How to Create a Virtual Team Building Activity at Home
Here’s how to create a virtual team building activity at home for your remote employees.
Cohesive behaviour is one of the biggest priorities in a workplace. A unified team works better together and is significantly more productive. According to independent researchers, teams that work together generate quicker results, post higher job satisfaction, and lower performance anxiety levels.
Teamwork makes everything better! However, the challenge is creating a unified group. And this is precisely where team-building activities enter the frame. Group activities strengthen communication, and veteran team leaders often call them the most crucial investment for many positive effects.
Why are Team-Building Activities Crucial for your Remote Employees?
As an immense number of people continue working from home, physically isolated from their co-workers, the need for team-building activities is at an all-time high. Like physical team-building activities, virtual events focus on trust, communication, and cohesion within co-workers.
The only difference is that the setup is entirely virtual. Developing camaraderie in a remote working scenario can be intricate. But virtual team-building activities aim to relieve that burden creatively. When done effectively, virtual team-building has the same effects as in-person events.
Why You Must Take Virtual Team-Building Seriously
Most organisations, unfortunately, consider virtual team-building an unnecessary expense. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Let’s take a look at the primary benefits of virtual team-building.
Increases Employee Morale
Have you noticed a dip in the team’s performance over the past several years? Virtual team-building can help boost your employees’ morale and productivity in a fun and unique manner. Nothing beats an enjoyable team-building activity as the focus is on nurturing your problem-solving abilities and improving communication, which is crucial for every team.
Promotes Camaraderie
If remote team members feel lonely, virtual team-building activities are a great morale booster. According to research, lonely team members take more sick leaves, are generally less committed, and fail to perform at the optimum level. Team-building activities improve the work-life balance, reducing loneliness and the feeling of isolation.
Improves Communication
Virtual team-building events require participants to work together to solve a common problem. This promotes communication demonstrates the value of working together and thinking on your feet. Team-building activities for remote workers can help bridge the communication gap among employees who have difficulty coordinating.
Lowers Fatigue
Fatigue is defined as emotional stress associated with a lack of clear communication. Remote employees experience “Zoom fatigue” as the sudden switch from live meetings to video calls is extremely difficult to comprehend. The lack of communication for extended periods is also associated with several negative notions like anxiety and panic attacks.
How to Create an Effective Team-Building Activity for Remote Workers?
A lot of planning and preparation goes into effective team-building. Here are a few tips to ensure that you make the most of your time and money.
Schedule the Activity During Office Hours
Schedule the event during office hours to generate the maximum amount of interest and participation. Your employees will enjoy a few hours away from work, especially if the event is exciting.
Infuse Personal Touches
Although effortless, a simple calendar reminder doesn’t always get people excited about a group activity. Try sending a fun invitation for a truly effective remote team-building event. A personal touch will surely make your team members smile.
Pick the Right Activities
Team-building activities shouldn’t be mundane. Take weeks or months to plan an event if you like, but avoid repetition. Experiment with different activities like new collaborations, or promote friendly competition.
Offer Prolonged Growth Potential
The best team-building events have prolonged positive effects on the employees’ morale. Focus on improving areas lacking in the workplace and choose activities that help develop those skills.
Top 3 Must-Try Team-Building Events for Remote Employees
Coming up with interesting team-building ideas can be a struggle. And this is especially true for employers dealing with a remote workforce for the first time. Here are three DIY team-building activities that you can host. Feel free to customise and experiment with the activities as you wish.
Icebreakers
Icebreakers are the perfect group activity when dealing with new team members. Most people find it difficult to communicate at the first meeting. And icebreakers encourage engagement by facilitating light-hearted conversations. Popular ice-breaker activities include escape room challenges, riddles, and puzzles.
Team Games
How many of your employees actually know one another despite working together for years? This feeling is especially prominent among remote employees as their virtual environment unites them.
Most people miss the physical interaction, small talk, and other workplace shenanigans. Team games bridge the gap to a certain extent. Here are two great team-building activities that can bring your employees together.
This or That
This or That is an excellent team-building activity that can also be used as an icebreaker. Players are presented with two options with a prompt to choose this or that. Sample questions include “Video conference or in-person meetings?” “Phone call or text?” “Morning or night?” or “Wine or Beer?” You can use the answers to initiate a candid conversation, creating a team-building opportunity.
Two Truths and a Lie
This classic team-building game can be easily reconstructed for the virtual workplace. Each team member presents three facts about themselves. However, one of them is a lie. The other players must guess which is which. Make it a bit more interesting by awarding points for guessing correctly.
Head Out on a Virtual Adventure
Have you ever played a virtual escape game? VR escape rooms are perfect for encouraging your employees to work together towards a common goal in a fun environment. VR escape rooms are customisable for different scenarios like recruitment, leadership development, employee appreciation, and more.
These events can be competitive, collaborative, or a little bit of both, depending on what works for you. If you’re unfamiliar with how escape rooms work, we highly recommend visiting with colleagues, friends, or family.
Ready to Host a DIY Team-Building Event?
Team-building events are crucial for every corporate organisation, more so if you’re working with a virtual workforce. VR escape rooms bridge the communication gap, making employees feel connected and important. Furthermore, it helps nurture critical skills that improve performance at the workplace for years to come.
If you’re near Leamington Spa looking for the “best escape room near me”, visit Experimental Escape for an immersive VR gaming experience. Our extensive escape game collection is designed to keep players occupied for the entirety of the plot. So, pick a game that fancies you and book your slots now!
We accept group bookings for several events like birthday parties, corporate activities, Stag & Hens parties, and more. For queries get in touch today.
If you enjoyed this blog and would love to read more, check out our blogs page. We have several interesting blogs on the top local attractions. If you’re new to escape games, here are the top escape room tips and tricks to help you have a great time.
Don’t forget to share your feedback via the comments below. Get cracking!
