Many of us have been learning the joys (and challenges) of remote work over the past year, of course, and the teamwork piece is an important one to get right. With that in mind, we want to share a few ideas for remote team-building to help you strengthen your strategy as you navigate this current business world.
The better you know someone, the more effective your working relationship often is; that knowledge enhances collaboration, communication, and the expansion of ideas. This is true whether you work in a physical office or collaboration space or remotely from home offices.
Happy Hour
This has always been a time-honored way to become more familiar with co-workers, and it may have been one of your team’s go-tos, as well. It’s a great way to improve your company culture, making use of the relaxed and informal atmosphere. The health challenges of 2020 made this kind of event impossible for almost everyone, unfortunately, but that doesn’t prevent you from launching a “virtual” happy hour! You can use video-conferencing software and get the team together for conversation. Since this is fairly new to most of us, the conversation can sometimes stagnate, though. If that happens during your Happy Hour, try a few casual games. Playing versions that help people share about their lives in a fun way will give your team the opportunity to learn a bit more about each other. Try:
- Never Have I Ever: (“Safe for Work” Edition)
- The Bucket List
- Show And Tell
There are also some classic board games that translate well to the virtual world, like Pictionary, Yahtzee, and Scattergories. Just add a few drinks and let the fun begin!
Water Cooler
Another favorite way to connect with co-workers has always been those “water cooler” conversations. Taking a breather and sharing ideas while you decompress definitely helps people build relationships, and you can re-create this environment for remote team-building, as well. You almost certainly have a collaboration platform for your team, so start your “water cooler” group here. This will allow the team to post thoughts on the latest happenings (maybe set some ground rules to ensure it remains a safe space for everyone) – great movies, sporting events, or good news and uplifting current events are some topics that can help create a healthy way to connect with others and find out more about each other.
Problem Solving
The object here is to bring members together to find solutions for a fun problem. For it to be the most effective, ensure that teams are built randomly by drawing straws or pulling names out of a hat; this will allow people who don’t normally interact to work together in finding solutions. The goal is not to add stress, though, so encourage the players to have fun while they conjure up solutions. There should be no wrong answers or strategies here.
Choose some fantasy scenarios for them to work on, like:
- Escaping from a deserted island
- Creating a purely fantastical consumer product
- Surviving a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion
- Planning the best vacation ever with money being no object
Honestly, the sky’s the limit here with remote team-building ideas. The goal is to build a stronger team that understands one another in a greater way and that has a fresh appreciation of the unique and sometimes unexpected gifts and skills that each member brings to the table.
The Piccolo team is here to help you with all the challenges that you might face as a business owner. Our business is to help you do yours, and we’re committed to your success. Let’s connect and talk about your business dreams and goals!
