengthen the connections in a group. If you plan to conduct team building once a year, consider making it an extended event with various activities and unique experiences to really maximize the time for your team.

How to Pick a Virtual Team Building Activity

Virtual team building activities are intended to re-engage teams. The right options will promote creativity, cohesion, conflict resolution, and developing healthy relationships. As a leader, it’s important to choose fun team building exercises. Why? Boring, uninspiring activities will likely have the opposite intended effect! If a virtual team building activity feels like “work” to your team, it might be a good idea to scrap that option and try a different one!

How do I start a team building activity?

Ice breakers are great for teams that are new to team building because they, well, break the ice! These are simple, light-hearted exercises that get groups warmed up and comfortable. This is important both for remote teams that haven’t worked in-person for an extended time, or those who never have before. You can use an ice breaker activity as a preface to a virtual team building event or as a standalone team building event! The best ice breaker option depends on the needs of your team. For example, a standalone ice breaker would be a great idea if you have a new team member and want to get them acquainted with the rest of the group!

Is virtual team building right for my team?

Of course! Virtual team building activities can be utilised by many different types of teams. From large corporate groups to small businesses, co-workers can always benefit from team building together. What classification best describes your team?

Remote Workers: There certainly were remote teams pre-COVID, but now there are more than ever before! Finding that team bond may be especially difficult for teams who were used to working together in-person and then had to adapt to remote work. Having your team participate in virtual team building activities is a great way to help give them that sense of togetherness that they might be missing from the office days.

Partially Remote Teams: Some companies will have a full in-house staff and outsource certain things to people in other cities, states, or countries. Online team building games can help blended teams feel like they are all one unit instead of in-house vs. remote.

Large Teams: Companies with thousands of employees rarely have a chance to get everyone together at the same time – especially during COVID when conferences and company retreats were unable to happen. While you may be wary about your volume of employees, there are many virtual team building activities that can support large groups!

Virtual Team Building Tips

Start with an ice breaker activity. Ice breakers are great for teams just getting started with team building because they, well, break the ice! These are simple, fun, team building exercises that get groups warmed up and comfortable talking with each other. This is especially important for remote teams that haven’t worked in-person with one another in a long time, or those who never have before. You can use an ice breaker activity as a preface to a virtual team building event or as a standalone team building event. The best option will depend on the needs of your specific team. For example, a standalone ice breaker would be a great idea if you have a new team member and want to get them acquainted with the rest of the group. Ice breakers work well to preface an event for teams that haven’t had face-to-face time in a while. These teams may need an extra push to get re-familiarized with one another before they start their fun team building event.

No matter how fun a virtual team building exercise is, most employees would likely agree that they don’t want to participate in required work events outside of their normal work hours. A considerate and time efficient way to schedule virtual team building is later in the afternoon. Your team may appreciate getting to log off an hour early or so after the activity is over. Planning your work days around virtual team building exercises will show your team that you value their happiness and time just as much as you value their productivity. Think of fun team building activities as both a reward and a method of motivation for your team and you may be surprised with the results!

Value workers’ time. If you’re a leader managing a large team, you may not be aware of coworkers’ individual schedules. Before planning a virtual team building event, it is a good idea to send out a survey asking everyone where they are at with their deadlines, what day would be best for them, and how much time they can spare in their schedule to participate in a virtual team building event – especially if you want to plan one that takes up a good portion of the day. After receiving everyone’s feedback, try creating and sharing a calendar event with every team member. It’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page because a surprise event – even one that is meant to be fun – can throw a wrench in someone’s work if they are running on a tight schedule.

How do I use Zoom?

We’ve maximized Zoom and it’s capabilities to provide a seamless online experience. All you need to start playing is the Zoom desktop app, a computer, an internet connection, and the online link to the virtual team building activity! Just in case you need a little extra assistance, we have step by step guides to help you navigate the process for each virtual team building experience. Click here to learn more about how to use Zoom!

Do I need an account to use Zoom?

Nope! All you need is a link to a meeting, or the meeting ID and password. However, if you would like to host or schedule a meeting on your own and invite participants, as well as personalize settings, you will need an account. As a planner of virtual team building activities for your organization, you will likely need to create an account. Zoom is available free of charge to anyone and the free version offers all the features most users will need!

Why select an escape room for an online team building activity?

In an escape room, teams have 60 minutes to complete a mission and “escape.” Challenging and immersive, escape rooms offer a uniquely fun experience perfect for team building! You are your team are up against the clock in an intense scenario, forced to collaborate to succeed.