5 Great Benefits of Virtual Team Building

As we continue to muddle through this new, online workplace we’ve been thrust into, it becomes increasingly difficult to think of inspiring ways to break through the monotony of all work and no play. So how do you keep employees and colleagues motivated, when face-to-face team building and office socials are out of the question?

Virtual Team Building.

Team building experts are creative people, and multiple lockdowns aren’t going to stop us delivering top quality, engaging activities to businesses who need to reconnect now more than ever. But these team activities are more than just a way to break up the working day. There’s a plethora of great benefits to virtual team building. We explore a few of them here.

It’s never been more important to encourage collaboration and communication.

Reconnect & Increase Collaboration

One of the most obvious benefits of virtual team building, is the ability to reconnect and re-energise employees. When so many of us are working remotely, it’s never been more important to encourage collaboration and communication. Hosting an online team building event like our very popular virtual cocktail making class is a great way to get everyone working together and connecting with people they might not normally work with. This increases the trust and communication between employees and translates well into working culture. Connected employees communicate better, ensuring processes run smoothly and teamwork is flawless.

Organising some fun, interactive games over video-conferencing is a great way to get everyone together and combat those feelings of isolation.

Combat Loneliness & Isolation

When transitioning from office-based working to working from home, loneliness and isolation can be one of the biggest challenges that employees face. Humans are naturally social creatures, so being cut off from lunchtime chats and Monday catch-ups can be draining on our mental health. Organising some fun, interactive games like Gameshow Mania over video-conferencing is a great way to get everyone together and combat those feelings of isolation. Even after the event itself, it gives colleagues something to chat about and relive, and opens-up new friendships and channels of communication.

Events such as virtual escape rooms and online codebreakers can get employees thinking in different ways.

Develop Skills

As with live team building events, virtual activities can be a great way to develop new skills. Events such as virtual escape rooms and online codebreakers can get employees thinking in different ways, increasing their communication, and finding creative ways to solve problems. Virtual team building activities have been designed and developed to strengthen bonds between employees and to challenge them to find new solutions to tricky situations – skills that can then be applied to their day-to-day work.

There are plenty of fun options to get everyone doing more than just staring at their computer screen.

Stop Zoom Fatigue

This may sound like a strange one when most virtual team building events are screen-based, but hear us out! Zoom fatigue is caused by doing the same things in the same format, over and over again. Implementing some engaging virtual events mixes things up. Activities may still be hosted via video call or on a screen, but a mix of interesting stimuli creates a more immersive experience that leaves employees feeling excited and refreshed. Get your colleagues shouting at their screens as they cheer on their favourite horse in a virtual race night or encourage them to get into the kitchen and cook up something delicious, with a virtual cookery experience. There are plenty of fun options to get everyone doing more than just staring at their computer screen and the change of activity can really help to reduce the dreaded zoom fatigue.

Giving employees something to look forward to also increases engagement and boosts mood, making employees feel happier and less isolated.

Boost Morale

In a time that’s tricky for everyone, organising virtual team building can be a fun way to boost morale. It lets employees know that you’re thinking of their wellbeing and that there’s a support network of colleagues who are all facing these challenging times together. Giving employees something to look forward to also increases engagement and boosts mood, making employees feel happier and less isolated.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many workers to be suddenly shut off from most forms of social interaction, leading to a decrease in mental health and wellbeing, and as a result, productivity. Introducing engaging virtual team building activities can be a great way to combat this and get everyone feeling more positive and more connected.