It’s no secret remote work has countless benefits for employees: no commute stress, better work-life balance, improved inclusivity and accessibility, location independence and much more.
But, it can also leave employees feeling lonely and disconnected from their teams and the broader organization.
Thankfully, in our extremely online world, there are many creative ways to cultivate a sense of connectedness in the workplace.
Before we delve into what these 10 not lame virtual team-building activities are, let’s look at the benefits a strong corporate culture and team building can have on your organization.
Benefits of a Strong Corporate Culture
A strong corporate culture is the backbone of a successful organization. It goes beyond casual office perks and extends deep into the values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how employees interact with each other, clients, and the overall work environment.
In this listicle, we'll explore 10 significant benefits of cultivating a robust corporate culture.
Enhanced Employee Engagement
A strong corporate culture creates a sense of belonging and purpose among employees. When employees resonate with the company's values and mission, they're more likely to be engaged, committed, and motivated to contribute their best efforts.
Improved Employee Retention
Employees are more likely to stay with a company that aligns with their values and provides a positive work environment. A strong culture reduces turnover rates, saving the organization time and resources spent on recruiting and training new staff.
Increased Productivity
A positive and collaborative culture promotes teamwork and effective communication. This results in employees being more inclined to work together cohesively, leading to improved productivity and the efficient completion of tasks and projects.
Attraction of Top Talent
Organizations with strong cultures become magnets for top-tier talent. Job seekers are drawn to companies that prioritize employee well-being, personal growth, and a supportive atmosphere, leading to a higher caliber of skilled applicants.
Positive Brand Image
A strong corporate culture isn't just internal—it's also reflected in how the company is perceived externally. A positive culture enhances the brand's image, attracting customers, partners, and investors who value ethical practices and employee satisfaction.
Better Decision-Making
A well-defined culture provides a shared framework for decision-making. Employees at all levels of the organization can make appropriate choices that align with the company's values. This ensures consistency and provides a clear direction for the organization.
Innovation and Creativity
An open and inclusive culture encourages employees to share ideas without fear of judgment. This fosters an environment where innovation and creativity can flourish, as diverse perspectives are welcomed and valued.
Adaptability to Change
Organizations with strong cultures are better equipped to navigate change. When employees feel supported and united by a common purpose, they're more likely to embrace and adapt to new challenges, whether it's a market shift or internal restructuring.
Stronger Internal Communication
Clear communication is a cornerstone of a strong culture. Transparent communication channels build trust among employees and between leadership and staff. This leads to smoother workflows and fewer misunderstandings.
Employee Well-being and Satisfaction
A culture that prioritizes employee well-being, work-life balance, and personal development contributes to higher job satisfaction. When employees feel valued and cared for, their mental and emotional well-being improves, leading to job satisfaction and overall happiness.
Why is Team Building Important?
Today, remote work is more common than it’s ever been.
While it offers flexibility and convenience, it can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation and detachment among employees. This is where remote team building activities come in.
Not only do they help build a strong corporate culture, they create an environment that boosts retention. In fact, in a survey published by Team Stage, over 50% of employees surveyed reported that they have stayed at a company because they felt like they were part of a team.
Moreover, 75% of staff say teamwork and collaboration are crucial to corporate success.
Fosters Camaraderie and Collaboration
Remote team building activities create a sense of togetherness despite the physical distance. Engaging in virtual games, challenges, and collaborative projects encourages employees to interact outside of work tasks, strengthen bonds and enhance teamwork.
Humanizes the Virtual Environment
Seeing colleagues as individuals with unique personalities and interests, rather than just email addresses, humanizes the remote workspace.
Team building activities provide glimpses into personal lives and foster empathy, making interactions more meaningful.
Mitigates Isolation and Loneliness
Remote work can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation. Team building activities offer a space for casual conversations and interactions, reducing loneliness and helping employees feel connected to the organization.
Enhances Communication Skills
Effective communication is challenging in remote settings. Team building activities that require clear and concise communication, are great ways of improving communication skills among employees. Examples of such activities include, online puzzles, virtual escape rooms, and even trivia.
Boosts Morale and Motivation
Participating in fun and engaging team activities boosts morale and motivation. When employees feel valued and appreciated through various immersive activities, their overall job satisfaction and willingness to contribute increases.
Encourages Cross-Functional Collaboration
Remote teams often consist of employees from various departments and geographical locations. With team building activities you can encourage cross-functional collaborations and encourage cross-functional collaborations.
With team building exercises, employees can learn from each other's expertise and perspectives.
Supports Skill Development
Various team building activities are designed to enhance specific skills. For instance, problem-solving challenges enhance critical thinking, while virtual presentations improve public speaking abilities.
This dual benefit of team building activities aids both team cohesion and individual growth.
Builds a Stronger Company Culture
A company's culture extends beyond office walls. Engaging in remote team building games and activities that align with the company's values and mission reinforces the culture and helps team members feel like integral parts of a shared identity.
In the era of remote work, fostering a sense of unity and belonging among team members is more crucial than ever.
Remote team building games and activities transcend geographical barriers, fostering collaboration, communication, and camaraderie that enrich both the team dynamics and individual experiences.
By investing in these team building activities, organizations can create a cohesive remote workforce that thrives on connection and engagement.
