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Want to know the top remote team building activities trending in 2021 along with tips on tools to be used, software, and best practices? Read on!

Remote team building activities 

Team building activities for remote teams are essential to make them feel part of the team. It also helps new joiners to feel excited and get acquainted with the existing team. These engagement activities help in improving communication and help your virtual team work together more effectively.

What are online team-building activities? 

As remote working culture is spreading, so is the concept of virtual teams. Online team building activities ensure that the virtual team members get acquainted with each other and communicate more often. These remote team activities also help employees to combat stress and be mentally healthy. 

Team builder activities can range from having collective coffee breaks, casual chit-chats, fun games, movie nights, group activities, quizzes, etc. The main aim of these remote team building activities is to build a more cohesive team that works together as a group to bring innovative solutions to work problems.

Also Read: Video conferencing etiquette | A how-to guide for everyone

Benefits of team building activities virtual 

Here are some of the benefits of virtual team building activities,

1. Helps in building strong relationships amongst the team members.
2. Remote team-members may often feel lonely. Team building activities virtual help them to combat loneliness by giving them a chance to communicate with team-mates.
3. Improved Productivity as everyone works collectively as a team.
4. Promotes teamwork by ensuring people get a medium where they feel comfortable talking with each other.
5. Team activities lead to improved communication within the team.
6. Fun virtual team-building activities also help in reducing stress and taking care of employee’s mental health.

Also Read: Online yoga classes | An ultimate read for best results

How to plan team-building activities for remote teams? 

1. Select a medium – Team building activities for virtual teams can be planned through apps such as unremot.com, Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, WebEx, Nextiva, etc. 
2. Select the Coordinator – Either the Manager can organize the different team-building activities or take the help of a professional event coordinator for organizing.
3. Fix a Time – Plan these activities at least once a month or weekly. Fix the time duration and block everyone’s calendars. As you work with a remote team, it is important to keep different time zones in mind before finalizing the time.

Also Read: How to work from home successfully | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Challenges in organizing team building virtual activities 

In traditional workplaces, people find it easier to connect over tea breaks but the same isn’t possible with virtual teams. Here are some of the challenges you might face while organizing team-building activities.

1. The main challenge in organizing team building virtual activities is that everyone is remotely located. Bringing everyone together can be a challenge that needs to be overcome.
2. Fixing a time that works for everyone is another challenge when the employees come from different time zones. 
3. Finding the right activities that engage everyone can be equally challenging. It is important to make the employee team building activities fun, exciting, and safe-for-work.

Also Read: Trust remote teams | A comprehensive guide

The target audience of virtual team building activities 

Team building activities for work are held for all the team-members including people in leadership roles. Virtual team bonding activities are a great way to encourage empathy and cohesiveness in the remote team. This directly has a positive impact on the productivity and mental health of the employees.

Team bonding activities create an atmosphere of trust in the team. It also builds a support system for the employees. It improves teamwork and makes new employees feel welcomed in the team. It also helps managers to understand the weaknesses and strengths of their employees.

Also Read: Virtual ice breakers | Everything you must know

Top 30 remote team activities 

Now that we have established the importance of organizing team building activities for remote employees, let us look into different categories to help you with some team building activity ideas. Let us discuss the 30 different types of remote team activities suitable for a virtual team,

Digital team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few digital team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Organize a Virtual Escape Room activity for your team members and have fun solving puzzles.
2. Planning virtual gaming sessions or tournaments is great team fun activities.
3. Conducting Icebreaker Quizzes help employees know each other better.

Fun virtual team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few fun virtual team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Plan a team movie night on apps like Netflix.
2. Two truths and a lie is a fun group activity for breaking the ice.
3. Invite your team to the Houseparty app and play the inbuilt games.

Team building activities online

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few team building activities online that you can organize for your team,

1. Ask everyone to share their bucket lists with the team.
2. Ask the team to share their baby pictures and have fun guessing who is who.
3. Organizing a quirky photo challenge can be a fun team activity.

Also Read: Team communication | A complete guide

Best virtual team building activities

Amongst several remote team building activities, here are few best virtual team building activities that you can organize for your team,

1. Bond over a game of virtual bingo with your team.
2. Play online charades through a video conferencing app such as Zoom, Skype, etc.
3. Pictionary can be an interesting interactive group activity for remote teams.

