Has team building become a thing of the past? I can vividly recall as little as 10 years ago, in each of the jobs I worked, having a team bonding day. A day where the employees got together outside the office, had some food and talked about anything other than work. One day out of the year to show appreciation for not just the employees, but those who steered the ship as well. Now, you’re lucky if you get a holiday luncheon. Something that we may have all grunted about having to attend is now a thing of the past and we’re now asking why we no longer have it. Team building sadly, but understandably, may not be at the forefront of your employer’s mind as the pandemic has uprooted the work-life and everyone is trying to adapt to a new norm, not just the employees. Working remotely has posed an endless number of changes, and now that the dust is settling, employers are realizing that a pressing issue is promoting team building through a computer screen. Have you found a way?

If your team is fully remote, you may be asking yourself what effective team-building exercises you can offer to boost company culture. Some people would still be fine attending a team-building BBQ, but that cannot be said for everyone. Some people moved during the pandemic as a result of working remotely and are no longer local. Some people still don’t feel comfortable attending gatherings with the fear of the virus still upon us. It is up to you to know your team and which team bonding offerings will create the biggest impact for them. Luckily, we’re here to give you some ideas we’ve found helpful so you can hopefully get on the path of recreating a rocking company culture!

  • VIRTUAL COCKTAIL HOUR

An oldie, but a goodie. Having a virtual cocktail hour is something everyone can participate in and can be customized how you see fit. You could end work 30 minutes early one Friday a month and offer your team to kick back with their favorite cocktail and chat. If accessible to your team, you could have one person be the “host” each week and offer their recipe for their favorite cocktail. They could alert participating team members of ingredients needed prior to the happy hour and they could make it along with them for a fun twist. Get creative!

If your team includes coffee drinkers, you could have a monthly team coffee break. If you see fit, you could make it bi-weekly, or even weekly. That’s the beauty of it, is that you can completely customize it to fit your team. The trick is to try to avoid talking about work during this break. Keep it purely social to help employees feel connected and engaged with one another.

  • VIRTUAL TRIVIA NIGHT

Skip the in-person BBQ and opt for a virtual trivia night! There are plenty of online apps or websites where you can find trivia questions to use. You could switch up the topic of each trivia night to keep the whole team engaged. For example, you could have sports, history, or music-related trivia. Again, something that is completely customizable to your team.

You could offer a weekly virtual challenge to your team. Whether it be something as little as a typing speed test, a personality test, or a “this or that” test. Promoting a healthy challenge is a great way to get employees involved in a fun way that keeps their blood pumping!

  • BRANDED MERCHANDISE

Though this may not qualify as an exercise, this is something you can do that is sure to put a smile on your employee’s faces. People love stuff, and besides a shirt with a company logo (which if you don’t have you should), I’ve seen koozies, beach towels, key chains, and even baseball caps! Something that could come at little cost to your company could be a walking advertisement, and I don’t know about you, but FREE marketing is the best marketing. Seems like a win, win to us!

We hope you’ve found some of these ideas helpful and we want to hear your feedback if you try them! For more information, please give us a call at (518) 275-4816!

 

 

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