Virtual Team Bonding During COVID-19 (PART 1)
At a time when employees need to feel connected more than ever, it’s the experiences they share that help them get through each day.
Let’s just start out by saying the struggle is real. For those who aren’t used to working remotely, cabin fever may be setting in and people are feeling the strain. With that in mind, one of the things we should be relying on right now is connection.
As more and more teams are getting acclimated to working remotely, it’s more important than ever to maintain that sense of connection and camaraderie for employees. Social distancing can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, so team bonding activities can be incredibly helpful for making people feel like they’re not alone.
With more time spent indoors and away from others, finding ways to virtually connect with others has become an activity in itself. We’ve pulled together some ideas that will help you and your teams stay connected during this difficult time.
Please note that many of these activities assume the use of video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Slack, or Google Hangouts to facilitate the group participation. There are many platforms like these available for free if your teams are not already using some type of video conferencing system.
Get Creative
It’s true that not everyone is an artist. But not everyone has to be an artist to enjoy these activities. Get your team to use a different part of their brain with this list.
Paint n’ Sip. These classes have become popular over the last few years, but you don’t need a class to take part. Participants can round up whatever paint and pinot they have on hand, choose a subject together, and have at it.
Terrible Crafts. See which teammate can make the ugliest craft project.
Quarantine Karaoke. If your teams can’t sing badly together in person, they can still do so over video chat. Check out this popular Facebook group or use YouTube to find instrumental versions of your favorite songs and sing the night away.
Quarantine, But Make It Fashion
Sweatpants are making a big comeback, but try giving your employees a reason to get dressed in the morning. Having a reason to don their best outfits can help boost employee moods and productivity in addition to making your video calls fashion-forward.
Full-on fashion show. Get your team to brush the dust off their fancy duds. Choose a theme or designer and watch your employees get all gussied up for a walk down an impromptu runway in their own living rooms.
Dressed-up Pets. Employees with pets can attempt a fashion show featuring their furry friends. Good luck keeping those furry friends on the runway!
Holiday Dress-up Party. This won’t be like your typical end-of-the-year shindig. Have employees dress up as iconic holiday figures and decorate their home workspace accordingly for a mighty festive Zoom room.
Rely on Food
If there’s anything that’s guaranteed to bring people together, it’s food. Take advantage of this fact and use food to drive virtual events and activities that are sure to engage your team.
Pizza Party. If your employees have ingredients to make a pizza at home, try getting everyone on Zoom to make and/or eat the pizza together. If your company has the budget, pay for delivery pizza for each employee so you can enjoy it on a video call together.
What’s For Lunch? Prompt your employees to share their meals and inspire colleagues to eat well while cooped up. Start a daily thread or custom channel in Slack, or send out a daily email requesting inspiration from your teammates.
New Week, New Food. Using the lesser known national holidays, choose a new theme weekly or monthly and integrate that food into operations wherever possible. Insert related emojis into internal subject lines where appropriate, or request photos from employees who enjoy any related meals.
Accept the Challenge
As quarantine boredom increases, people are looking for different ways to pass the time. What better time than now to pose some fun challenges to your employees?
Conference Call Backgrounds. Whether they’re virtual or in real life, challenge your team to find the best background possible. Zoom has a feature that allows users to upload any image to use for a virtual background. If your teams don’t use Zoom, see how creative your employees can get using things from around the house.
Photoshop. Choose a theme like movie posters and watch your team create their own hilarious versions. Award the best or worst one (which could be the same one, honestly).
GIF Wars. This activity might be happening already, but involve your employees in an open GIF war so they can bask in their glory when they fight back with the perfect one.
Have a (Virtual) Night on the Town
Just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a night out. Show your team a good time by taking advantage of all the institutions offering up virtual experiences.
Try out Netflix Party. The popular streaming service recently announced a Google Chrome extension that allows groups to view a movie or show at the same time while being able to chat about it.
Tour one of many museums. This one is especially nice for those who don’t live in an area with many museums. Take advantage of this opportunity and give your team an experience they won’t forget with tours of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, The Louvre, or Langley Research Center.
Go on safari. Give this one a try for an experience you’d likely never be able to recreate for your team in real life. Check out the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden every day at 3pm ET — while the program is geared toward kids, everyone loves some face time with animals. If this doesn’t resonate with your team, there’s plenty of webcams and tours set up that feature penguins, farm animals, aquarium creatures, and zoo life.
Original source: JUSTWORKS, author Amanda Beach, April 1st 2020
Photo Credit: West77 Apartments