Welcome to team-building season!
As we continue to enjoy sunny weather in the Seattle area, September 22 heralds the official arrival of Autumn 2020. Sure, PSL (pumpkin spice latte) has become the new harbinger of Fall, but in HR departments throughout the county, team-building events also share that role. It makes sense of course – the final quarter of the year is often a wrap-up exercise for personnel departments. Add to that the “learning and fresh start” elements of going back to school, and building your team become is a natural for the Autumn season.
Team-building events have evolved greatly from the dreaded ropes course of the ’80s and ’90s – opting for more gamified activities like paintball, ziplines, indoor skydiving, and scavenger hunts as well as more inclusive and thrill-focused options such as escape room exercises and virtual reality “missions.”
Enter 2020 and COVID-19
Social distancing regulations and WFH mandates have taken away the face-to-face event, but team-building is still a priority. Truth be told, it’s more important in this current environment of personal disconnection. Without the watercooler discussions and the with the addition off endless video-based meetings, some employees have simply lost their connection with coworkers. And if you’ve brought on new staff during this pandemic season – you’ve likely got team members who are clueless about the lives of others. A disconnected team can be a real problem.
So what’s an employer to do?
You’ll be delighted to hear that team-building efforts are now virtual! In addition to adapting team building games to computer use, there are several suppliers experienced in providing live online teaming exercises. Here at RealTime Productions, we’re happy to assist you in selecting and presenting the best virtual team-building activity for your crew!
Virtual Team-building Suggestions
- Online Games. Yeah, you could jointly play video games online (yawn), but with a little effort, creating a mission where your crew is sub-divided into teams and competing for a prize is likely to garner a bit more engagement. You can schedule a virtual camp (complete with tiny smores delivery), a scavenger hunt, or event your own Olympic games (I don’t know about your team, but I totally rock at paperclip flipping!) Creating a custom game puts the focus on building team strengths and unity, while engaging is some frivolous fun! Not only can we help you organize your event, but we can also securely send out prizes to the winners (rewards are key to participation).
- Tasting events. You send food/beverage samples to your team members ahead of time and host a virtual event (using the online tool of choice) where your team is educated about their sample as well as the opportunity to ‘share a drink or snack’ with their co-workers. Popular tasting suggestions include everything from coffee to cocktails. Not into beverages? What team wouldn’t love a cookie-tasting event? Your options are limited only by your imagination (and budget of course). Bring on the chocolate samples!
- With a healthy budget allocation, you might consider some online races and adventures. A virtual race or adventure has proven very engaging to a broad audience, its structure, and activity level keep your team focused on their goal. If this option is cost-prohibitive, you might consider a lower-tech adventure – perhaps based on something related to the team’s current work efforts.
- Trivia competition (much like Pub Trivia) this virtual competition may reveal your team member’s hidden interests –are they masters of Dr. Who canon or can they quote the Spice Girl lyrics perfectly? It can surprise you Pre-planning this competition will ensure that no team member sweeps the competition, and ensure broad categories to keep everyone engaged. In choosing some silly categories, you may level the playing field, and more fully engage the members of your crew.
- Crafternoons – Your staff assembles pre-delivered crafting kits while being taught crafting skills on a virtual app. I’ve scheduled crafting sessions in-office, so I can vouch that even those who consider themselves completely void of creativity can really excel at simple crafting opportunities (and highlight creativity they swear they don’t have.)
The list of possibilities is of course, nearly endless. But including prizes for the various event elements will ramp up the likelihood of greater team participation. Don’t let company team-building become a casualty of apathy – schedule an engaging event today!
For assistance in creating a creating an awesome virtual team building event, contact us today!