As industries continue to shift toward remote and hybrid workspaces, genuine employee engagement becomes a challenge. And with 16% of U.S. companies already fully remote and 36.2 million workers expected to telecommute by 2025, some employees may feel isolated with the lack of human interaction typical in an office environment.
But all is not lost.
Virtual team events have the potential to make remote teams feel as bonded as in-person teams. Here, we’ll explain why your company should host virtual events for teams and share event ideas to engage and connect your remote workers.
Whether to minimize the negative aspects of online workplace culture or increase productivity, there are many advantages to virtual team events for managers and teammates.
Consider these 3 main benefits of a virtual team bonding event:
Connected teams tend to work better together, but chances are your remote employees have never met in person. Whether your office has always worked remotely or recently pivoted online, you want remote workers to feel valued and included. Virtual team events can remind them that they’re indispensable to the team and foster strong bonds among colleagues.
When employees work virtually, team alignment can be a challenge. And given the diminished oversight and transparency of remote work, the opportunities for miscommunication among the various stakeholders are great. Virtual events are one way to combat this disconnect and encourage collaboration because 90% of people find it easier to get their points across when seen. What’s more, employees will have better insight into how their peers work and the opportunity to ask questions in real time—which is more efficient than email or chat back-and-forths.
Burnout is common among remote teams, with 49% of remote workers reporting feeling overwhelmed by work and personal responsibilities. Virtual events can boost morale, build social bonds, and promote wellness.
Now that you know the benefits of virtual team bonding events, it’s time to put your virtual event management skills to work and plan one. Virtual event trends constantly change, so here are 5 types of virtual events that your employees are sure to love:
Virtual team challenges test employees in fun and unique ways. The competitions should push employees to think critically and work as a team, whether through puzzles, physical competitions, riddle-solving, or trivia. No matter the challenge, these virtual social events boost team morale and encourage employees to work together.
Virtual holiday events get employees into the holiday spirit, so consider planning a virtual ugly sweater party or hosting a March Madness sports-themed trivia event. As these events shift with the seasons, virtual holiday parties can become highly anticipated festivities and cherished traditions while fostering camaraderie. With each month comes a new opportunity to celebrate holidays with icebreaker questions, games, food deliveries, and unique-themed activities.
Virtual wellness sessions encourage remote employees to adopt healthy habits, like meditation, stretch breaks, yoga, mental health check-ins, and more. Weekly virtual pilates classes or guided meditations that encourage team members to practice mindfulness and prioritize stress management are also ways to bring remote workers together to support one another in a healthy way.
Virtual happy hours are one of the most popular and engaging remote team building activities. Also known as virtual tasting experiences, attendees try various wines, cheeses, and chocolates as an expert explains how to make the products, what makes them unique, and how to taste them. However, prior to the event, you’ll need to send every participant a box of the goodies they’ll sample.
Virtual accountability groups ensure that employees make goals and stick to them. No matter the focus, people tend to stick to habits if they work in groups and are held accountable by their colleagues. Group members can set monthly health and wellness goals, work-related goals, or personal goals.
And goals can be as simple as taking routine breaks or as complex as committing to adding 3 posts a day to the company’s Instagram. To make it more competitive, keep track of a team or company-wide progress on a spreadsheet and consider introducing rewards or incentives for those who complete their goals.
Virtual events promote a fun and productive atmosphere that encourages transparent communication. If you manage a remote team, consider introducing these virtual event ideas to boost team engagement and productivity. When employees feel less isolated, they're more productive—and what better way to achieve that than with a carefully planned series of virtual team-building events?
No matter what kind of virtual event you plan to host, use Twilio SendGrid’s email marketing tools to spread the word and prepare your group for all the fun to follow.
