4 May 2020
5 Remote Office Activities to Bring Your Team Together Right Now
Compulsory Fun™ can be divisive in the workplace. Some people might groan at the thought of team-bonding activities. But we all know that at the end everybody says, “That was actually so fun, I’m really glad we did that.”
Why are team-bonding activities sneakily so great? Because they have many benefits such as creating deeper bonds between teammates, increasing collaboration and communication skills, and breaking down barriers. Plus they really are fun.
Now more than ever we need to put some effort into Compulsory Fun™ so we can practice isolation without feeling isolated. Here are our top 5 picks for remote office activities.
Office Trivia
As in trivia for the office.
But we also fully endorse trivia about The Office.
Trivia is an awesome activity because it stretches your mind, encourages healthy competition, and often teaches you something. It can be themed, funny, visual, extremely difficult, or even include some questions referencing your colleagues to keep them on their toes!
We’d recommend using online tools such as Kahoot, Slack, or Zoom to conduct the trivia. Put up a decent prize to get people truly involved.
Food Sharing
Food has got to be one of the most exciting parts of the day right now. Food-sharing activities with your team might involve:
- Sharing lunch pics. Where everyone posts a photo of what they’re having for lunch.
- Recipe sharing. Create a shared doc or simply send around links to recipes that are tried, tested, and adored.
- Have an office bake-off and vote on the most impressive baked goods.
- Share a virtual afternoon tea where everyone brings a plate. And possibly polish off a whole plate of honey joys to yourself…
Sharing the love for food is a great way to wholesomely bond with your team. Plus cooking is a skill that requires both creativity and concentration, which is great for the mind.
Themed Friday Drinks
“When there’s a theme, there’s an even better conversation starter.”
Blow off some steam with the classic favourite; Friday night drinks.
It doesn’t have to be alcoholic drinks. You might enjoy an equally as helpful calming tea. Take it up a notch by incorporating a theme. Perhaps everyone wears a funny hat, a certain colour, or comes dressed as a character. This gives the evening extra flavour.
We all know that asking, “What’s on for your weekend?” is now met with a blank stare. When there’s a theme, there’s an even better conversation starter. If all else fails, it’s at least some tipsy bonding.
Random Chat Group
“Create a digital space for the lighthearted chats that normally happen in a physical workplace.”
This is a must-have for offices at all times, though it’s especially important right now.
The idea is to have a dedicated channel for non-work related chit-chat. We’ve named our group the all-encapsulating Random, but you could call it anything you like: Water-Cooler Convos, Memes n Stuff, or simply Non-Work Chats. It’s where you share funny, cool, or random things like this team pixel recreation challenge.
It’s great to create a digital space for the lighthearted chats that normally happen in a physical workplace.
Pet Catch Up
If your team is anything like our team, they adore pets!
Hosting a pet catch up is a great way to mix up the typical video calls and inject some fun and cuteness into work chats. Everyone simply brings their pet for a designated catch up over video.
Nothing lightens the mood quite like a pet appearance. Who knows, maybe even Zest will make an appearance (true Bellman fans will remember the pet lemon, Zest).
Also allowed: babies and plants.
Keen for More Ideas?
Here’s a list of bonus activities to try.
Virtual boardgames — Friendly competition over the Monopoly, Pictionary or Scrabble apps
Home tours — Show your colleagues around the place
Show and tell — Everyone brings an object to discuss
Two truths and a lie — Play a fun ice-breaker team bonding game
Talent show — Talent must be impressive over a video call
TikTok competition — Yep, get everyone in the office to create and share a TikTok
Book club — A wholesome meeting to discuss the latest read
Movie night — Use Netflix Party or screen sharing for a Friday night movie after work
Virtual coffee — Like we used to do at cafes, but make time for it over video
Lunchtime yoga — A shared class for all the office yogis
