Top 10 Virtual Team Building Activities for Remote Teams

Virtual team building activities are all about keeping your team connected. Working in our PJs comes with perks – but since the move to remote work, so many of us have reported feeling isolated.

When we are disconnected from our co-workers, we are less likely to undertake truly collaborative work. It’s also detrimental to our mental health. As social animals, we need support networks and friendships to keep us going.

It’s still possible to enjoy remote work benefits without the lonely, not-so-fun parts. HR leaders, managers and teammates just need to be more proactive. Those spontaneous moments – catching a quick latte with a teammate, or riding the subway home with your team – just aren’t there during remote work.

So how to fix this? Museumhack.com recommends following the 2.5x rule. Do 2.5x as many virtual team building activities as you would in person ones. If your company did a monthly happy hour before, then think about holding 2 or 3 smaller events to keep everyone engaged.

More regular events means you’ll get more people involved. Introverted employees may engage more with virtual activities than in-person ones – so it’s a chance to get to know your team better than ever before.

What are the benefits for your company? Bursts of fun at work are hugely beneficial to our own wellbeing and the organization's success. Studies over the last two decades show that fun increases job satisfaction, performance and interpersonal behavior.

Benefits of Fun at Work:

• Better working relationships

• Improved motivation

• Increased job satisfaction

• Boost performance

Below we give our picks of the Top 10 Virtual Team Building Activities. Enjoy!

1. Virtual campfires

A crackling fire. Toasty marshmallows. The best conversations. Who doesn’t love a campfire? Did you know that you can still enjoy all this through video conferencing? tinycampfire runs virtual campfire events for remote teams. They send a smore-making kit complete with matches and candles so you can have the full camping weekend experience.

Campfire games work well over Zoom too. Goods and Bads is a great way to open up communication. Each person tells the others one positive and one negative thing that has happened to them that week.

It’s a chance for co-workers to learn a little bit more about each other. These are the team chats that form lasting bonds.

2. Icebreaker questions

Make every team meeting an opportunity for team building. Icebreaker questions are quick – plan for about 30 seconds per participant. Tack them onto any morning stand-up.

To get everyone started – managers go first! Start with easy icebreaker questions, and build up to more interesting ones.

Icebreaker questions to try:

• Dogs or Cats?

• Tea or Coffee?

• What did you eat for breakfast?

• If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

• What are your favourite hobbies?

• Where did you grow up?

• What was your dream job as a child?

• Name one thing on your bucket list

3. Group fitness classes

Get those endorphins pumping with a group fitness class. Working from home can give us cabin fever. Some movement can help with this. Employees can follow along a You Tube video from the likes of Joe Wickes or Chloe Ting and stream together on Zoom. Or, sign up for a class with an instructor for greater accountability.

Your employee wellness program might have an offering that could go virtual for remote workers.

Beyond fitness classes, apps such as Strava and Run Keeper allow you to share your progress with a workout buddy. This creates a remote office with a culture that promotes healthy lifestyles – bonus points!

4. Virtual Team Building Bingo

Bingo is an old favourite. Luckily, it works well virtually and is simple to organise. Teambuilding.com has a fun Bingo card template for you to use. Include some company inside jokes for a personal touch.

Distribute cards to team members. Divide everyone into small breakout rooms so you can chat easily.

Ideas for your remote work Bingo card:

• Born in the same city as you

• Is a dog person

• Speaks a second language

• Has written a short story

• Plays a musical instruments

• Has visited Italy

• Watches TV while on their break

• Has read all the Harry Potter books

• Has worn pyjamas to work in the last week

5. Lightning Scavenger Hunt

Laughter is the best medicine. And this one will surely get your teams giggling. Create a scavenger hunt by writing down a list of clues. Put this on a Powerpoint slide on a virtual meeting to get started.

Clues could include:

• Find your pet!

• Breakfast cereal

• Last book you read

• Weirdest hat

• Favorite snack

Set a quick timer and ask your teammates to rush and find these items! The first person gets a point. Hold a quick-fire show-and-tell where each person explains what the item is and what it means for them. This is a wonderful way to get to know those on your team.

Pro tip - furry friends are always popular on Zoom!

6. Virtual Werewolf

Take your team on an adventure to a spooky island! Werewolf is a game that requires stellar listening and communication skills.

Players are secretly assigned roles – werewolves, villagers, medics or seers. In each round, the werewolves gobble up a villager – and it’s up to the other villagers to find out who the werewolves are. More detailed instructions are available here.

7. Dance Party Virtual Icebreaker

It’s time to get groovy! Message your team that it’s time for a dance party, switch on a song and set up a virtual meeting. Make sure everyone can hear the song.

We’d recommend just one track – it gives everyone a burst of energy and gets them up from their desks for a few minutes. Take the chance to pick up some new moves from your co-workers, and have a much-needed laugh!

If you hit a wall, climb over it, crawl under it, or dance on top of it. Unknown

8. Virtual Happy Hour

Nothing beats a relaxed hour chatting with colleagues. Make it an event by sending participants a virtual happy hour box. Include refreshing drinks and a few tasty snacks!

Keep it small, with 10 guests maximum ideal if possible. If your team is larger, arrange break-out rooms so everyone has a chance to catch up.

This reminds remote workers to take a break, and to value healthy working relationships.

9. Virtual escape room

If you can escape from a desert island with your team, chances are you’re pretty well bonded. Why not try a virtual escape room to take your people on an adventure from the comfort of their desks?

The Escape Game organises virtual escape rooms for larger groups. They are hosted by guides who make it an exciting experience.

Not only is this super fun, co-workers hone their problem solving and team working skills.

10. Live remote co-working

Some people find it easier to work around others. When we see our co-workers cracking on with their tasks, it helps us to focus. Virtual co-working creates a space for employees to go when they’re sick of working alone.

Divide co-working sessions into manageable chunks. After focusing for a block of 40 minutes, say, co-workers take a ten minute break. Employees tell each other what task they need to focus on for the session at the beginning. Then, everyone gets stuck in, working silently until the timer is up!

Museumhack.com recommends creating a Slack channel called #coworking. The first person online opens up a video call for anyone who wants to drop by.

Virtual team building activities for connected teams

Remote work comes with its downsides. Virtual team building activities combat remote worker isolation. Be proactive and create a virtual community, so that your teams can build collaboration skills, reduce burnout and perform better.

Read our blog post on Icebreakers for Remote Teams for more ways to break the ice with your remote workers.

To find out how PeopleGoal can support remote workers, take a look at our Engagement offering.