After six months of quarantine, it’s not uncommon to feel a bit disconnected in the workplace. Creating a strong team is undeniably one of the most important things to help drive the success of a business. Don’t let your team become isolated or allow the excitement slip away! Team building exercises help to foster an environment conducive for open-communication, creative out-of-the-box thinking, increased collaboration, boosted employee morale, and an overall fun workplace.
Although many companies know the value of team building, they have put these activities on hold while working remotely. However, just because employees are social distancing, it doesn’t mean that team building during quarantine should take a back seat. Lucky for you, we have gathered a list of our top 10 favorite activities to foster a team that’s happy, engaged, and connected, all while keeping that safe distance apart.
1. Virtual Team Luncheon
There’s no better way to get a team together than over food. Hosting weekly or monthly virtual lunches is a great way to connect with your team and check in on how everyone is doing. Dell and Deloitte teamed up to conduct a case study on the concept of virtual socializing. Here are their findings:
- A lack of structure, food, and videoconferencing are key to a successful virtual socializing session
- Virtual socializing sessions can normalize flexibility and drive employee engagement within a flexible workforce
- Virtual socializing sessions encourage the development of innovative ideas
Team lunches are only one way to create positive social experiences virtually. We have listed several other effective ways to socialize at a distance below. Click here to read more about the study.
2. Share Pet Photos – A personal favorite of ours!
Cue all animal lovers now! Create a chatroom solely for employees to post cute or funny pictures of their animal companions! With pet adoption & fostering at an all time high, embrace the need to share all the cuteness with the universe. We know working from home means ample opportunities to capture your pets living their best life, so why not share it? Here are a few cute critters that make regular appearances in The FSL Group’s Pet Pics chatroom!
3. Start a Book Club
The bookworms will appreciate this one! I once heard someone say there’s nothing like bonding over a favorite character from a cherished book! Each month, select a book for everyone to read and discuss over a virtual meeting. Not a reader? No worries! Many people opt for audio books instead. This type of connectivity allows a team to strengthen their intellect with discussions about something other than work.
4. Game Applications
Ah, yes! Technology continues to do its part in keeping us all connected. There are numerous phone apps that allow you to play games with friends and co-workers. You can play trivia or invite a coworker to join a game of chess. Our team’s personal favorite is a phone app called “PSYCH” by Ellen. It allows the players to be competitive with creativity, humor, and trickery. Ever since our team started playing “PSYCH” we can’t get enough! It’s fun, hilarious, and allows us to take a quick mental break during our busy workdays.
5. Virtual Game Night
Host a virtual game night! There are several websites that have created video chat friendly versions of games like Bingo and Pictionary. Here is a list of fun games you can play via zoom or another video chat platform.
10 Fun Games to Play on Zoom That Will Amp up Your Next Virtual Party
6. Virtual Happy Hour
It’s 5’oclock somewhere! With restaurants and bars limiting guest counts and implementing social distancing, Happy Hours are just not the same 6ft apart. We have a simple solution! Hold a virtual team happy hour where coworkers can be candid and unwind for an hour after work! No timeline, no agenda, no structure. These events create a much more relaxed and informal social experience. BYOB!
7. Virtual Meditation Session
We can’t deny that 2020 has been a heavy year for many – mentally stressful, financially difficult, or emotionally painful. Meditation isn’t just about unwinding and reducing stress. It is proven to help control anxiety, cultivate self awareness, and promote emotional well-being. Get on a weekly Zoom call, close your eyes in complete unison, then spend the next 15 minutes in total silence – TOGETHER!
8. Play this game! – “The Deserted Island Scenario”
If you’ve never played this one, you’re in for a treat! The objective of this game is to simply have fun and get to know your coworkers better! Bonus benefits – will hopefully get you thinking more creatively and be more open to new ideas!
Here’s how you play:
- State the Scenario – You’ve all been stranded on a deserted island and each person gets to choose three items from a list of survival tools.
- Provide the list to everyone – You can come up with the list or use our list. The longer the list, the more interesting the game will be.
- Pause the meeting for 5-10 minutes while everyone selects their three items.
- Resume the meeting and have everyone share what they chose and why they chose those items.
- Pause the meeting for an additional 5 minutes and give everyone a chance to decide if they want to change their selections based on what they just heard from their teammates.
- Resume the meeting and ask anyone who changed their list to explain why.
- Compass
- Knife
- Tent
- Matches
- Rope
- Plastic tarp
- Lighter fluid
- Candy bars
- Athletic shoes
- First aid kit
- Sunscreen
- Toilet paper
- Ipod
- Book
- Hammock
- Water purifier
- Fishing pole
- Hand saw
- Blanket
- Blow up mattress
9. Coffee Dates
Virtual coffee chat is an intimate meeting between two employees to get to know each other via zoom over a warm cup of joe! We recommend preparing a few questions to ask your coffee date – i.e. “What kind of coffee are you drinking?” “Do you take yours with cream and sugar?” “Do you prefer whole bean coffee or ground coffee?” “Coffee pot or Keurig?” “Homemade or Starbucks?” “Do you prefer your coffee from South America or Africa?” “Goat milk, cow milk, almond milk, or no milk?” The coffee questions are endless and insightful. If you’re not a coffee drinker, no worries! A virtual tea chat is just as effective. These types of one-on-one meetings sometimes can be a great start to the day and a light way to get to know someone. It’s also a good way to share your to-do list or a set of daily goals.
10. Virtual Show and Tell
I know what you’re thinking. This idea sounds like you’re taking a step back into grade school. But “Show and Tell” can actually be a lot of fun even in adulthood! Share a fond memory with your team and allow them to get to know you better. Many people have picked up new hobbies or even learned a new skill during quarantine. This is a great opportunity for employees to show off their new skill or hobby to the rest of the team! Finger painting? Show us your latest masterpiece! Speed reading? Read an excerpt from a book while being timed and then summarize for the whole group! This is best done in a virtual live meeting such as zoom.
Team building during quarantine doesn’t have to be difficult. Try a couple of these team building ideas and share with us your experience. We would love to hear about it!
