In today’s fast-changing digital world, hybrid work has become the new normal. Despite the shift to remote work bringing about many advantages, such as flexibility and wider accessibility to a global talent pool. It has also presented some unique challenges, especially when it comes to team cohesion, communication, and morale. This is where virtual team building activities come into play.
As leading business psychologists and development experts, we’re here to guide you through some effective virtual team building activities for 2024 and beyond.
These activities are about more than fostering teamwork and strengthening bonds; they are also essential for enhancing productivity and overall job satisfaction among remote employees.
Virtual escape rooms:
Virtual escape rooms generally take the form of interactive online puzzles that require your team to work together to solve challenges, riddles, and mysteries, often with a time limit.
Benefits:
This activity promotes problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration as your team races against the clock to escape. It also boosts communication skills and team spirit.
How to Run:
There are a number of great online platforms (only a short Google search away) that offer virtual escape rooms. Assign your teams and schedule a session. Each team should have access to the same escape room and communicate via video conferencing to share clues and work together to escape. You may need to break teams into rooms or specific calls to facilitate this.
Virtual scavenger hunts:
In virtual scavenger hunts, team members are given a list of items or tasks to find within their own homes or online.
Benefits:
This activity fosters creativity, teamwork, and quick thinking. It encourages team members to collaborate and helps them discover more about each other’s personalities and interests.
How to Run:
Create a list of items or tasks, and share them with your team. Set a time limit, and have team members present their findings during a video call. Award points for each item found.
Storytelling sessions:
Storytelling sessions involve team members taking turns sharing personal or work-related stories or experiences.
Benefits:
This activity enhances team bonding, empathy, and communication. It allows team members to get to know each other on a deeper level, building trust and rapport.
How to Run:
Schedule regular storytelling sessions during virtual meetings. Encourage team members to prepare a short story to share. These stories can be related to their personal lives or professional experiences.
Online trivia:
Online trivia involves hosting quiz games on various topics where team members can test their knowledge and compete against each other.
Benefits:
Trivia games boost knowledge sharing and friendly competition. They also enhance general knowledge and create a fun and engaging atmosphere.
How to Run:
Select an online trivia platform or create your own questions (there are lots of good ones out there). Divide your team into groups or play individually. Set a time limit for each question, and keep score to determine the winner.
Virtual coffee breaks:
Virtual coffee breaks are informal video chats where team members can connect, relax, and engage in casual conversations.
Benefits:
These breaks provide a space for social interaction and relaxation. They improve team morale, reduce isolation, and allow team members to share non-work-related experiences.
How to Run:
Schedule regular coffee break sessions, and encourage team members to join and chat about their day or interests. These breaks can be optional and provide a welcoming atmosphere for socialising.
Virtual book club:
Description: A book club involves selecting a business-related book and discussing it during virtual meetings.
Benefits:
This activity promotes continuous learning and knowledge sharing. It encourages critical thinking and allows team members to apply book insights to their work.
How to Run:
Choose a book and set reading goals. Schedule regular book club meetings to discuss chapters or themes. Rotate the facilitator role among team members to lead discussions.
Mentorship program:
A mentorship program pairs experienced team members with newcomers to support professional development and knowledge sharing.
Benefits:
Mentorship promotes skills development, knowledge transfer, and a strong support network within the team. It accelerates learning and onboarding for new members.
How to Run:
Pair mentors with mentees based on their goals and skills. Schedule regular mentor-mentee meetings and provide guidance on topics to discuss.
Virtual office tours:
Team members showcase their home offices and share tips for remote work success during virtual office tours.
Benefits:
Office tours offer a glimpse into team members’ lives, creating a stronger connection between colleagues. It also helps in optimising remote work environments.
How to Run:
Choose a team member to host an office tour during a meeting. They can walk through their workspace, sharing tips, and explaining how they stay productive.
Recipe swap:
Recipe swaps encourage team members to share their favourite recipes and cooking tips with the group.
Benefits:
This activity adds a fun and tasty element to virtual meetings. It promotes sharing and cultural exchange while learning new recipes and cooking techniques.
