More people are working remotely than ever before. While there are numerous benefits to working from home, one of the often unexpected downsides is that team building becomes much more difficult. It’s obvious that team-building is good for businesses because it boosts collaboration and productivity. But how do you encourage team building when your team is scattered, sometimes all around the world? The good news is that as the workforce has moved more remote, some great ideas have been implemented by a variety of different brands to encourage team-building. Here are some ideas that will only help build your team’s cohesiveness, loyalty, and cooperation levels.
Virtual Break Rooms
The water cooler is a traditional location in a physical office for a bit of an office gossip catchup, a chance to discuss the weekend or to chat about the latest binge-worthy TV show. When employees aren’t stuck in the office all day, those water cooler time-outs are lost. Those simple chats that occur so naturally in an office are very useful for team-building, and the good news is that you can recreate that environment virtually. Whatever video calling system you use to touch base with your team will have options for multiple team members to join in. Set up a virtual break room and set a lunch hour aside where team members can eat their lunch while having the chance to catch up with each other.
Employee Appreciation
Showing your team members that you value their hard work is vital, and making sure that they get rewarded for their hard work is always a good idea. There are lots of ways to do this when everyone is in the same place, but it can take some strategic thinking if you’re all working far apart. One option that’s growing in use is to make sure that productive employees get highlighted on a brand’s social media pages. Share that post in your company chat rooms so that everyone sees them. The best thing about using social media to highlight your best team members is that it’s also a useful marketing tactic. Brand storytelling, where you let your customers see behind the scenes, is great for building brand loyalty, so you’re getting two wins for the price of one.
Virtual Events
More companies are holding virtual events to encourage team-building than ever before. Most opt to have Friday night drinks over video calls, but this can sometimes be a little intrusive on your employee’s downtime. A much better idea is to organize virtual events that take place during work hours, and when it comes to those events, the only limit is your imagination. One of the most appealing options is some virtual chocolate tasting, which can involve every member of the team and some truly luxurious treats that everyone will love. Tasting and comparing the best chocolates, maybe even accompanying them with some coffees or wines, is a great way to spend an afternoon, and your team will only grow closer as a result.
Start Your Team Building Today
Team building is always useful, and ensuring that your team stays collaborative even when they’re missing out on the office environment is more important than ever. Start thinking of more ideas for boosting team-building in your remote teams, and your business will only grow stronger.