Team building activities for telecommuters

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team building activities for telecommuters,

1. Have fun matching anonymously submitted fun facts to the different team members.
2. Recipe Roundups are team activities for adults who share a love of cooking.
3. Virtual trash challenges are fun club activities that can be hosted monthly. 

Fun remote team building activities

If you are looking for remote team-building activities, here are some fun remote team building activities,

1. Play Letter Hunt by picking a letter and asking everyone to grab an object whose name starts with that letter.
2. Ask everyone to pin their birthplace on a map and share stories from that city.
3. Play virtual team pursuit

Remote team building activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some remote team building activity,

1. Personality tests help remote employees assess their personality traits based on a quiz.
2. Start a virtual book club for reading enthusiasts in the team.
3. Get a peek into each other’s homes to feel connected and bonded with each other.

Also Read: What is a virtual office | Critical items that you must know!

Fun group activities

Remote team building activities do not have to be serious all the time. Plan fun activities for your team to have a casual conversation. Here are some fun group activities,

1. Organize Virtual Happy Hours for the team
2. Guess Fun facts about your team members and know each other better
3. Play safe-for-work version of Never Have I Ever

Zoom activities

Remote team building activities are often held online through video conferencing, screen sharing, and telecommunications apps.  Here are some zoom activities that you can plan for your team,

1. Let Woyago plan a Virtual City Tour for your employees.
2. Ask Team members to share their workspace background and ask questions.
3. Play hangman virtually and create a light atmosphere.

Bonding activities

Here are some fun team bonding activities that you can plan for your virtual team,

1. Weekly chitter-chatter where employees can have casual conversations about their lives.
2. Icebreaker questions by QuizBreaker are great to get the conversation started within the team.
3. Learn someone’s life story in five minutes and share it with the team in your own words.

Work team building activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some work team building activities,

1. Live Remote Team Working is helpful by forming a coworking channel through mediums such as Slack.
2. Host a virtual campfire and let everyone share interesting and scary stories.
3. Cultural celebration parties where everyone can learn about each other’s cultures and appreciate workplace diversity.

Also Read: Productivity tips | A how-to guide for everyone

Teamwork activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activities you can conduct for your team,

1. Office activity ideas include playing blind origami in virtual pairs.
2. Organize spread the knowledge events where employees can share their learnings with other team members.
3. Teamwork activities for adults can include hosting virtual team trivia games online.

Fun activities at work

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities at work,

1. Virtual Werewolf is a perfect game for fun work activities with a team
2. Karaoke Nights are one of the fun employee activities that everyone would enjoy
3. Organize Virtual Dance Parties if you wish to organize fun team activities

Team build activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team build activities,

1. Talk show host where one person can interview the other.
2. Prepare a board with the top 5 emojis used by each team member and take turns guessing which one belongs to whom.
3. Remote Storytelling workshop can be an engaging team building activity.

Small fun activities for employees

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some small fun activities for employees,

1. Pancakes vs Waffles is a game if you are organizing team fun activities.
2. Aliens have landed in another virtual team-building activity that everyone would have fun playing.
3. Organize Photography Competition if you plan a staff team building activity.

Also Read: Decision fatigue | An ultimate read for best results

Working activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some working activities,

1. Learning circles are collaboration activities for adults that help in enhancing knowledge horizons.
2. Spreadsheet wars are challenging and competitive activities to do with coworkers.
3. Fun activities to do with coworkers can include “ DIY craft challenges” that team members can make from available resources at home.

Group bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some group bonding activities,

1. Playing Desert Island Scenarios with the team are fun activities for work.
2. Virtual Scavenger hunts can be scheduled as after-work activities for coworkers.
3. Games like Five Finger Showdown are the most liked small group bonding activities by the remote team members.

Remote employee engagement activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some remote employee engagement activities,

1. Virtual birthday celebrations are great engagement activities for remote employees.
2. Sending daily snapshots is amongst the fun activities to do as a group.
3. Use Donut for Slack to organize team-building activities for adults who do not normally interact with each other.

Teamwork development activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork development activities,

1. Winner/Loser are team activities for work development within a virtual team.
2. Blind drawing competitions are team-building activities for coworkers where participants are divided into teams of 2 people.
3. Memory Wall with positive experiences helps in teamwork development in an uplifting manner.

Also Read: Managing remote teams | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Community building activities online

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some community-building activities online,

1. Create a video conferencing channel where employees can have lunch and enjoy casual conversations with one another.
2. Five Minute Book talks are zoom activities for adults who enjoy reading books.
3. Pen pal Clubs are team building activities remote to increase communication between virtual team members.

