In many ways, this has been a year unlike any other—and that’s true at work as well. 

Whether your team is back in the office with safety measures in place or still fully remote, it’s more essential than ever to keep your teams engaged and connected. 

When you manage a team in a traditional office setting, team building is simple. Ice breakers before big meetings, pushing a beer cart around the office on Friday afternoons, mandatory team lunches, even a huddle around the water cooler – the opportunities for engaging your team are endless. 

In today’s socially distanced and remote offices, team building can be a bit trickier. It’s important to make sure the team is engaged and collaborating in an effective way. Why? 

• Team members have an easier time collaborating with people they are comfortable around. 
• It can be lonely working remotely at times, which could affect job satisfaction. 
• Plenty of surveys show that the more engaged a team is, the more productive they are! 

We know that there are hundreds of virtual “team building” events, but we also know many of them are less than effective. 

We have 20+ years of combined experience working from home, so we know a thing or two about virtual engagement and team building. Here are three of our favorite event ideas: 

Try A Tasting

From tea to whiskey, you can arrange a variety of virtual tastings. For example, block off two hours on a Friday afternoon for some fun with a cocktail class! Hire a bartender (we can recommend one of our favorites!) to talk about the history of cocktails and teach your team members the basics for creating excellent cocktails. 

Take it up a notch by sending a small kit with branded cocktail essentials to your team prior to the class. A branded rocks glass, an ice mold and a shaker kit will be put to good use during this time. 

Not into cocktails? Hire a sommelier to take you through a wine tasting. Yum! 

Coffee Talk

Cut the Monday morning blues with a fun start to your week. Invite the team to join a zoom call at 9am on a Monday morning. Everyone can mention their favorite coffee – what it is, where they buy it and why they love it. 

Pick a few winners for small prizes: most basic coffee order, most difficult coffee, a prize for whoever takes their coffee decaf. Make it fun! 

Prior to the event, send a box with branded coffee beans and coffee mugs for everyone to open on the call. 

Competitive Fun

Use one of the many online gaming platforms available for a quick mid-week competition. Not sure where to start? Think trivia or even a workout competition to get the team involved and having fun. 

Up the ante by offering prizes to the winners of your competition – branded apparel, hats, Yeti products and more! YOU can also support local businesses with gifts cards as a competition. 

Need help planning your event or taking it to the next level? Give us a call, we are happy to help!