Several years after the pandemic, many workers have returned to the office. However, statistics indicate that 22% of workers still work from home, while about one-quarter have a hybrid work arrangement. Though these figures pale in comparison to pandemic-era numbers, virtual team building activities are still as important in 2024 as at any other time in business history.
Building team morale and camaraderie is a key tenet of remote work, but it’s no cakewalk. Your remote team members may have limited opportunities to socialize, leading to feelings of loneliness and isolation and negatively impacting productivity and morale.
However, the right virtual team building activities are fun ways to strengthen interpersonal relationships, reinforce company culture, boost morale, promote work-life balance, and remove isolation from the remote work equation.
Though you might use video call solutions like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or Microsoft Teams, creating team-building activities that resonate with employees is complex. But with some creativity, regular get-togethers, and a proactive plan, you can forge team connections and employee engagement that transcend time zones — even in the home office.
The best virtual team building activities seamlessly blend entertainment with camaraderie and interaction among your team, yet they have several other benefits. When you introduce virtual team building activities, you gain specific, tangible advantages in the remote workplace, including:
One of the most intriguing facets of virtual team building activities is that there’s an endless supply of options available to you. If you want something easy to set up and low-key, you have that option. Or if you want to go all out on an event, that’s always possible.
The key is to find an activity that speaks to your team’s interests, promotes participation and engagement, and ultimately creates a happier workforce — all while mimicking an in-person setting.
Whether celebrating birthdays or helping the team unwind on a Friday night, you can’t go wrong with karaoke. These real-time aural sessions are simple to set up and let everyone express themselves without restrictions.
Ask participants to pick a song and get its corresponding karaoke backing track. Only the singer will keep their mic on during the session, allowing others to enjoy the music — or you can have your whole team sing along.
Creating a karaoke playlist and looking for recommendations? Check out some of the top plays on Spotify, or check out a few of our favorites:
But no matter your choice, the goal is to foster a more entertaining work environment and eliminate the mundane from your average workday. Who knows? You might just find your team’s singing skills warrant a talent show at future virtual gatherings.
A scavenger hunt is a popular virtual team building game that needs no introduction. While you can use team chat apps like Slack or extensions like Donut to post photos to the clues, we recommend using a video chat app for a better experience.
The rules for this virtual game are simple: the first person to find the item earns a point, and the highest scorer on the leaderboard wins.
Start the hunt by giving the clues. The item they have to find is irrelevant and random. The participants only need to show the item on the screen to score points.
Here are a few examples of items you can ask:
This fun team activity works with both small and large groups, so don’t feel deterred if you have to entertain a sizable amount of people. Anything that can break away from work-related conversations and introduce team bonding is always a positive.
Improvisation isn’t an innate skill, but it’s a virtual activity that lets individuals exercise their creative muscles. Here are two example improv exercises you can try:
Improv also works as a viable, atypical, and entertaining alternative to virtual icebreaker questions and tedious video conference calls.
Popularized on the hit TV show “The Office,” Office Olympics are many remote workers' favorite virtual team building activity. Thanks to the energetic environment and some friendly competition, your employees will grow more comfortable in each other’s company, ultimately bolstering employee engagement.
The remote nature of this virtual team building activity may seem challenging to overcome, but even a quick brainstorm over a coffee break can give you plenty of competitive options. Create small groups to play spirited online games, fast-paced trivia games with various trivia questions and categories, or icebreaker games. You can even use other virtual team building activities from this list — you only need to assign points to each one to determine a victor.
Add the points on the virtual whiteboard at the closing ceremonies and declare your gold, silver, and bronze medalists.
As the name implies, a remote worker’s wellness session consists of various health and wellness activities. The session usually starts with an icebreaker followed by a guide sharing their insights on the topic and giving some exercises.
For instance, a mindfulness session might begin with a five-minute guided meditation. As the session begins, the expert will explain the concept of mindfulness, its benefits, and how to practice it. The expert will also share a handful of tactics, such as belly breathing, to control team meetings or interview jitters.
Consider the following employee wellness topics:
After the pandemic, the watercooler culture where employees got together to randomly chit-chat has (nearly) become ancient history— that’s unless you get more After the pandemic, the watercooler culture where employees got together to randomly chit-chat has (nearly) become ancient history — unless you get more deliberate about it and leverage it as yet an online team building exercise.
