The key to building a successful team 💪
In today's dynamic work landscape, the importance of virtual team building includes more than your scheduled events throughout the year. Instead, it's an ongoing effort that fuels the heart of a cohesive, engaged, and high-performing team. Beyond the confines of scheduled team building events, nurturing a sense of camaraderie among distributed team members is a year-round endeavor that should be woven into the fabric of everyday work life.
From little interactions to larger team events, there are plenty of subtle yet impactful ways to fortify team bonds throughout the year. These small gestures, conversations, and shared experiences contribute significantly to a collective sense of belonging and collaboration.
Let's explore some of the ways you can use team building activities and everyday moments to create a strong team and a stellar company culture.
Here are 6 of the best team building strategies to bring your entire team together:
1. Play games 🎲
Everyone loves to have fun during their 9-5, so don't underestimate the power of games! Games inherently encourage communication and interaction among team members. Whether it's by solving puzzles together or learning with trivia, these activities necessitate effective communication and cooperation to "win" or meet the game's objectives.
As employees engage in these games, they learn to listen to one another, understand different ways of thinking, and collectively work towards a common goal. This shared experience builds trust and rapport among team members as they witness each other's strengths, weaknesses, and problem-solving abilities in a non-work-related context.
Plus, games create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, allowing employees to let their guards down and interact in a more informal setting. This helps break down hierarchical barriers, encourages empathy, and enables employees to relate to each other as people, not just colleagues.
How to get started 👉 Here at Confetti, games are our bread and butter. From game shows to new spins on old classics, our Games collection has something the whole team can enjoy!
2. Schedule virtual coworking sessions 🧑💻
Virtual coworking sessions offer a space where team members can engage in casual conversations, discuss non-work-related topics, or even work quietly together, which builds stronger interpersonal connections. These sessions also promote accountability and productivity by creating a supportive environment where teams can motivate each other, share ideas, and work together on projects when needed. Collaborative settings encourage knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and cross-team collaboration, leading to enhanced innovation and creativity within your group.
Regular interactions during these sessions help remote workers establish deeper connections with their colleagues, reducing feelings of isolation that are more prevalent in remote settings and enhancing overall job satisfaction. By creating a shared virtual workspace, teams can strengthen their bonds, improve communication channels, and develop a collective identity, ultimately boosting morale and creating a more positive work environment.
How to get started 👉 Encourage team members to meet for weekly coworking sessions. Confetti's Marketing team has a coworking session every Friday morning, where the whole team can enjoy each other's company with cameras on or off, work on projects, and share their weekend plans! (Plus, have some laughs with filters and virtual backgrounds, of course.)
3. Provide Learning & Development opportunities 🧠
Learning and Development opportunities implement virtual team building by offering avenues for professional growth and skill enhancement and encouraging a sense of collective learning within remote teams. Incorporating virtual learning and development activities not only offers group training opportunities but also strengthens the team as a whole.
Whether through webinars, workshops, or lunch and learns, team members can engage in learning experiences tailored to their roles or areas of interest. By learning together, employees can exchange their diverse perspectives, discuss concepts, and apply newfound knowledge to real-world scenarios. This shared learning journey encourages collaboration, stimulates intellectual discussions, and cultivates a learning culture within the team.
How to get started 👉 Check out Confetti's Learning & Development activities to build soft skills and boost team performance!
4. Encourage informal communication 💬
At Confetti, we love to have fun in Slack channels! From channels for memes to recipes, to hot takes, we have space to discuss it all.
These non-work-related channels offer a space for employees to chat about shared interests, hobbies, and their personal lives, strengthening that sense of community (especially for coworkers in different departments who don't usually interact!)
For remote employees, these channels act as virtual substitutes for the casual interactions that typically take place around the office watercooler or during lunch breaks. They serve as social hubs where team members can share a laugh, connect on a personal level, and alleviate feelings of isolation and burnout that may arise from remote work.
By encouraging participation in these informal communication channels, you're creating a space for employees to feel valued not only for their professional contributions but also for their individual interests and personalities.
5. Give recognition and appreciation ❣️
Regular recognition and appreciation is another simple but highly effective team building strategy. Acknowledging employees' efforts, achievements and milestones, and contributions on a consistent basis not only boosts morale but also cultivates a sense of value for your employees.
When team members feel appreciated for their hard work and dedication, it instills a sense of pride and motivation, encouraging them to continue performing at their best. According to the Institute of Management, regularly recognized employees also have a better working relationship with team management.
Plus, regular recognition creates a culture of encouragement and positivity within the team. When individuals receive acknowledgment for their accomplishments, it not only reinforces their sense of achievement but also inspires others to strive for excellence, too. This positive reinforcement helps in building stronger relationships among team members, fostering a collaborative atmosphere where mutual support and appreciation become the norm.
How to get started 👉 Use our Company Celebrations to celebrate success, whether that's employee anniversaries or company milestones!
6. Host monthly challenges and clubs 👥
Another way to encourage connections throughout the team is using monthly challenges or interest clubs. Monthly challenges provide an opportunity for team members to collaborate, support each other, and work towards a common objective outside the regular scope of work. Monthly challenges could encompass a range of activities, such as:
- A step challenge across your departments 👟 (One of our favorites!)
- A photo-based challenge where you encourage employees to show off their company swag in a creative way 📸
- Fundraising challenges for a charity that aligns with your company values 💰
For those who are less competitive-minded, monthly movie or book clubs are a great way to gather with colleagues outside of your day-to-day roles. Simply choose the material, set a time frame for your individual readings or viewings, and find a time to come together at the end of the month to discuss everyone's takeaways!
Hosting a variety of challenges and clubs throughout the year makes it easy for employees to tap in and out depending on their bandwidth.
Team work makes the dream work 🎊
Remember, successful virtual team building requires adapting the work day to suit remote work settings while focusing on fostering collaboration, communication, and a sense of belonging among team members. Try these strategies to help build a more cohesive team today!
Confetti team building experiences are a great place to start. If you need help finding the right event for your team, contact [email protected] today!
