Virtual Team Building Ideas for Zoom Calls
Forbes describes team building as “the most important investment you’ll ever make,” and, all across the globe, the number of businesses investing in virtual or remote team building has skyrocketed thanks to a new shift toward working from home.
Why is team building so important? Effective team building strengthens communication and the bonds between coworkers, which in turn boosts productivity, nurtures creativity and promotes problem-solving. However, experts agree there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it, especially when it comes to virtual team building activities. Learn what virtual event types are best at bringing employees closer together and the benefits they offer.
Ask Employees To Take Part in Virtual Game Shows
Give yourself and your employees an opportunity to connect by participating in dynamic, virtual game shows. A virtual host will introduce the challenge or game show, modeled after classic hits they are already familiar with, like Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, and The Price is Right. Employees can play in a no-stakes game or compete for prizes at the company’s discretion. Businesses that offer virtual team building services can customize games to reflect your company culture.
Why It’s Effective: Team building activities – especially ones taking place on Zoom – are most effective when they are intentionally planned and well organized. Game shows give your staff members something to bond over and encourage friendly competition between teams without putting anyone uncomfortably on the spot. The goal of true team connecting is to help everyone enjoy themselves in a comfortable setting while bonding with one another, which makes virtual game shows the perfect activity.
Conversely, alternatives like Two Truths and a Lie or asking staff members to reveal an interesting fact about themselves in a Zoom meeting may feel too personal, awkward, or stilted to some employees.
Bingo for Remote Employees
Another popular activity that gives employees a chance to relax and have fun is virtual bingo. Send workers bingo templates with various gaffes or events that may happen during the day or week while working from home. Templates may include boxes about having someone’s pet or family members walk into meetings, wearing professional attire from the waist up only, staff asking if others can see them or their screens, having audio problems on meetings, and more.
Why It’s Effective: Games like bingo tailored for remote workers help employees bond over the common experience of working from home. Even though it isn’t team building in the traditional sense, it makes light of some of the blunders that happen while employees are working remotely, like forgetting to put themselves on mute – or take themselves off mute – during a Zoom call. Bingo for remote workers can take place throughout the workday or workweek rather than being confined to a single Zoom call. Checking in about the daily or weekly Bingo game can help break up the day or a moment of tension as well. This type of individual competition can serve as a complement to other team building activities that facilitate group bonding through team-based activities. Other more interactive, customized, and personal formats such as the fully hosted game shows discussed earlier provide an experience that enables deeper connections between coworkers.
Effective team building benefits everyone at a company. Remote work can be difficult for many people while others may thrive – effective virtual team building brings both sides together to better understand and connect with each other. Bring your employees closer together even while they are working remotely with some of these virtual team building ideas for zoom calls. If you’re interested in fully hosted virtual game shows for your next team building efforts, contact our team at Grin Events today.