Top Ten Virtual Event and Activity Ideas for Remote Teams
Now that we’ve outlined the benefits of fostering connection and camaraderie outside of projects and meetings, let’s dive into it!
We’ve rounded up five of our favorite virtual event and team building activity ideas to help you make remote work more enjoyable for your organization.
1. Virtual Coffee Dates
Small talk and coffee have always been a perfect pair, and proximity doesn’t need to stand in the way of that.
Try booking virtual coffee dates as a way to connect with your employees either one-on-one or by team, to chat about their day, work-related challenges or just their weekend plans.
Get brewing by into your preferred video conferencing platform, turn your camera on, and voila!
2. Playing Virtual Team Building Games
Close the “office” an hour or two early once a month and host a virtual game session. There are countless virtual multiplayer game platforms, from trivia battles to photo sharing activities, that are super accessible for larger groups.
All you need is a Smartphone and a solid wifi network and you’re good to go!
3. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
Take a trip anywhere from New York City to Paris and tour some of the world’s most iconic museums, all from the comfort of your own home.
This is a unique way to engage your teams and encourage colleagues to spend some quality time together while taking in beautiful art and culture from across the globe. Not sure where to go?
This Travel and Leisure article rounds up some next-level museums offering virtual tours so all you have to do is click and enjoy.
4. Indulge in Virtual Tastings
From chocolates to wine or other unique snacks, virtual tastings have cropped up all over since COVID-19.
While this virtual event might take a little more planning, it’s definitely a unique way to bring people together. Just pick a food or drink item (ideally something that’s easily packaged and mailed) and jump online together to taste test and critique.
Looking for something a little more coordinated?
There are tons of professional tasting classes that offer virtual guided sessions, so you can get someone else to do all the leg work.
5. Host a Show and Tell Session
Relive your childhood with this next virtual team building activity.
Set up a virtual show and tell session where employees can choose something to present to colleagues, taking a few minutes to explain what it is and its significance.
Whether it’s a championship bowling trophy, a handmade pair of mittens or a beloved pet cat, this activity is lighthearted and gives remote employees a little more insight into their colleagues’ interests, hobbies and unique lived experiences outside of work.
6. Five-Minute Games for Virtual Meetings
Quick and easy-to-understand virtual games are a great way to break the ice with employees and inject a little fun into the workday.
These games can happen before a check-in meeting begins or at the start or end of a staff meeting to provide employees with an opportunity to connect, socialize and take a mental break from spreadsheets and deliverables.
Some of our favorite Five-minute games for team building you can try with your remote colleagues include:
- Something in Common: This five-minute game is all about discovering what you may not know you have in common with your colleagues. ASplit your meeting attendees into groups of two-or four and they ask each other questions for four minutes straight. Once the time is up, the entire team will connect back in a group call to share the new things they learned about one another.
- Virtual Pictionary: This five-minute game is just like the in-person version you know and love. To accomplish this in a remote setting, you will need access to a virtual whiteboard your call attendees can use for drawing. Your meeting software might include this, or you could use a tool like Miro or FigJam. Provide a prompt or let the first ‘artist’ have full creative control before the rest of the team guesses what they drew. This activity is a great precursor to meetings and brainstorms where everyone has to exercise their creativity.
7. Random Five-Minute Presentations
Presentations don’t have to be all business – Especially during team meetings!
Assigning five-minute presentations on any topic the presenter chooses is a fun way to flex public speaking skills, practice presenting and teach the team about something new.
Perhaps you have a love for knitting? Maybe you just came back from Italy and learned how to make pasta. Whatever the topic, make sure the presentation is lighthearted and doesn’t last longer than five minutes.
8. Yoga or Stretching Class
Sitting for long periods of time is not good for overall health, posture and productivity. Skip the caffeine and give yourself an all-natural energy boost by taking a break from your work and moving your body with your colleagues through a virtual yoga session or stretching class.
In today’s extremely online world, there are countless personal trainers and yoga instructors who deliver virtual classes. Organize a day where anyone who is interested can jump onto your choice of video conferencing platform and engage in a fun, low-pressure sweat sesh.
9. Fun, interactive Gaming Sessions
Sometimes, a little friendly competition is great for levity and boosting morale in the office. Virtual headquarter software, Gather lets you Go-Kart race your colleagues around a track, fostering friendly competition! What better way to bond then through a fun virtual game with no stakes.
10. Zoom Background Show & Tell
Swap your Zoom background to something fun – maybe it’s a designer mansion or perhaps it’s the crystal white beaches of some faraway tropical destination.
Whatever you choose, get creative and take a couple minutes to explain your choice. It’s a fun way to learn a little more about each team member (maybe they have a vacation coming up or perhaps they are in the middle of renovations) plus it adds a little visual interest to your typical meetings.
Work With Borderless
Like virtual events, paying your remote employees should also be fast, accessible and easy to execute.
And with Borderless, it is! We make it easy for companies to pay remote workers by depositing directly into their bank accounts with no or low fees and better exchange rates.
To learn more about our work and how we can help you grow your team globally or tackle the legal aspects of hiring in 170+ countries around the world, book a demo today!
For more insights on fast payroll, HR, and compliance for international teams, check out our blog!
Disclaimer
Borderless does not provide legal services or legal advice to anyone. This includes customers, contractors, employees, partners, and the general public. We are not lawyers or paralegals. Please read our full disclaimer here.
