With remote work and hybrid work becoming the norm, strengthening team cohesion can be challenging when employees are distributed across locations. However, through thoughtful planning, even teams working apart can build camaraderie and tight collaboration. By making virtual team building a priority, organizations can foster trust, improve communication, boost productivity, and increase employee engagement and satisfaction. Effective virtual team building in 2024 requires a focus on improving team dynamics, fostering trust between remote employees, and boosting productivity across distributed workforces. This article highlights 22 top virtual team-building activities aimed at providing interactive, tailored bonding experiences that can help remote and hybrid teams function as united, engaged units regardless of their location.
1. Digital Office Competitions
Time: 30 Minutes to One Hour
Objective: Enhance team coordination among your distributed workforces.
Team-building activities are always incomplete without icebreaker games. Conducting such games remotely might seem challenging, but it’s easier than you think with the right tools. You can organize various team games online through group chats or video conferencing. Divide your employees into different teams, mixing members from multiple departments to foster new relationships. Ensure each team has at least 3-4 members.
Create a list of online multiplayer icebreaker games, which nowadays are readily available for both mobile and PC. Design a point structure where winning points are based on the complexity of the game. The aim is for every team member to actively participate and earn points, encouraging healthy competition and building strong inter-team relationships.
2. Wellness Challenges
Time: 20 to 30 Minutes
Objective: Promote a healthy lifestyle among your remote team members.
Employee well-being has become a crucial aspect of maintaining a thriving organization. Virtual wellness challenges are an excellent way to ensure this, even for remote teams. Assign various health challenges to your teams, such as completing a certain number of push-ups, squats, lunges, running a set distance, or taking a specific number of steps daily.
You can host joint meditation sessions to boost mental health through video chats. To streamline this process, many corporate wellness platforms allow you to create flexible employee health contests, track progress, gather insights, and incentivize top performers, thereby promoting healthy competition within the workforce.
3. Digital Coffee Chats
Time: 15 to 30 Minutes
Objective: Bridge the communication gap between your remote employees.
Who doesn’t like to grab a cup of coffee and engage in an interesting conversation with their colleagues? For remote teams, these informal yet productive coffee breaks can be a luxury. Organize virtual coffee breaks as part of your remote team-building activities. Treat these breaks as informal team meetings over a conference call, allowing employees to engage in random talks and de-stress. You can include other fun elements to spice up these breaks and make them more engaging.
4. Knowledge Sharing
Time: 30 to 45 Minutes
Objective: Stimulate the intellectual process of your employees.
Knowledge sharing is one of the best virtual team activities, as it promotes learning and mutual respect. Ask your employees to submit topics they would like to share with their peers, then randomly select some of these submissions for presentations. This activity encourages employees to learn new things, share knowledge, and appreciate each other’s expertise.
5. Virtual Quest or Trivia Hunt
Time: 20 Minutes (Per Team)
Objective: Build trust and confidence within your team members.
“Dig Up a Fact” or “Scavenger Hunt” activities are fantastic ways to engage remote teams in educational and fun tasks. Ask your teams to dig up interesting, lesser-known facts about a certain topic, then present their findings. This activity fosters teamwork as members collaborate to gather and present information, thus building confidence and camaraderie.
6. Trivia Challenge
Time: 20 to 30 Minutes
Objective: Foster a spirit of learning among the employees.
Organize trivia challenges to test your employees’ knowledge on various topics like business, technology, culture, geography, and current events. This fast-paced event encourages teams to give their best, fostering a competitive yet fun learning environment.
7. Meal-Time Meetings
Time: 45 Minutes to One Hour
Objective: Boost employee relationships.
Socializing during lunch is an important aspect of workplace relationships. Although remote work eliminates the possibility of going out for lunch with colleagues, you can organize virtual meal-time meetings via video conferencing. These meetings can serve as opportunities for discussing important matters or simply engaging in fun chats, helping remote team members feel connected and valued.
8. Brainstorming Session
Time: 20 to 45 Minutes
Objective: Encourage innovative thinking and idea implementation.
Brainstorming sessions are essential for driving innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. Challenge your teams to solve complex problems, codes, or puzzles within a set timeframe. This activity breaks the monotony of regular work, encourages collaboration, and promotes critical thinking.
9. Story Creation
Time: 30 Minutes to One Hour
Objective: Cultivate a culture of teamwork.
Story creation can be an engaging and fun team-building activity. Give your teams random words or sentences and ask them to create a story. This activity not only fosters creativity but also encourages teamwork as members collaborate to develop their narratives.
10. Introduce Yourself
Time: 10 to 15 Minutes
Objective: Ideal for ice-breaking, particularly during new employee onboarding.
