How do Virtual team building activities keep remote working employees engaged and connected?

 The work-from-home routine since early 2020 due to pandemics has changed the way the world of office functions. The remote work environment has brought its challenges. The employees and teams are physically separated, and it is essential to bring them together again. One of the ways organizations have coped up is by having Virtual Team Building activities.

There are many ways to have virtual meets that are low budgets yet effective.

·         Virtual informal meetings

One can have virtual meetups on digital platforms such as Zoom or Google meets once a month. The free plan allows participants to meet for 60 minutes and host up to 100 participants. This is cost-effective and enables team members to interact and not miss the physical presence.

·         Multi-gaming activities

Multi-gaming activities during company time may sound like a waste of time, but it is not. On the contrary, gaming allows the team to build bonds between the team members. They also encourage creative and positive thinking when employees working alone from home may feel isolated and suffer from anxiety and depression.

For example, one can conduct an Icebreaking session virtually on video conferencing calls. New employees may not have been introduced to other team members by having a Virtual Team Building ice breaker session. Each participant is given 30 seconds to talk about themselves. The host should ensure that he designates the next participant to share during the activity after each participant.

·         Weekend Friday parties on Zoom

Social interactions are pivotal for employees in their office environment, whether it is going for after office hours drinks or a nearby coffee shop. These things are most likely to be missed by remote workers. It is not impossible to plan virtual happy hours or coffee breaks over the weekends with beer, coffee, or whatever and chat about non-official work. Using online tools like Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom, one can quickly establish a remote version of a social get-together. This activity will help employees to feel engaged and connected.

·         Celebration meets

This meeting can be about celebrating employees' birthdays or festivals or any occasion that calls for celebrations. These virtual get-togethers tend to perk up the spirits of employees.

Why do HR departments need to embrace Virtual Team Building activities?

Remote working is here to stay. Organizations have realized that a certain percentage of employees can work from home without causing any operational losses to the business. Many organizations have reworked their office space capacity to 75%-80% of the workforce. HR now needs to work out new schedules and plan team-building activities accordingly. This is necessary as employees working from home may feel isolated and disconnected from their colleagues and the organization.

Conclusion

Virtual team building activities are an excellent process to make virtual meetings full of fun and build the team members' morale. As an organization, team building activities provide a range of health advantages. Try to offer the best tools for the remote workers. Whatever you do, it must show that you care for your workforce. Never be afraid to experiment. As a business owner, you must give emphasis on employee feedback and give priority to innovative incentives.