How to Run:
Assign a team member to present their favourite recipe and demonstrate its preparation during a meeting. Team members can then try cooking the same dish and discuss their experiences.
Remote fitness challenges:
Remote fitness challenges involve setting fitness goals, such as step counts (this can make a fun/interesting league table) or workout sessions, and tracking progress as a team.
Benefits:
Promoting physical well-being, these challenges create a healthier and more energetic team. They also encourage competition and camaraderie.
How to Run:
Set fitness goals for the team and track progress using fitness apps or spreadsheets. Provide a platform for team members to share their workouts and achievements.
Mindfulness meditation:
Mindfulness meditation sessions guide team members through relaxation and stress-reduction techniques during virtual meetings.
Benefits:
These sessions help reduce stress and improve focus, creating a more tranquil and productive work environment.
How to Run:
Assign a team member or hire a professional mindfulness instructor to lead brief meditation sessions at the beginning or end of virtual meetings. Provide guidance on relaxation and breathing techniques.
Language learning:
Language learning involves offering language classes or encouraging team members to teach each other key phrases from their native languages.
Benefits:
This activity promotes cross-cultural understanding and collaboration. It enhances communication skills and cultural appreciation.
How to Run:
Schedule language learning sessions or encourage team members to teach phrases and cultural insights during regular meetings.
Themed dress-up days:
Themed dress-up days encourage team members to wear costumes or clothing related to a specific theme during virtual meetings.
Benefits:
These days add a fun and light-hearted touch to virtual meetings, creating a positive and engaging atmosphere.
How to Run:
Choose a theme for each dress-up day and announce it in advance. Team members can then dress accordingly during the meeting, allowing for some lighthearted fun and camaraderie.
Desk decorating contest:
A desk decorating contest encourages team members to creatively decorate their remote workspaces. This is a great activity to do over holiday periods such as Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc…
Benefits:
This activity adds a personal touch to virtual meetings, enhancing team spirit and creative expression. It also provides a sense of pride in one’s workspace.
How to Run:
Announce the contest and set a theme or criteria for desk decorations. Team members can then decorate their workspace and share it during a meeting, with the option for team voting.
Online art sessions:
Online art classes involve team members participating in digital painting, drawing, or craft sessions. There are a number of free online tools that you can use to facilitate this.
Benefits:
These ‘classes’ or creativity sessions can help unleash team creativity and artistic expression, fostering a positive and innovative work environment.
How to Run:
You could either run this in-house on a team-by-team basis or arrange for an external art instructor or artist to come in (virtually of course) and conduct virtual art classes/sessions.
Digital charades:
Digital charades is a game where team members act out words or phrases without using words and encourage others to guess what they’re acting.
Benefits:
This game promotes creativity, communication, and team bonding while adding an element of fun and laughter to virtual meetings.
How to Run:
Team members can take turns acting out words or phrases using video conferencing. You can keep score or simply play for fun.
TED Talk discussions:
In TED Talk discussions, team members watch and discuss inspiring TED talks that are relevant to their work or personal development.
Benefits:
These discussions inspire personal and professional growth, encourage thoughtful reflection, and provide valuable insights.
How to Run:
Assign team members to watch a TED Talk before a meeting. Discuss the talk’s key points, their application to work, and how it resonated with the team.
Problem-solving challenges:
Problem-solving challenges involve presenting real work-related problems and collaborating as a team to find solutions.
Benefits:
These challenges improve critical thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills while addressing actual workplace issues.
How to Run:
Share a work-related problem or scenario before a meeting. Encourage team members to brainstorm solutions and discuss them during the meeting.
Personality assessments:
Personality assessments involve exploring personality tests as a team to understand each other’s preferences and work styles.
Benefits:
This activity enhances self-awareness and understanding within the team. It helps team members adapt their communication and collaboration styles.
How to Run:
Choose a reputable personality assessment provider (like us! Read more about our Team Strengths personality assessment here), and have team members complete the assessment. Discuss the results during virtual meetings, highlighting how different personalities can complement each other.