Teamwork activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activity,

1. Tree or bob Ross games are fun virtual activities that keep the entire team engaged.
2. Teamwork activities for work include live remote coworking so that employees can collaborate more often.
3. Words with Friends are fun bonding activities that can be played within the team.

Team Building activities for large groups

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team building activities for large groups,

1. The worst five games are digital team building activities for remote workers
2. Team builder activities for the workplace like “Memory game” can be played
3. Remote activities such as “Let’s face it” are great for team building

Team meeting activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team meeting activity,

1. Call of the Champions help in ensuring everyone is attentive during the meetings
2. Fun Geography can be played for 5-10 mins before the start of the meeting
3. Fun team meeting activities such as “Where Am I” can be played before starting the meeting

Also Read: Remote meeting | A comprehensive guide

Team development activity

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team development activities,

1. Activities for remote teams such as Simulated problems can be challenging.
2. Organizing icebreaker quizzes to know each other better are interactive team building activities.
3. Fun staff activities such as spelling the longest word can be held.

Fun work activities

While looking for remote team building activities do not forget to have fun. We would suggest the following fun work activities keep everyone engaged,

1. Each employee adds a sentence to the existing story to build an interesting storyline.
2. Organizing Clue Murder Mystery is a fun team-building activity.
3. A virtual Scavenger hunt can be an interesting team builder activity.

Fun activities for remote employees

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities for remote employees,

1. Reverse Charades are fun group bonding activities for a group.
2. Cool group activities include the game of reading the Instructions played within teams.
3. Fun online activities include asking everyone to build a house out of playing cards.

Collaboration activities

Here are some interesting collaboration activities to try that would help your team come closer,

1. WorkStyle is a great way to showcase your working style to fellow team members.
2. Code break is an ideal game for fun teamwork activities.
3. Go remote is great to conduct team bonding activities for work by providing a dedicated event host.

Virtual group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some virtual activities for teams,

1. Guided Meditation is another virtual team building activity that aims at improving productivity.
2. Host a talent show where employees can showcase their hidden talents.
3. Fact Recall Mission comes under fun group activities for coworkers.

Also Read: Work life balance | Everything you must know

Team motivation activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some team motivation activities,

1. Team Superlatives is fun for planning virtual team activities for the team members.
2. Fitness Challenges are perfect activities for remote teams to keep them motivated and fit.
3. Team development activities include encouraging recognition for the team members’ work and efforts.

Staff bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some staff bonding activities,

1. Making a Spotify playlist together with the team members is fun staff team building activity.
2. Virtual jigsaw Puzzle is another great idea for fun virtual activities.
3. Zoom team building activity includes creating virtual break-rooms or water-coolers for employees to have casual conversations.  

Fun team bonding activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun virtual team bonding activities,

1. Game show extravaganzas are fun activities for work meetings.
2. Asking the team to share their perfect vacation is one of the several fun bonding activities you can plan.
3. Show and tell is a fun work activity idea for remote-teams. 

Fun team activities for work

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some fun activities for employees at work,

1. Online virtual games such as Scrabble Go are fun activities to do with coworkers.
2. 8 ball pool can be amongst fun remote team activities for employees.
3. Springwork’s Trivia has some fun activities for employees to bond over.

Also Read: Organize your life | A complete guide

Work from home activities

Here are some fun work from home activities to organize,

1. Plan Virtual Lunch Meetings and get the money reimbursed.
2. Ask the team to share pictures of their workplace and take turns guessing the person to which the workplace belongs.
3. Recipe Swap is a fun bonding activity where employees swap recipes with each other and explore different cultures.

Teamwork activities for adults

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some teamwork activities for adults,

1. Find the Common Thread is fun teamwork activities to get to know other team members.
2. Games like “Can you hear me now” are fun workgroup activities.
3. Mad Lib Mission Statement games are fun bonding activities for groups.

Also Read: Working from home with kids | Critical items that you must know!

Corporate activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some corporate activities,

1. Holding virtual team events can be team builder activities for adults.
2. Virtual holiday celebrations are virtual social activities that bring team solidarity and belongingness.
3. Organizing praise trains to appreciate each other’s work and efforts is one of the best team builder activities for work.

