Maintaining a constantly motivated and united remote team isn’t always easy… especially if you’re new on the scene. And thanks to COVID-19, almost everyone – willingly or otherwise – has had to become a make-shift remote worker.
But how do you keep your team motivated and united despite the incumbent distractions of working from home and the gloomy atmosphere presented by the news? Well, for starters, you need to engage in team-building activities that will keep your employees happy, united, and motivated. Here are a few cool ones to get you started.
1. Favorite Things
Remember that uncomfortable silence and formality that fills the air in extremely serious meetings? Well, you need to ditch that. And one good way of breaking the ice is by asking the team members to share their favorite things about a topic.
For instance, before commencing serious discussions, you can ask your team members to share their favorite thing about working from home. Although it seems simple, this exercise allows both you and your workers to learn more about other team members. And this can bolster unity and confidence within the team.
2. Two Truths and a Lie
Another fun game you can play with your remote team is two truths and a lie. Here’s how it works – a couple of days before your scheduled video conference, ask your team members to write two facts and one lie about themselves and forward it to you.
During the meeting, divide the team into groups, then ask each group to guess which information is a lie about a team member of another group. And if you want it to be competitive, you can assign points for every correct answer and declare the winning group at the end. This is a simple way of learning more about each other and strengthening unity.
3. Karaoke night
Karaoke night is probably where you’ll hear some of the worst singing of your life. But that’s not the point… it’s all about the relaxation and fun it brings. Present the idea to your team to find out those who are interested, then select a Friday or Saturday night to hold the event.
To host the event, you can utilize online karaoke platforms such as SongStation which make it easy for groups to connect and sing their favorite songs. To make things more interesting, you can make the karaoke a company-sponsored event by sending out virtual gift cards to team members to cover any drink of their choice for the night.
4. Fun Fact Guessing Game
Most people don’t realize how little they know about their co-workers until they share personal facts about themselves. And that’s why this game is so much fun. And it’s pretty easy to set up too.
Before the commencement of a scheduled meeting, ask everyone to privately submit a fun fact about themselves to you. Then either at the start of the meeting or during the intermission, read out the facts one at a time and allow everyone to guess which team member the fact belongs to. If done properly, this activity is so much fun and it can strengthen team bonding.
5. Team Movie Night
Movie night is another event that can allow your team members to bond over things other than business calendars and product designs. Depending on your team’s preference, you can hold a monthly or quarterly movie night. Ask everyone to suggest a movie and a generally convenient time to watch it.
But how do you stream a movie to the entire group? Well… that’s the easy part! You can use platforms such as Netflix Party to synchronize the movie streaming among team members regardless of their location. It’s also a good idea to open the group chat line where everyone can send their reactions during the movie.
Final Words
Maintaining a productive remote team goes beyond creating tasks and enforcing deadlines… you also need to keep your team relaxed, united, and motivated. Try out these simple activities and watch your team outperform themselves.