Each of your employees is unique, and it’s essential to bring out their uniqueness to build healthy relationships. Host an online event where employees share their stories, boosting their confidence and fostering mutual respect. This activity is particularly effective for breaking the ice with new remote team members.
11. Social Hour
Time: 1 Hour
Objective: Provide an opportunity for employees to bond outside work.
Social hours are great for bonding outside the work environment. Although it’s not possible for remote teams to gather in a local pub, you can organize a virtual social hour using video conferencing. Alternatively, send special happy hour packages to your employees for a fun evening of remote bonding.
12. Mystery Solving
Time: 1 Hour or More
Objective: Encourage collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Mystery-solving activities like virtual murder mysteries can be both exciting and team-building. Organize virtual sessions where teams solve mysteries within a set timeframe, fostering teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
13. Virtual Escape Game
Time: Customizable
Objective: Foster teamwork and collaboration.
Virtual escape rooms are immersive and interactive activities that are great for team-building. Choose a reputable virtual escape room provider and schedule a session for your remote teams. This activity promotes collaboration as team members work together to solve puzzles and escape within the given timeframe.
14. Creative Crafting
Time: 30 – 45 Minutes
Objective: Encourage creativity and teamwork.
Virtual DIY crafting activities can be highly engaging. Choose a DIY project theme and share a list of required materials with your team in advance. Conduct a virtual crafting session where team members work on their projects, share progress, and showcase their creations. This activity promotes creativity and allows team members to bond over shared interests.
15. Group Learning
Time: Varies
Objective: Promote personal and professional growth.
Learning together can be highly beneficial for remote teams. Choose relevant and interesting topics, and organize online courses, webinars, or workshops. Encourage active participation through discussions, quizzes, and hands-on exercises. After the session, allocate time for team members to share their insights and key takeaways, promoting a continuous learning culture.
16. Music Sessions
Time: 1 Hour
Objective: Promote bonding through shared musical experiences.
Music sessions can be a fun and relaxing way to bond with colleagues. Set up a video conferencing session where team members can share their musical talents, listen to tunes, and engage in jamming sessions. This activity fosters a sense of community and provides a break from work stress.
17. Food Competitions
Objective: Encourage creativity and teamwork through cooking challenges.
Organize virtual food competitions where teams prepare a selected dish within a specified time frame. Share the ingredients list and instructions in advance, and conduct a live cooking session. Appoint judges to evaluate the dishes based on taste, presentation, and creativity. Conclude the event with a virtual meal where team members can enjoy their creations together.
18. Spreadsheet Art
Time: 30 – 45 Minutes
Objective: Combine work tools and creative expression.
Turn your usual work tools into a fun activity with spreadsheet pixel art. Use a little code to automatically replace numbers with colors, allowing team members to create pictures. Organize a contest where teams create pixel art and have a judging panel evaluate their creativity. This activity combines work with fun and encourages team collaboration.
19. Dance Breaks
Objective: Provide a fun, physical activity to energize employees.
Dancing is a great way to break the monotony of work and boost energy levels. Organize virtual dance breaks where team members can groove to catchy tunes. Set up a video conferencing session and let everyone dance to their favorite songs, promoting physical well-being and team bonding.
20. “Never Have I Ever” Work Edition
Objective: Encourage team bonding through shared experiences.
“Never Have I Ever” is a fun game that can be adapted for the workplace. Each participant takes turns sharing work-related statements they’ve never done, and those who have done it must admit it. This activity allows team members to share amusing work experiences, fostering a sense of camaraderie and fun.
21. Pet Day
Objective: Foster positivity and bonding through shared love for pets.
Organize a virtual Pet Appreciation Day where team members can introduce their pets, share stories, and showcase their pets’ talents. This activity brings positivity to the work environment and allows team members to bond over their shared love for animals.
22. Gif Showdown
Employee well-being is an essential factor for maintaining a productive and thriving organization. For remote teams, virtual wellness challenges serve as a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle. These challenges can include tasks such as completing a designated number of push-ups, squats, lunges, running a certain distance, or achieving a specified number of steps each day.
In addition to physical activities, considering mental health is equally important. Hosting joint meditation sessions through video chats can significantly enhance mental well-being. To streamline these activities, numerous corporate wellness platforms are available, offering tools to create customizable health contests, track progress, gather insights, and reward top performers. These platforms foster a spirit of healthy competition within the team and help in building a more engaged and energetic workforce.
Moreover, fostering a culture of well-being among remote employees helps in reducing burnout, improving job satisfaction, and boosting overall productivity. By integrating these wellness initiatives, you not only show your employees that you care about their well-being but also build a more resilient and cohesive team. Tailoring these challenges and mental wellness activities to the needs of your team can lead to remarkable improvements in both individual and organizational health, ensuring a more vibrant and effective work environment, regardless of physical location.
