An insightful Forbes Blog Post, titled Why Team Building Activities Is The Most Important Investment You Will Make, affirms that “Despite its reputation for being, well, lame, team building is the most important investment you can make for your people. It builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration. Effective team building means more engaged employees, which is good for company culture and boosting the bottom line. It can also be adventurous and enjoyable if you do it with a little pizzazz.”
We completely agree.
Especially holds in the current scenario. Where the pandemic has drastically altered most workplaces, limiting social interaction and—for many offices—moving most work tasks to a virtual desk. This has left some employees feeling isolated and disconnected from their coworkers. Even more, some workers with children continue to make adjustments when it comes to childcare. While laboriously juggling virtual work tasks with social interaction.
This is why to boost the employee’s morale during these tough times. The company needs to develop a culture of using effective team building activities. Where the neuroscience of play can help to improve the team’s social interactions despite being so disconnected.
Moreover, such engaging team building activities ensure that there is constant interaction between teammates. Which builds trust, solidarity, and camaraderie among co-workers. Further preventing disconnection due to an ‘out of sight, out of mind scenario. That can create a breakdown in communication and hamper the healthy functioning of a workplace.
The only way to mitigate such loss in motivation and morale is for the top management to make a conscious effort to win their team’s confidence back.
How?
Through engaging team building activities.
But Covid?
Here’s presenting to you a chance to explore the world of Urban Quest with your team – where you can help your team reconnect, in a completely COVID safe environment. With virtual team building activities, that allow your teammates to participate from anywhere in the world. To boost their morale and effectively win their confidence back.
At Urban Quest, we have a range of online challenges and sessions that can be customized based on the team size. These fun team building activities are designed to motivate and energise your team. And allowing them to socialise, only this time it’s through a screen.
What’s more? All our tasks are based on problem-solving and logical thinking. Making efficient teamwork, the very crux of every single challenge.
Intrigued?
Here are our top 10 virtual team building exercises that will allow you to win your team’s confidence back and bring morale up to an all-time high:
Team Building Activities On Zoom
Given that most online meetings these days happen via Zoom. It is our top favourite virtual platform for most team building activities. Here’s another fun option though. Your team members can interact through Urban Quest’s gaming platform on their devices too. Anyhow, moving on, here’s how we create a fun day of engagement, bonding, and play for your team:
Online Scavenger Hunt
Conducting an online scavenger is easy and effective. Divide the participants into teams and then give each of them a list of things that they can find in or around their homes. Whichever team manages to find all the items on the list first wins! The reward? Great exercise!
Mystery Magic
Creating an online game that is based somewhat on the concept of escape rooms works well in slightly big groups. However, we can work with small ones too. The crux of this team building activity is to build a thrilling story. Then give the teams mind-puzzling clues to keep them on their toes. And finally, throw in the ultimate satisfaction of the solve it first to win!
Typing Speed
Given that most employees are constantly typing away on their laptops. Why not challenge them to test their typing speed against their colleagues and bosses? Where we read out a passage on zoom and everyone has to type it out together. Whoever types it the fastest and most accurate wins. Also, adding a fun twist. Let’s ask people to read their typos out aloud!
Show & Tell
Yes, the game is as scandalous as it sounds, making it one of the most tantalizing employee engagement fun team building activities. Where teammates get special tea from their colleagues and bosses. First, pick a person at a random time to appear on a zoom call. But here’s the catch, they have to be on call with the camera on. Busted mate!
Team Building Activities For A Conference Call
We can help you turn your regular boring and tedious conference call into some simple yet fun team building activities that help to break the ice among virtually hired employees and solidifies effective communication between existing team members. So here goes:
Guess Who?
All team members are asked to share one personal fact about themselves, privately, with the person conducting the game. That person will then ask questions surrounding the fact. And other team members will try and guess which member is the game convener talking about.
Share A Memory
This activity needs no preparation but ensures a cent-per cent increase in good vibes. So each team member has to share a memory that still makes them laugh. Such team building activities are mainly aimed at building camaraderie and connection between teammates.
Virtual Coffee Breaks
This is one of the simplest five-minute team building activities. Where once or twice a day, the entire team settles down for a 5-minute chat session, with a steaming cup of tea or coffee. This activity helps the employees feel some sense of normalcy in these weird times.
Movie Nights
A great way to bring the entire team together is weekly a movie night sesh on zoom. This can be preceded by more fun activities such as creating a poll, that allows team members to vote on which movie to watch. Even more, they can create fun bid wars on the movie to pick!
Other Virtual And Socially Distanced Outdoor Team Building Activities
It doesn’t matter whether you have a huge team or you are looking to conduct intimate yet engaging team building activities. At Urban Quest, it’s all customisable! Also, while online sessions are the safest bet right now, some activities can be done safely offline too!
Trivia Night
Perhaps one of the best ways to bring a team together is to plan a zoom call trivia night. The great thing about trivia night is that it can be played with just two people or in big teams. All we need is a perfect blend of questions, by adding something that interests almost everyone.
Two Truths And A Lie
This activity is a fantastic ice breaker and allows team members to learn more about each other. And it also creates better communication between teammates. So to begin, each person has to state three random facts about themselves. Out of these three statements, one is true and two are lies. Other teammates have to take a shot at catching the lie. Fun!
Exercise Activities
Pandemic restrictions and working from home have made it difficult for many employees to maintain their previous exercise routines. Commissioning a daily or weekly virtual exercise class for your employees is a great way to give them time to interact and break up their day.
Get Outdoors
Though such activities depend on the safety regulations in your area. Small, distanced gatherings outdoors are generally safe. Many employees are exhausted by virtual meetings by now. So planning a team picnic or a hike is a great way to give workers a chance for some social interaction offline. However, set the safety ground rules ahead of time so that everyone is on the same page when they arrive. And keep gatherings restricted to small.
Create Office Interest Groups
Many people are picking up new hobbies to fill their time at home during the pandemic. Help your employees find their mutual interests by encouraging the formation of clubs or activity groups. This could be an office book club that meets online or a baking group that swaps recipes over email. Maybe there are quite a few gamers in your office who would be interested in a weekly online catch-up. Facilitating non-work activities gives employees a chance to explore their interests, while still building a connection with their coworkers.
Urban Quests’ Team Building Activities For Corporates
At Urban Quest, we are passionate about helping companies, businesses, and organisations create the happiest and positive working environment possible for you and your team. Especially in present times, when people are losing hope for a better, brighter future.
We believe we can help you raise your team’s optimism, engagement, and happiness with love, banter, playfulness, and fun. So contact us, and let’s win your team over, together!
