5 Creative Virtual Team Bonding Ideas

The remote workforce is burgeoning and with no signs of slowing down, companies are tasked with discovering new strategies for managing, communicating with and motivating their employees.

While remote work features many perks, the physical separation can detract from a team’s connectedness and cohesion. Virtual team bonding activities mitigate this by bringing employees together in ways that simulate the office experience.

Why Team Bonding Is Important

Companies that invest in team bonding send the message that they value their employees and care about their well-being. Team bonding activities, such as office games, retreats and happy hours, help employees to feel respected and appreciated which leads them to be more engaged and productive at work. For remote workers, team bonding activities also serve as opportunities to bring more human connection to virtual work.

Here are the reasons why team bonding is a must-do for any virtual workplace:

• Improve communication
• Boost morale
• Build relationships
• Reinforce shared team identity
• Infuse fun into the workday
• Display support from leadership
• Enhance company culture

Out-of-the-Box Ways to Promote Virtual Team Bonding

When your team spans several time zones, traditional team bonding activities just won’t cut it. You can adapt these activities for online formats or break the mold with some innovative ideas. Here are five virtual team bonding activities that are departures from standard cringey icebreakers:

1. Master Classes

Let your team members shine by inviting them to take turns hosting a “master class” that matches their skills and interests.

2. Celebration Station

You don’t need an actual office to hold an office Christmas party. Set up birthday and holiday celebrations with videoconferencing and use an immersive view Zoom backgrounds download to arrange your participants in a single virtual background. You’ll look like you’re partying together even when you’re thousands of miles apart!

3. European Holiday

You and your team can travel without ever having to move your feet. Take a virtual tour with an experienced guide to explore the Louvre in Paris or tune in to a winemaking class in Tuscany. Best company retreat ever!

4. Virtual Water Cooler

Create a channel on your preferred online collaboration platform to post “getting to know you” questions and prompts. The interaction will mimic the banter and chitchat you would hear around the office water cooler.

5. Mister Rogers Calls

The goal of this activity is to get to know your remote work neighbors. Employees are matched with a conversation partner whom they video chat with once a week about self-selected topics. They can customize a Zoom office background to create a more casual setting. New partners are assigned every few weeks.

Getting the Most Out of Your Activities

To be effective, your team bonding plan needs to be intentionally designed and smoothly executed. Designate a leader to oversee the activities who can motivate and provide clear directions. Create a balance by offering both live and asynchronous activities that focus on both work-related and non-work-related topics. Use online collaboration tools, such as virtual backgrounds for teams, to keep the tone light, but professional.

Tap into digital platforms that enable you to create team bonding activities that are fun, engaging and satisfying. With a little ingenuity, you can replicate the best parts of an office environment for your remote teams.