Remote work is on the rise. According to a report by Upwork, by 2028, 73% of all departments will have remote workers.
However, it isn’t all roses. While research shows that remote workers tend to be more productive and motivated, it also suggests that they are less engaged. Without face-to-face contact, remote workers can easily feel isolated and grow distant from their colleagues.
To prevent this from happening, we’ve compiled some bonding activities you can encourage at your remote workplace.
Host A Virtual Lunch And Learn
A virtual lunch and learn meeting is a fun way to get people together and make them feel part of the team. During these meetings, your remote workers can discuss an educational topic that’s relevant to your business goals while also gaining insight into how their colleagues work and think.
The best part? These meetings are very easy to plan and don’t require much in terms of preparation. Just make sure to choose the right topic, and you’ll be good to go.
Set Up A Group Chat On Your Company’s Slack Channel
Group chats are an easy way to keep team members connected on a regular basis. For example, you might set up a weekly chat around one of your company’s core values.
You can also set up themed chats for specific projects. For instance, you and your team could have a “launch” chat for any new product that’s headed to the market. This way, people can easily connect around the same topic without going through long email threads or load up too many tabs in their browser.
Have A Weekly Virtual Happy Hour
Happy hour is a fun tradition that helps people bond, especially when they’re in different locations. However, we all know how expensive happy hour can be.
Doing this virtually could save you some money while still encouraging bonding between your coworkers and team members. For example, instead of going out to drink beer or wine together, everyone can talk online during a scheduled meeting time or a group chat. That way, they can still feel close without spending too much on drinks and food.
Ask Everyone To Pitch One Idea Each Week
Is brainstorming always easy for your remote team? You might find it difficult to develop new ideas when you’re staring at an empty whiteboard and going back and forth with a group chat.
If this sounds like your team, consider letting each team member submit just one idea for the week via email. This way, everyone will have their say but won’t overwhelm you with endless ideas to sift through. And because these pitches can be sent individually, it’s also easy to spread them out so as not to have to read a lot in one sitting.
Set Up Weekly Check-Ins
A weekly check-in is a good way to keep team members engaged and connected. During these sessions, you can ask everyone how they’re doing, what’s going on at home and in their personal life, or anything else that might help them feel included.
This is also a great time for you to give some feedback or offer suggestions on improving their performance or getting more engaged with the team.
Organize A Book Club
One of the best ways to build bonds is through activities and hobbies that your coworkers have in common. For example, you might set up a virtual book club. Have a different employee propose a book each month that every team member will read. Then have a discussion about the book itself, what they learned from it, and whether or not it was a good fit for them personally. These conversations might help spark new ideas too.
Use Google Hangouts To Hold Brainstorming Sessions
If you need your team members to develop new marketing ideas, you can hold brainstorm sessions via Google Hangouts. During these meetings, everyone can pitch their best ideas — and then others can offer feedback on what they like and don’t like about each one.
The benefit to holding brainstorm meetings in this format is that people will feel more connected because they’ll be on camera — and so will you.
Final Thoughts
These ideas are great ways to make sure that your remote team members feel engaged and connected throughout the week. It can also help you cultivate a more positive and productive environment.
Plus, they can help you get more out of your meetings while also having some fun in the process. So, try these ideas and start building that bond with your team today.