Lunch Roulette is a popular Slack extension that automatically pairs colleagues in a separate Slack channel to plan a 30-minute video call. Think of it as a virtual coffee or lunch setting where they can talk about anything besides work. From sports talk to impromptu book clubs, Lunch Roulette is a virtual event that has plenty of interactive opportunities for your remote employees.
If you have a team that’s averse to a full-on Olympics or don’t have the time to hold an event of that magnitude, you can still stick to classic games for your next virtual team building event.
Using video-conferencing tools, create a face-to-face forum that allows teams to connect and play classic games like Pictionary, Charades, Two Truths and a Lie, and Guess Who. You can also improvise and create your own online version of popular game shows like Virtual Show and Tell and Jeopardy! — right in the comfort of your home workspace.
In the DIY craft challenge, each team member gets 30 minutes to build something using items available at home. You can set the ground rules, such as using cutlery or writing a poem.
During this virtual meeting, keep the challenge simple, considering some team members are not as naturally artsy as others. Provide tutorial videos to help them get started and boost their confidence.
You can also “Bob Rossify” this activity by letting an artist teach a simple craft. Send team members a Hoppier spending card to buy a list of required items for the session, and let the artist guide the team through the session.
A movie night is a fun activity that combines entertainment and discussion, making it an ideal virtual team building activity. Start by selecting a movie; choose a topical film such as an Oscar Best Picture nominee or a cult classic, or poll your employees for an idea.
Once you’ve selected a film, choose a time and provide virtual gift cards for sodas, candy, and popcorn. Plan some time to allow people to settle in and a post-movie option to discuss the film or give some fun facts. It’s a relaxing way to spend time with your team, especially if you’ve talked ad nauseum throughout the week.
Scattergories is a popular board game that combines categories and creativity, making it the perfect workout for the brain. They promote creative thinking by compelling players to name objects within a set of categories, given an initial letter, within a time limit. Although the game is meant for groups of two to six people, you can create breakout rooms or play the game in teams of up to six.
The moderator or facilitator of this game shares the interface of Scattergories through their screen, which the participants can refer to. The round ends after two minutes, and participants share their answers via messaging or a group chat. The moderator will assign the scores following the game rules.
Virtual escape rooms are perfect for improving team collaboration and camaraderie. In these games, teams use problem-solving skills to break out of a cabin, find a treasure chest, or reclaim their kingdom within the given time limit.
Some of the most famous virtual escape rooms are inspired by Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, and other pop-culture icons.
Whether you work in a small team of five members or bigger teams of 100+, curated virtual tasting experiences or a virtual happy hour are among the most engaging remote team building activities.
Attendees try assorted wines, cheeses, chocolates, and other foods with tasting notes and suggested food combinations. An expert explains the production process of each good, what makes each product unique, and how to taste them for a truly exquisite session.
Virtual tasting experiences usually run for about an hour. Afterward, a pub trivia session is a fun way to end this virtual team building activity on a high note.
If you have a more hands-on team, cooking classes are a viable alternative to virtual tastings.
If you want to steer away from typical office games, try murder mysteries to engage the crime junkies on your team. Think “Clue” or “Murder on the Orient Express” as your muses.
Our favorite games are Murder in Ancient Egypt, Blood, Gold, Night of Jazz, and Clue Virtual Murder Mystery. These games are packed with mystery and have loads of fun puzzles and challenges.
Working in groups helps people stick to their habits. This is where teamwork and accountability are effective. Many times, people set health goals but don't follow through with fitness classes or sound nutrition. In such cases, forming an accountability group of people working on the same goal is helpful.
Set monthly health and wellness goals and track them daily using a shared spreadsheet. The goals could be as simple as drinking eight glasses of water, walking 10,000 steps, or more complex goals, such as lifting weights three times per week.
Introduce rewards to make this virtual team building activity more competitive. Since everyone has different fitness levels and goals, creating breakout groups can help like-minded people work together.
Building a cohesive team takes a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be a drag. By introducing and regularly hosting virtual team building activities, you can quickly boost engagement and productivity.
Another bonus is that all of these activities are very flexible. For instance, you can use the improv session as an icebreaker and continue with the other virtual team building ideas. You can choose the format that fits your team's and team members’ personalities.
Try some of these activities in your next virtual team building session, and let us know how it goes!
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Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
Ready to 2x your global engagement at your next event, with Ox stress?
Make Hoppier your unfair advantage today, schedule a demo
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