With remote teams, a great way to cut the feeling of isolation is getting everyone together at lunch once a week. Gather your regional teams in person so you can talk with people who you normally just see online, which will really help your team bonding! The act of "breaking bread" can make everyone feel like more like family than co-workers. Meet at restaurants, the park or even at the office - as long as you're meeting in person and sharing a meal. It's fun to eat delicious food while spending quality time with your team!
Sometimes, we’re all feeling a little sluggish at work, and it’s hard to find team bonding ideas. To encourage more bonding and creativity, try having company-wide hours. During these times (maybe once a week?), everyone participates — and you can set some "FUN" rules like no cell phones allowed, no work talk, only fun topics or whatever you want! The key is to focus on fun, creativity, and not the typical day-to-day problem solving. Make each other laugh, explore whimsical topics, open your minds, learn about something new. This is guaranteed to spark new ideas and encourage team bonding. Or reach out to our friends at Shaka, and they can help you with some fun activities. The best part - this can be done virtually or in-person!
Going on a hike or taking a group walk is a great way to create team bonding. If you live in an area where there are trails, it’s easy to go walking or hiking as a group. If not, you can even find local parks that have hiking trails around them. This will allow your employees to get out of their comfort zone and bond with each other while doing something they enjoy! Plus, walking has been shown to be one of the best exercises for improving overall health. So make sure to take advantage of any opportunities you might have to bond with your coworkers outside of work hours. Add a fun twist for remote teams - do a group video chat while everyone is walking, and be sure to share the scenery as you go.
An annual team-building retreat is a great idea for remote teams. Retreats are great for team bonding and good old fun, too. It doesn't have to be all work and no play! You can even make it an exercise in team building by having everyone participate in fun activities together. Whether it's hiking, playing games, or just hanging out at a beachside resort, get your team together and do something fun to get them bonded. Of course, you can build in brainstorming and strategy sessions to push forward your annual goals and objectives.
Does it ever get old celebrating a birthday?!?! No way! Depending on the team size, this can be done daily (whenever there are birthdays), weekly or monthly. Cupcakes, donuts, candles, confetti and party poppers all add to the fun. If you are a fully-remote team, there are lots of fun delivery services like Sprinkles, Milk Bar, and Zingerman's. Get on a virtual call and share the birthday love with an all-team "Happy Birthday" sing-along, followed by a special delivery.
If you're in person, awesome! Have treats delivered to the office and everyone can enjoy the celebration. Honoring people on their special day is just, well... special.
Interested in getting your team bonding on? Let’s chat and take your team bonding to the next level!
