Remote work is something that’s more a part of daily life than ever. Many businesses are expanding their options by offering work-from-home opportunities. However, people who work from home sometimes feel less like part of the team than people who work in a physical location. If you’re looking to improve team bonding for your remote employees, consider these low-cost ideas.
1. Organize an At-Home Scavenger Hunt
An at-home scavenger hunt, especially one that’s pretty short and sweet, can be a good way to increase your team members’ bond. One low-commitment option is to assign each individual a “scavenger hunt” item that they could find in their home. Then, they can do a sort of “show and tell” with their scavenger hunt item.
2. Utilize Virtual Icebreakers
Sure, everyone’s heard a few icebreakers before, but icebreakers are so common because they really work. There are many icebreaker questions that you could ask your team, which means you’re almost certainly never going to run out. Utilize these questions regularly so your team members feel like they’re part of the team.
3. Play an Online Game With Your Team
Online games are an option that combines fun and communication. There are plenty of online games where multiple teams need to work together to come out on top. That can help your team members learn how to communicate while they’re having fun, which will often translate into better communication when they’re on the job.
4. Consider a Virtual Bake-Off or Cook-Off
People love showing off their baking and cooking. This is especially true during the holidays, but there are many times where baking and cooking can be an important part of day-to-day life. If you host a bake-off or cook-off where people get to show off their favorite recipes, you have the possibility of connecting more thoroughly while also potentially getting to learn a new recipe.
5. Host a Virtual Happy Hour
Who ever said happy hour had to be in person? A virtual happy hour is a great way to have a good time with your team and also accommodate anyone who doesn’t drink alcohol. You can emphasize that everyone should bring their favorite drink, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and then share why they like the drink so much. It’s a great way to get to know each other a bit.
6. Add “Catching Up” to Your Meetings
Many companies that have remote workers already have meetings on a weekly or biweekly basis. Video conference software has made meetings with remote workers much easier than it has been in the past, which means that you might already have meetings with your team members. Add a few minutes at the beginning of your meeting to catch up and make sure you know what’s going on in your team’s lives.
Conclusion
Team bonding doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. Even if you choose to invest a little bit of money into some team bonding experiences, you’re likely to get that money back when you see the boost in productivity from your team members feeling like a real team. These are low-cost, but high-reward, which means you’ll be well on your way to increasing productivity in no time.
