Part 1

The current health crisis has caused a large number of companies to move their operations almost entirely remotely. Whilst this is cutting some costs and shedding light on how effective we can be from afar, it is also affecting team dynamics and employee enthusiasm. This is why virtual team building activities are a key way to motivate your team and invest in a continued long-term relationship with and between your home-based employees.

A study by Remote.co found that video conferencing has led to as much as 87% of remote workers feeling more connected. This highlights the importance of continued communication between remote-working teams and shows that human interaction is still highly valued by workers as they log in from home every day. Moreover, the lack of get-together opportunities is making video-based remote team building more important than ever. As how else are you going to be able to get people to talk informally and enjoy each other’s company when they cannot go out for an after-work drinks event, for example?

Here are the key reasons to use virtual team building activities in 2020, followed by some top suggestions for your teams.

Key Reasons to Use Virtual Team Building Activities

Virtual team building is an alternative to the “real thing” i.e. in-person networking, but it retains most of the same advantages. It also combats the key additional negative effects of remote working and isolation that have sprung out of the current climate.

Building rapport

Between existing team members or amongst newer and older ones, rapport is built more easily through enjoyable informal activities that bring people out of their shells. Consequently, a more cohesive team is more likely to work well together, look after each other, and support common goals.

Improving communication

Another key benefit of virtual team building is an improvement in communication. Having the opportunity to interact outside of emails and phone calls, and getting to know each other better, will lead to people being more at ease with each other and communicating more openly and freely.

Not meeting in real life can make it difficult to share small aspects of life which lead to better understanding other colleagues’ circumstances and improving the way we communicate with them. Through the means of virtual team building events, especially less structured ones like wine tastings, your team will get the opportunity to engage in the “small talk” that makes these developments possible.

Increasing awareness of strengths and weaknesses

Especially through problem-solving games like role playing, team building activities – even online – teach us a lot more about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Trivia games are great for discovering hidden talents and troves of knowledge a team mate might have. All these are opportunities to strengthen the bond between team members, but also to make each other more aware of where someone is lacking.

The mental health benefit

The added benefit of virtual team building at this point in time is the massive positive impact it will have on your team’s mental health and wellbeing. Isolation has impacted most of us negatively, leading to unwanted emotional impacts that can be made worse by lack of communication in all aspects of our lives, including work.

Consequently, virtual team building gives your team a chance to spread some cheer and join in a bit of fun, while feeling less lonely.

Studies have shown that team building activities are great for improving effectiveness, building trust with your co-workers, and overall forging a stronger team. But how do you best prepare for a virtual team building event?