In these strange and difficult times, team building and team development can seem low down a managers list.
The reality is actually quite different – now more than ever teams need to feel together.
Being apart does not mean you cannot be together, and with working practices changing in so many ways it is really important for leaders and managers to work creatively and sensitively to support their teams.
Remote work can be lonely, disengaged and unproductive; or the complete opposite.
So when people can’t be together what is the alternative?
Virtual Team Building Activities
The Benefits of Virtual Team Building
The benefits of virtual team building include:
- Improved team collaboration.
- Better internal communication.
- Increased job satisfaction.
- Measurable increase in retention.
- Happy remote workers.
- Productive remote teams.
- Build team culture.
- Improve your company’s reputation.
- Give your people something to tell their significant others about
- Improved relationships between managers and direct reports & more
Team Building Tip:
Every manager cares about the bonds between team members. They should constantly keep everyone involved in the team processes, motivating individuals to be more than just co workers.
Experienced team leaders know how it is important to support each other in a positive, playful manner. And they know that informal team building activities are an appropriate way to improve team spirit and make employees more solid. No matter you work in a software company, e-commerce store or involved in mass media, – team building will surely enhance your team and business.
The connections within distributed teams are not so easy to establish and maintain. You can encourage them to connect via email. However, to bring them closer, you should think about fun activities.
What is Virtual Team Building?
Virtual team building is the practice that includes organising online games and activities that give remote employees an opportunity to socialise and communicate with co-workers who rarely meet in person, or who they used to see but with changing working practices it is a lot less frequent.
People who work remotely do not have the same opportunities as employees in offices have, they can not interact outside of the scope of work. And now we are going to describe one of the most evident problems of distributed teams.
Any remote worker is typically focused on their own tasks and responsibilities. They are often very individually driven.
Distributed employees rarely get the chance to fully interact with their co workers as if they would in a “regular” office. The lack of organic relationships may lead to remote meetings feeling routine, dry and transactional as they just stick to the agenda. Nobody will know what else to talk about other than work since they never get to chat in the morning.
Unfortunately, very often virtual teams make companies lose successful communication that is so crucial to employee satisfaction and retention. People lose that opportunity to casually bump into each other near the coffee machine and talk about things unrelated to work such as their hobbies, current sports events, home life, or even politics.
You may say that these interactions and small talks mean nothing but they actually impact team performance and motivation a great deal.
Our favourite virtual team building activities include;
- VIRTUALLY KILLED CRIME SCENE TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY
- HEALTHY HEART & WORLD COOKERY TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY
- THE GOLD RUSH USA ADVENTURE VIRTUAL TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY
- ESCAPE THE ROOM VIRTUAL TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY
When team members feel closer, their morale improves, productivity rises and happiness goes up.
Smaller team are already running in person team building activities, which is great. If you or your team would like to have a chat about your next event, whether if be virtual or face to face, please do get in touch with the Huxley Events team!