May 15, 2020

Not your average research blog #VTCRCblog → Remote Team Building

My name is Nicole Luth and I am the global partnership coordinator at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. The novel coronavirus has changed the way I and many others at the VTCRC work. My brother has had a “work from home” job for years, and I could previously never imagine how mundane that could become—to not have daily interaction with others and a space to get out of the house. 

Recent times have caused many to be working from home with spouses, dogs, and children as coworkers and coffee breaks to only be at their kitchen sink.  Commute times are now shorter than ever before.  While there are pros and cons to these unprecedented times, businesses have found a main element to be missing as employees complete their work from home, and that element is team building.  How do we maintain employee relationships when physical space to congregate, collaborate, and build relationships has been removed? Employers have become increasingly creative to continue to meet this need and create environments to team build.  If your company is looking for ways to do so, consider the following:

• Icebreaker Questions - Create a meeting with your preferred video and audio conferencing platform and come prepared with a list of icebreaker questions. Make sure to have someone be a lead of the group to move the meeting along. Asking these questions will allow teams to learn something new about one another and make connections with their fellow employees.
• Virtual Fitness Class - Virtual fitness classes are a great way to get moving and try a new form of exercise you normally may not. The company, Strong Teams, leads no equipment needed, 45 minute, fitness classes.  Another option would be to check with a local company or gym.  Since in person gym and fitness courses are currently not an option, they may be happy to host a virtual fitness class for your team.
• Recipe Roundup - Americans are cooking at home more than they may have before, and that might not be their choice as restaurants have had to close or offer delivery and curbside pickup options.  Consider hosting a recipe roundup with your team and offer themes such as “easy dinners” or “favorite cookies”.  Employees can post their recipes and images in a slack channel, an online channel that allows easy, company communication.  Everyone will surely enjoy a list of dinner options and quarantine snack recipes.
• “Donut” Calls - The company Donut works to randomly pair individuals of an organization with 1 on 1 calls for 15-30 minute, non-work related calls.  When working from home, there can be few opportunities to get to know one another.  Donut has taken a more deliberate approach of creating these moments and setting up “meetings” once a week.  This option can be set up by Donut or a company representative willing to do so.  Companies that can do so could even offer to purchase employees’ lunch or send coffee for these chats.
• Pub Trivia/Happy Hour - Virtual happy hours have become quite popular amongst both businesses and friend groups looking to socialize.  Adding in some pub trivia will create conversations and test one’s knowledge.  Set this up on a video and audio platform and use the chat feature to have contestants “raise their hand” to see who has the answer first.  Another option would be to form teams and provide 1 question to only 1 team and then proceeding to the next group.
• Lunch and Learn - During lunch time, bring in a topic presenter.  Have them present while your team is able to enjoy their lunch.  If possible, purchase lunch for your employees.  This time will allow them to gather and learn about a new topic.
• Virtual Book Club - Host a virtual book club. Choose a book and allow team members the option to join in and read it together.  They can purchase the book on their own or if budget allows, the company could do this for them.  Weekly meetings would bring team members with similar interests together to discuss the book and enjoy conversation.

Each of these options will assist in building a stronger team and making individuals feel less isolated as they work from home. While working from home may not be ideal for everyone, companies have the opportunity to create meaningful interactions and positive environments for their team. For even more options click here. Additionally, let us know what your teams have done to keep in touch and team build.

Written by: Nicole Luth
Global Partnership Coordinator
nicole.luth@vtcrc.com