Office group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some ideas for group activities for the office,

1. Work activity ideas such as giving daily writing prompts can help in engaging employees.
2. Team activities for adults like online fundraisers help employees be a part of a meaningful cause.
3. Virtual Field Trips can be organized for fun and learning.

Good group activities

If you are looking for remote team building activities, here are some good group activities,

1. Group bonding activities for coworkers such as organizing a virtual debate club.
2. Virtual Hugs are inclusion activities for adults that ensure we appreciate each other.
3. Spelling Bee is another one of the group activities for coworkers that will help to engage the team.

Also Read: Remote work | A how-to guide for everyone

How to find team building activity ideas?

Finding the right remote team building activities is important to ensure that everyone is participating with equal enthusiasm. The activities must be safe-for-work and inclusive of different genders, nationalities, etc. You can find more group activities ideas online or ask your team for suggestions that would suit both you and your team members.

Group activity ideas

Some of the most common ways to find group activity ideas are, 

1. Search online for ideas with the help of keywords such as “fun group activities”, “office group activities”, “virtual group activities”,” interactive group activities”, etc.
2. Ask your team for fun workgroup activities that can be planned and you might find something that everyone loves equally. 

Team activities ideas

Some of the most common ways to find team activity ideas are,

1. Search online for ideas with the help of keywords such as “best virtual team building activities”, fun team activities for work”, “team activities ideas”, “team work activities”, “team bonding activity”, etc.
2. Take suggestions from event coordinators and organizers for team building activity ideas for work.

Also Read: Virtual ice breaker questions | An ultimate read for best results

Remote team building activities software

unremot is the most user-friendly online resource available that can be leveraged to organize and conduct virtual gatherings and play games as a team, within the company. The platform is essentially designed to collaborate and interact among remote teams, thus most appropriate for those who regularly communicate.

It comes with a host of features like a virtual watercooler, cafeterias, game zones, group movie experiences, and reading zones. It is enabled with video conferencing and chats interfaces, which are exclusive to your team.

Are you struggling with declining employee motivation? Want to know how to motivate employees with the changing times of 2021? Here’s a list of tips, tools to be used, and best practices. Read on!

How to motivate employees?

One of the responsibilities of a manager is inspiring and motivating employees. Motivators in management look for new ways on how to motivate employees and increase customer engagement. A motivated workforce is more likely to work independently and let owners or management focus on long-term goals.

Corporate motivation techniques improve employee engagement and productivity. Managers can find ways on how to motivate employees to increase their efforts by leading from the front.  In this blog, we attempt to explain how to motivate your employee? Or tips on how to motivate employees, what motivates workers? What motivates workers? We provide some ideas to motivate staff.

Also Read: Deep work summary | An ultimate read for best results

What is employee motivation?

Employee motivation is the level of enthusiasm, commitment, diligence, and resourcefulness that employees bring to work. Employee motivation is about how connected your staff feels to the company’s goals and how empowered they feel. It is vital to balance employee motivation as over- rewards or praise can backfire. We classify motivation into,

1. Intrinsic motivation is when individuals are self-motivated. These employees perform well because of their belief system. Research shows motivation techniques with praise can help increase intrinsic motivation.
2. Extrinsic motivation is when individuals when motivated by external factors such as recognition and rewards. Extrinsic rewards can be the motivation to learn new skills.

Also Read: Depth of knowledge | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Benefits of motivating employees

There are several benefits of motivating employees in the workplace,

1. Handle uncertainty and change better – Motivated workers are more engaged and confident. The workers can handle uncertainty and organizational change better.
2. Better problem-solver – Managers expect their staff to solve problems. Staffs who are motivated to work are better problem solvers.
3. More Innovative and creative – Motivating staff has the added benefit of being more engaged, they are more likely to think about innovative ideas to optimize workflow.
4. Proactive – If you motivate workers, they will be more proactive to look for new solutions to achieve goals.
5. Higher productivity – Motivations for work result in higher productivity. Motivated and engaged employees are more productive.
6. They understand and work toward the company goals- Motivated workers understand how their work contributes to the company’s success. They are keen to understand and company’s mission, vision, and objectives.
7. Consumer-centric – Both B2B and B2C companies need to interact with their clients. Employees who are motivated at work care more about consumer satisfaction.
8. Retention levels are higher – Fluctuation of the workforce is more when employees are not motivated. You have higher employee turnover.
9. Work toward their own goals – Motivated workers work hard towards meeting targets to work towards their own goals.
10. Better team players – If you realize how to motivate employees at work, they are more likely to become team players.

