Virtual Team Building Activities For Those Who Work From Home

With many people working remotely either full time or even part of their working week, it is essential that all colleagues, regardless of whether they work remotely or are office based, are all included in any team building activities. This can help bridge the gap and create a better connection that may be lacking when you are not seeing your colleagues in person but over a screen.

While it is not essentially a team building exercise, starting your working day with a virtual coffee is a great way to connect with colleagues on a personal level before the hard work starts. Even five or ten minutes of casual chatter over your coffee, can break the ice between colleagues with many looking forward to this fun and relaxed way to start each day. It is a great way of getting to know one another better and to discuss the day's work ahead, especially as the world of remote working can feel isolated at times.

Hosting trivia sessions via video is a fun way to initiate friendly competition and anything can be tested from history, fashion, music or even aspects of your own industry or company! Trivia games and question and answer competitions are always a good way to incorporate a few laughs amongst colleagues.

Colleagues who are not office based often miss out on the social aspect of working with others and the different discussions that inevitably take place throughout the day. Creating a monthly book club where all colleagues are encouraged to read certain books (or even a tv programme, music or film club!) and then schedule a discussion to share thoughts and perspectives is a fantastic way of allowing everyone to be included with some interesting discussions taking place.

Similarly, team members could share their expertise or passions regarding their hobbies or interests in short presentations with time for questions. Pet ownership is often a popular topic and of course, your furry friend can join you on screen for this! This is a very good way to get to know other colleagues better, especially if their pet has a habit of making impromptu appearances during virtual meetings or conferences - I know both my dog and cats have - on several occasions!

Peer recognition is another way of getting virtual colleagues to interact with one another and to recognise achievements and efforts gained within the company. In addition to celebrating work based achievements, it is good to mark colleagues birthdays with a virtual card of positive wishes.

Remote building activities not only help build stronger relationships amongst virtual colleagues but reinforce and improve communication, teamwork and overall job satisfaction. It creates a sense of unity and belonging which makes the whole team more cohesive and productive. Working virtually has many advantages but one of the disadvantages is feeling detached from colleagues. So, while you may be physically distant from your colleagues, you can become emotionally and professionally connected through carefully chosen, light hearted team building activities.