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After experiencing the global pandemic, we all learned that effective remote work is possible. Moreover, for some jobs that involve more creativity, remote options can be even more beneficial. Still, even if you work online, you have colleagues. And you need to find ways to get to know each other and work as a team.
Luckily, there are a few strategies and tips to adopt for team building for remote workers. With plenty of online platforms, virtual environments, and tools, you can organize team-building activities online as effectively as offline. Of course, getting together once a month wouldn’t hurt anyone. But most of the time, you’ll have to go with an online option. And here are seven ways to do that.
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Make Sure Everybody’s Introduced
The first rule to follow is to make sure that everybody in your team knows each other by name. When you don’t have an office environment, there’s no chance for small talk. So, your workers do not have a place to bump into each other and strike a conversation on the go. Work turns into just completing your tasks and going on with other responsibilities.
Your team will consist of people of different age groups. Younger workers would be worried about where to find a professional to fulfill the “write my paper” request rather than reaching out to colleagues. And older ones with families keep their focus on their child’s school play. So, take matters into your own hands, and host a meet-and-greet online session.
Virtual Break Room
Another way to stimulate small talk is having a virtual break room. This can be a group or a Zoom meeting anyone can join at any time after agreeing with others. Think of it as an office kitchen where you’d catch up with your coworkers while making coffee. There is usually no specific time for a break when you’re working remotely.
Thus, this space can be reached by anyone who’d like to take a small break from work and talk about the latest episode of the trending Netflix series. Give a public call to your coworkers online and wait for them in the virtual break room.
Celebration and Recognition Hub
A lot of team-building exercises are aimed at recognizing each other’s work and showing appreciation. For example, there’s a compliment circle game. It’s pretty self-explanatory. People sit in a circle and complement each other on the work they’ve done. You can implement the same principle by starting a celebration hub.
Some online teamwork platforms offer this feature already. But you can just start a group chat, where everybody can thank each other for the work done throughout the week. Thus, everybody can compliment someone’s presentation and say thank you for a favor.
Show and Learn Online Workshop
Another way to bring everybody together is to share skills and hobbies. It’s likely that somebody at work enjoys some DIY and is willing to share their crafts with others. It can be anything. Even tips from professionals from the best write my essay services on how to write an excellent motivational letter. The only thing you need is an online platform to host it.
Set up a date, promote the event among your coworkers, and encourage them to join. You can even combine this workshop with having an online tea party. It will go especially nicely with a short lecture on a particular historical period. The possibilities are endless.
Lunch Time via Zoom
Having lunch together is a great team-building activity. With remote workers, it might be hard to organize it every working day. But you can have something like “pizza Wednesdays” to stimulate more people to join. It will take some time to figure out logistics but it’s doable. For example, make sure that everybody gets compensated for their order of choice at the end of the week or month.
Even a good old traditional lunch with everybody eating their own food will work. Set the time and encourage your coworkers to join. You can share what you’re eating and the recipes with each other. Or have a harmless gossip session over your salads.
Take Personality Tests and Online Quizzes Together
Quizzes and personality tests are great ways to bring your team together. It doesn’t have to be an MBTI profiling that can be useful for work. Silly Buzzfeed tests on what Disney princess you are will work. The point of this activity is to bond over something fun. So, use all of your imagination and numerous online resources.
Besides, this testing does not require you to sit in one room. You can do it together in real time or do it separately and share results in the online meeting afterward. Decide what works best for you and your coworkers together and hit some multiple-choice tests.
Virtual Campfire
What can be cozier than campfire stories? Notably, you don’t have to go to the forest to recreate the atmosphere. You don’t even need an actual fire to sit around. It’s quite possible to have a cozy online gathering with a fireplace background. Let everybody brew some tea and prepare snacks. You can even ask people to tell stories with flashlights.
Thus, you can have your “Are you afraid of the dark” experience by sitting in different parts of the city. Or even in different countries. Think about customizing the whole event. For example, if that’s a marketing team gathering, make them tell scary stories about working with clients. But do not forget to keep it ethical and do not turn it into gossiping.
Wrapping Up
And that’s about it. Bonding with your remote teammates can be a challenge. But luckily there are several tips and strategies to explore for having the best team-building sessions online. Make sure that everybody can at least recognize each other by hosting an introduction session.
Try out a virtual break room for recreating the small talk environment of the office. Celebrate each others’ achievements and share knowledge with a celebration hub or online workshop from a coworker. Lunch together via Zoom and try out personality tests to have a good laugh. And finally, organize a virtual campfire to share favorite haunted stories in a cozy environment together.
