Cultivating an organisation’s culture is a key element in every HR professional’s role. In the past, it was much easier to facilitate in-person activities that helped build a sense of community amongst employees. As many workers transitioned to hybrid or remote ways of work, it has become much more challenging to conduct effective team-building exercises.
HR, often at the forefront of digital teambuilding efforts, quickly adapted virtual activities such as virtual pub quizzes or virtual team happy hours. A couple of years into the pandemic, and with hybrid and remote working not disappearing any time soon, these repeated activities are at a risk of becoming rather stale rather quickly. Employees repeatedly subjected to the same teambuilding activities may start to have lower levels of engagement, begin to disassociate with their team and become isolated—all of which could lead them to exit the organisation. HR leaders may be at a loss for inspiration when it comes to digital ways of bringing the team together.
As such, we have put together a couple of activities you may wish to include in your next team building session. Remember, a team that feels connected to one another is more productive, engaged and less likely to burn out.
Virtual Team Building Activities:
· Excel Art Challenges – Why not give your employees the challenge of recreating a famous picture or person in Excel. By adding a little code that automatically replaces numbers with colours to fill cells, it is possible to create surprisingly intricate pieces of art. Time limits can be introduced to make it more competitive and awards are given for the best artwork. This activity provides a creative outlet and you never know, there may be an aspiring, talented artist on your team.
· DIY Challenge – This crafty challenge makes for a good 30-minute activity that you can play with your team. To play, each person has half an hour to build something from materials available at home. For example, you could challenge your team to build a free-standing tower out of pasta or the most epic pillow fort.
· Ready, Steady, Cook! – This is a great activity to promote healthy eating habits and encourage your team to develop a new skill. Think MasterChef meets Zoom—see who can cook up the most mouth-watering meal in 20 minutes - give participants enough warning so they can source their ingredients beforehand though. The winning chef can be invited to share their recipe for all colleagues to try themselves.
· Remote co-working - Sometimes, working from home can get a little lonely without the hustle and bustle of the office. Virtual co-working is now a thing. Simply create a coworking channel that anyone can join with the understanding that the channel’s purpose is to get work done.
· Virtual scavenger hunts – Google Maps Street View is a great tool to get people out of the home office. Give participants a list of things to find, then send them on their way, prizes awarded for the most bizarre finds of course. Alternatively, you could arrange for a sightseeing tour (no travel expenses required) by having participants share their real-life experiences.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