Also Read: Remote work habits | A comprehensive guide

3 indicators of lack of work motivation in your team

You may have to look for motivation techniques for employees if your employees show the following signs,

1. They are reactive, not proactive – When employees are unmotivated are more reactive to situations. They are unlikely to take preventive steps to stop potential problems from occurring.
2. They are not participating – Motivated employees speak up when they need clarification or have an idea. They are willing to participate and learn. When team motivation is low, there are communication problems. Conversation can be one way. The employee follows orders without interacting.
3. Poor body language – Body language is a good indicator of your staff’s state of mind. Arms crossed, eye-rolling, shrugging shoulders, and loud sighs could be signs of poor motivation.

Also Read: How to prioritize task | Everything you must know

Human psychology of what motivates employees

Before we discuss different motivation strategies, you need to understand what motivates your employees,

1. Purpose of work – Employees need to find meaning and purpose in their professional work or do meaningful work.
2. Positive company culture – One of the motivations at work is the company culture. Components of company culture are- Well-being, compassion, and diversity, inclusion, and equality.
3. Receive recognition for their work – Motivational staff gets acknowledged for their contributions and achievements at work.
4. Learning opportunities – Upskilling your employee’s present skills show you want to partner in their development.
5. Clear career progression – Opportunities for promotion and career growth motivate staff.

Also Read: Office management | A complete guide

Challenges in enabling motivations at work

We will elaborate on how do you motivate your employees in a later session, we will discuss the challenges in motivating employees,

1. Poor leadership structure – This problem occurs when no one is in charge or there is a lack of hierarchy. Employees lose their motivation to work because of the lack of clarity, poor job description, and unclear objectives. Poor leadership structure can lead to a lack of confidence in the company.
2. Lack of challenging work – Employees get bored in this scenario. Employees who cannot find motivation at the workplace may perform poorly. Possible reasons for poor performance can be:- wrong hires, not utilizing the skill set of the employee, or may the lack of professional job opportunities.
3. Workplace conflict – Workplace conflicts occur when there are disagreements with the management or between employees. Conflicts can reduce motivation for employees, lower productivity, and lead to a toxic work environment.

Also Read: Cybersecutity during work from home | Critical items that you must know!

The target audience of team motivation initiatives

One of the vital managerial functions is motivating your team. Here are some motivational strategies for employees,

1. Give your team questions and not answer – the best team leaders ask questions instead of providing solutions. Outline the problem and the final goal of the project. If you are wondering how to motivate your team is by encouraging them to seek solutions. Encourage them by asking thought-provoking questions.
2. Link rewards to team success and not individual accomplishments – You need to remember teams and solo employees are very different. While evaluating an individual, you need to account for their performances and skills and how they work and interact with team members. Evaluate the success of the team as a whole, and not individual performances to get the best results from the team. Recognizing contributions and showing appreciation is a vital tool for motivation.
3. Set aside space for experimentation – Encourage your team to experiment within boundaries. If you want the best from your team, you need to encourage employees to be creative.

Also Read: How to measure productivity | A how-to guide for everyone

Top 15 ways on how to motivate employees

Employees are a vital resource of businesses. Companies that motivate their employees nu maintain an enthusiastic work environment.  A well-thought-out motivation strategy is important to motivate employees. You need to measure the effectiveness of the strategy.

1. Motivate at work by choosing the right leader

One of the ways to motivate staff is to choose a good leader. Good leaders can motivate and engage with their team. Some of the top issues that can prevent effective leadership are not recognizing achievements, unclear directions, not taking out time to interact with subordinates, and unwillingness to listen to ideas.

2. Motivate for work by coaching managers

The best way on how to motivate employees is to ensure managers receive management coaching required to keep employee motivation high. The workforce has become dynamic. Remote workers have become an integral part of offices. Employee engagement and motivation techniques have to be modified to account for the changes. Coaching helps to motivate managers by giving them additional skills.

3. Motivating at work by giving precise and realistic engagement goals

It is critical managers assign clear and measurable goals and objectives to their team. If the task is big, consider breaking the tasks up into more manageable chunks. Employees who have clear and measurable goals are more motivated. Make sure the goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound).

If you are wondering what practical steps can a manager take on how to motivate employees to increase their effort? Let your employees know how their work contributes to the firm’s objectives.

