The ability to work remotely is excellent, especially since modern technologies allow you to interact online freely. However, there is one problem: it was live meetings that helped establish a connection with the team, feel like a part of the team, and learn how to turn to colleagues for help.
Today, the lack of live communication prevents newcomers from adapting to the team, requiring virtual team building.
Why do you need team-building exercises to improve relationships?
Due to the transition to remote work and the staff’s replenishment with employees from other cities, the opportunity to communicate live has gone. It has complicated the adaptation and reduced the team’s effectiveness in general. Colleagues did not know each other, could not turn for help, and communication became more intricate.
Let’s say you’ve just started a remote job. You saw only HR and your boss at the interview, and now the work messenger is full of unfamiliar names. Who are these people, and how to contact them? Unclear. That is why adaptation is needed that will improve the employee’s efficiency.
Using the services of an international PEO
If you want to achieve a specific goal, such as improving team communication, you can use the international PEO service to recruit new team members who will remain.
This service strives to adapt its offerings to customer needs: to rally a team in the face of competition with another brand or to help employees get to know each other better. Thus, the service also considers customers’ needs, mainly if the company employs people from around the world.
How to prepare for virtual team building
It is crucial to prepare for an online event no less than offline. Choose a leader: at the first step, the leader will be responsible for the emancipation of employees. He must create a positive attitude and determine the format of communication.
Next, it is worth considering the exercise program and various activities, but adapting them to the online format is essential. You need to know which platform tools can be used to host activities, such as grouping, chatting, and going live.
Online, constant communication with the audience is necessary: participants do not see colleagues. They can feel excluded from the process if you do not ask them to constantly write to the chat and participate in activities!
Best virtual team-building exercises
1. Channel for casual conversations
Create a channel where only random things will be discussed, and anything will be exchanged. It can be quotes, stories, photos of pets. This method will allow you to get to know all the team members closer.
2. Shared virtual space to work
To give each team member a sense of belonging to a particular community and at the same time motivate him, you can create a virtual common space for work.
At the beginning of the day, one team member creates a video chat and invites the whole team to join. When other employees go online, they can also join this video chat. It is not necessary to talk to each other. A virtual office allows everyone to be inspired by the hard work of other team members and focus on their work and productivity.
3. Looking inside each other’s house
Each team member makes a short video showing their house and favorite things. This activity allows team members to get to know each other on a more personal level and generate feelings of goodwill and friendship.
4. Movie night
This is spending time watching a movie. However, each team member watches it at home and shares their thoughts/emotions/jokes in a video chat or messenger where the whole team is. You only need to choose a movie for joint remote viewing.
5. Personal facts and guessing game
The personal fact guessing game is a great way to get to know each other’s interests outside of work.
A letter with a list of personal facts is sent to each employee. Next to each personal fact, there is an empty column. Each employee will guess which team member this or that fact is about.
After all the guesses are returned to the game’s organizer, all participants need to show the correct answers so that the team members can see how many points they guessed correctly. This game is not only fun; it develops team cohesion and friendship.
In conclusion
These virtual team-building exercises are a straightforward way to increase team productivity and bring communication within the team to a more trusting level, creating close friendships at work and increasing employee satisfaction.