Fantasy sports leagues:
Fantasy sports leagues involve creating teams and competing in a virtual sports league, such as fantasy football or basketball. This type of activity can be great fun during international sports tournaments like the World Cup.
Benefits:
These leagues encourage friendly competition, camaraderie, and team bonding, while also allowing team members to unwind.
How to Run:
Choose a fantasy sports platform and create a league for your team. Team members can draft their fantasy teams and compete throughout the sports season.
Movie nights:
Movie nights involve watching a movie simultaneously and discussing it afterward during a virtual meeting.
Benefits:
This activity provides a relaxed atmosphere for socialising, reducing stress, and promoting conversations beyond work-related topics.
How to Run:
Choose a movie to watch and set a date and time for the virtual movie night. Afterward, hold a discussion where team members can share their thoughts on the film.
Virtual team-building board games:
Virtual team-building board games are digital adaptations of classic board games like Monopoly or Scrabble.
Benefits:
These games promote strategic thinking, teamwork, and competition while offering a break from regular work tasks.
How to Run:
Choose a virtual board game platform or app. Invite team members to join and play together during scheduled game sessions.
Guest speaker series:
The guest speaker series involves inviting industry leaders or motivational speakers to address and inspire your team.
Benefits:
These sessions provide valuable insights, motivation, and a fresh perspective, enhancing team knowledge and engagement.
How to Run:
Identify guest speakers relevant to your industry or team goals. Schedule speaking sessions and provide opportunities for team members to interact with the speakers during Q&A sessions.
Online game show:
Online game shows are virtual events where teams compete in trivia, challenges, and activities.
Benefits:
These game shows offer fun and engaging competition, team bonding, and a break from routine work.
How to Run:
Choose an online game show platform or create your own trivia game. Divide your team into teams and host the game show during a virtual meeting.
Work-related podcast club:
A work-related podcast club entails team members listening to and discussing podcasts related to their industry or interests.
Benefits:
This activity promotes continuous learning, insights, and the exchange of ideas within the team.
How to Run:
Choose a podcast to listen to and set a schedule for discussion. Team members can share their key takeaways, questions, and thoughts on the podcast during virtual meetings.
Themed office parties:
Themed office parties are virtual celebrations for holidays, milestones, or special occasions with a specific theme.
Benefits:
These parties offer a break from routine work, boost team morale, and create a fun and festive atmosphere.
How to Run:
Choose a theme and set a date for the virtual office party. Encourage team members to dress up, prepare themed snacks, and participate in themed activities during the event.
Goal-setting workshops:
Goal-setting workshops involve collaborating as a team to set and track goals, both for the team and for individual team members.
Benefits:
These workshops enhance motivation, goal alignment, and team cohesion while driving performance improvement.
How to Run:
Schedule goal-setting sessions during which team members can discuss and set goals for their work and the team’s objectives. Regularly review progress and celebrate achievements.
Online cooking classes:
Online cooking classes entail learning to cook new dishes together through virtual cooking sessions.
Benefits:
This activity adds a tasty dimension to virtual meetings, encourages creativity, and provides team members with culinary skills.
How to Run:
Arrange for a professional chef or cooking instructor to lead virtual cooking classes. Share the recipe and ingredient list in advance, and have team members cook along during the session.
Awards and recognitions:
Awards and recognitions acknowledge and celebrate team achievements, milestones, and individual contributions.
Benefits:
These activities help to boost team morale, recognise hard work, and reinforce a positive team culture.
How to Run:
Schedule award ceremonies during virtual meetings. Recognise team and individual achievements and present awards virtually. Allow team members to express their appreciation and congratulations.
The value of having cohesive, engaged, and high-performing teams cannot be overstated. The challenges posed by remote work make it even more crucial to invest in activities that promote teamwork, communication, and morale among your team members.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive, professionally guided team-building experience, consider booking one of Clevry’s team building workshops. These workshops are designed to enhance the skills of your team, foster collaboration, and strengthen team performance. With our expertise, you can take your team to the next level.
Invest in your team’s success and make 2024 a year of unprecedented growth and collaboration. Book one of our team building workshops today and watch your team thrive in the new era of work.
