Here are our favourite virtual team-building exercises

As a business leader and people manager, I understand the challenges of remote work all too well. But, this trend is only expected to continue, as 74% of professionals expect remote work to become standard, according to a report from Forbes. This means we’re constantly in search of ways to navigate this new landscape — which is especially true when it comes to keeping our people connected.

Luckily, there are great ways to guarantee your virtual teams have the opportunity to connect and collaborate. Here are virtual team-building exercises to bring your workforce together online.

1) Virtual icebreaker games

Ice breakers are an office standard for colleagues getting to know each other better, and the rise of work-from-home arrangements doesn’t have to mean the end of this bonding. These exercises can help your workers “warm up” to one another and eventually become a more effective team.

Ice breakers to consider include:

• Rose/thorn virtual icebreaker: If you’re low on time, this is a quick activity that gives everyone a chance to participate. With this icebreaker, everyone is asked to share their “rose” and their “thorn”: A rose being anything positive that makes them feel happy or grateful, while a thorn represents a problem or challenge they’re working to overcome.
• Critical thinking virtual icebreaker: This exercise poses a general question such as “if you were stranded on an island, what steps would you take to be rescued.” After everyone’s had time to come up with an answer, let each member share and discuss their thoughts.

Here are our favourite virtual team-building exercises

2) Online lunch

Remote work and other flexible working arrangements has also made water cooler conversations feel like a thing of the past. However, sometimes this is our best opportunity to take a break and have casual interactions with co-workers.

A virtual lunch meeting might be the modern water cooler conversation your virtual team needs. This gives your workforce the opportunity to socialise in a non-work capacity. If you’re hosting the meeting, it’s beneficial to offer a budget for each team member to grab lunch, then all they have to do is sign on and start chatting.

3) Online trivia

Another option to build a cohesive workforce is online trivia. You can put their skills and knowledge to the test with a fun, stress-free activity that’s meant to bring everyone together. Whether you work in Zoom, Microsoft Teams or any other virtual landscape, you can create a set of questions or find a suitable trivia game online and share it with the team. Split everyone into groups or let everyone play individually and get started. You might be surprised to see how quickly people connect.

The importance of team-building online

Building a strong, collaborative and cohesive team has always been a priority, but it may be even more important now as people continue to push for remote working options. According to TeamStage, the number of companies investing in virtual team-building has risen by 2,500% as a result of the pandemic.

Strong teams mean higher productivity and better business outcomes. If you haven’t already, now is the time to employ team-building exercises that can keep your best people engaged, productive and united.

Ready to learn more about team-building options that keep your workforce virtually connected? Contact us today.