Building a Strong Remote Work Culture: Proven Methods for Cultivating Camaraderie

Virtual Team Building Activities for distributed teams

In the "new normal" employees are working remotely, communication, social bonds and team spirit are lying on the periphery. Amidst chaotic home setting, the tendency to take frequent breaks have increased significantly leading to long stretched working hours affecting work-life balance.

Long working hours in front of the screen can lead to the feeling of isolation and disconnect from the outer world, especially for employees who used to cherish office culture with the shared sense of purpose.

Morale, as we all know is the chief driving force of an organisation, when an employee feels content with work arrangements, he/she is more likely to produce creative output and gives more to the organisation than just allotted work.

So here we have composed a list of 10 awesome virtual team building activities which can not only boost your employee engagement levels but also lead to higher productivity and job satisfaction.

1. Coffee breaks and Happy hours

Remember when you used to fetch coffee and take out just 10-15 minutes for your little chit chat. The many meetups with colleagues work as brief intermissions working as quick refreshers. But don't worry we can do it virtually too.

How?

Fix a time slot (i.e. after every three hours) when you will face your coffee and enjoy it with your friends, talking about almost everything not related to work.

Platform

Any video conferencing

Time

15-20 mins

Advantage

This will reduce the unconscious consumption of caffeine in your employees and will look forward to this time working more efficiently.

2. Recipe reviews

The pandemic had made us creative. There's hardly anyone who hasn't ventured into the long-lost hobbies, cooking ranks the first. With an internet connection on one hand and the will to create restaurant-like food, we all have experimented with recipes, so why not share them?

How?

Showing your cutlery skills live on video conferencing might not be possible but you can make a video or even a simple DOC file with some pictures and put them on your "informal" office group.

Advantage

Your colleagues will get to know about your new skill and they might give it a shot too.

Amidst any difficulty, you will ask the person leading to more social interaction and memories of food sharing getting refreshed.

3. Movie nights

Missing Saturday nights where movie evening's, crowd hooting, and a hearty meal is what you need to feel like the weekend. After all, even "Netflix and chill" isn't fun without friends. So let's do it virtually

How?

Use any video conferencing platform to create a virtual meet, where one person can share the screen and present it to everyone else. Make a list of everyone's choices and watch one by one.

Advantage

You will get to know about each other's choices, you'll experiment with different genres and discover new content.

Time

Depends on the movie.

4. Scrabble! Scrabble!

We all must have played "Pictionary" in our school, where a person draws and the others have to guess what the person is drawing. Scribble is a virtual version of Pictionary.

Platform

Many websites and apps provide different versions of this game, you can choose as per your interest.

Advantage

It's not always a meetup. Sometimes a game can also bring employees together. Laugh on each other's bad drawings and create virtual memories.

5. Fitness rejuvenation

Work-from-home has become synonymous with "work-from-bed". Sitting all day long in front of the screen cannot impact only your eyes but also lead to overall health issues.

Fitness sessions headed by professionals can set a gentle reminder for the employees that health is the real wealth.

Note: the session must be headed by a professional person who knows the field

If you are not able to arrange a health professional, you can yourself create some routines like

• 30 sit-ups
• 1-min plank hold
• 30 jumping jacks
• to make things more customised.

6. Virtual coworking

What is the main reason why employees are losing their work motivation? It is the lack of "office-vibe". Without any check on our actions employees are struggling with being disciplined. So let's solve this

How?

Get on a video call, switch on your cameras, create an office like set-up, dress in formals, pick your essentials and get it started.

7. Virtual dance party

Fitness sessions might be boring so why not burn calories and dump stress on trending beats.

How?

Just like movie dates, have weekly dance sessions with your colleagues. All you need is a headphone/earphone and crazy moves to get started.

Pro-tip: Including your family, nothing could beat their involvement. Also works as a screen break.

8. "Name the employee with this habit" trivia

"Who is most likely to have the messiest work desk?

"Who is the worst at replying to texts?"

"Who is your go-to partner for ranting about the pandemic's new normal?"

Yes! You guessed it correctly.

We are playing "name the employee with these habits" trivia, where you have to guess your colleagues by their quirky habits.

How?

Spare 5-10 minutes at the end of the virtual dance party, recipe reviews and ask these questions to each other.

Advantage

Strong bonding, teamwork and help breaks the ice among colleagues.

9. Virtual house tours

During the pandemic many employees have shifted to their hometowns, living the best life they can, so why not get a sneak peek of it.

Pro-tip: Seniors should start this to break the hierarchy.

How?

You can create a short video or show your love for your living space in a live meet.

10. Meditational session

The more gadgets you use, the more you feel disturbed.

Believe it or not, spending time with yourself is an easy investment that gives the best returns.

How?

Find a comfortable place, away from worldly chaos and get started. Video conferencing might distract you so don't do that.

Advantage

Amidst work uncertainty and stress, meditation can help you be more concentrated, improving overall well-being and giving you self-introspection.

Note: Make sure you do all these activities during office hours without intervening in anyone's privacy.

And yes! don't forget to take a screenshot at the end of meetings.

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