4. How to motivate employees by holding someone accountable

The responsibility of a leader does not end after assigning goals. If the employee fails to achieve the targets, the manager is held accountable. It could mean engagement levels with the employee were not insufficient. The manager needs to do root cause analysis, modify and improve their engagement tactics.

5. Envision and share positive out can be great employee motivational ideas

It is easier to achieve success when you envision it. These can be powerful employee motivational techniques used by successful professionals. Help your team understand the objective and what it means to be successful. When your team makes real progress toward the goal, share it to motivate people in your team.

6. Improved communications help employees feel motivated at work

Good internal communication is a powerful employee motivator in the workplace. Internal communication helps the management learn about ideas, attitudes, or concerns. Interactions help managers learn new ways to optimize operations.

7. Employees who receive structured feedback are motivated for work

Management needs to give employees feedback, whether it is positive or negative. Continuous feedback allows employees to understand specific areas of improvement.

8. Rewarding employees is an excellent motivation to workers

Employees like being appreciated and valued. It is important to reward good work. Recognition and rewards provide motivate for work. The rewards need to be with something the employees will value.

9. Connecting with your employees is a technique used for motivations for work

Good leaders connect with their employees on a professional and personal level. This will help to engage with the employees on a personal level.

10. Build a positive environment works as motivation to work

A healthy work environment is somewhere where people feel free to voice their opinions and ideas and feel valued. The employees trust their team leaders and have a good relationship with their colleagues. Ensuring your organization is not toxic, but a safe nurturing environment. The office environment is a key element of motivation management.

11. Encourage innovation to motivate to work

Having an inclusive team environment, providing freedom and flexibility at the workplace, and encourage sharing knowledge sharing are just some of the steps to encourage innovation and creativity. Besides, motivate management innovation encourages teamwork and team bonding.

12. Empowerment is one of the best motivation techniques

Give your employee more freedom to make decisions themselves. Empowerment helps your staff believe in themselves and realize their potential. Showing confidence in your team is one of the best employee motivation techniques.

13. Programs that help to be motivated to work

Having a learning and development program for the staff can be an excellent motivation to workers. Advantages of learning programs like:- increased efficiency, reduced need for monitoring, and labor-management situation.

14. Motivation strategies of addressing quality of life

One of the motivational techniques for employees is ensuring they have a work-life balance. Hardworking driven employees often have burnout. You need to take care of your staff.

15. Motivation strategy to understand what the team needs

Remember all employees are not the same. You need to understand what motivates your employees – it may be monetary rewards, while some prefer public recognition. Identify and deliver a customized strategy for your team.

Also Read: Time blocking | An ultimate read for best results

Recent global trends in motivation in management

Businesses are looking for new ways on how to motivating staff. Some of the latest methods of motivation techniques are,

1. Education and Training – Companies that provide training opportunities for their employees. This has the dual benefit of motivated staff and a more skilled workforce. When companies provide additional training it gives the message, the company is keen to be a partner in the employee’s growth and development.
2. Work-life benefit – Organizations helping employees to achieve a balance between their personal and professional obligations. Greater flexibility as motivation management technique with flexible time with the option of working from home
3. Feedback – Feedback is one of the biggest trends. Feedback is not only from teammates or managers but also from customers. The motivation strategy helps to show the employee a perspective about how their actions impact the customer.

Also Read: Inbox zero | A priceless list of tips to succeed

5 ways on how to motivate employees when they are fully remote

Strategies on how to motivate employees when they are fully remote are,

1. Keep mission at the top of the mind – To motivate your team they must be aware of the goals of the project and how their work matters. Mission-oriented communication is important needs to be constant.
2. Always provide feedback – Regular feedback is critical to motivating teams. It helps to provide expectations and objectives. Feedback demonstrates you care about your team.
3. Think about remote company culture – In a remote office, it is important for staff to feel connected with the company. Recognizing people who go above and beyond is important.
4. Empowerment – Empowering your team to make decisions shows trust. Regular meetings to look for ways to improve remote processes. Empowering is an excellent work motivation technique.
5. Breaks – Remote work often means poor work-life balance. Enforcing short breaks keeps the team energized.

Also Read: Remote working tools | A comprehensive guide

Software motivation tool

Several software motivation tools help in employee motivation in the workplace:-

1. Virtual Watercooler – Unremot watercooler is a virtual room where employees can interact with each other it helps to reduce the sense of isolation in a virtual setting. It is an ideal setting where managers can inspire employees or motivate staff.
2. TINYpulse – Tinypulse allows management to understand workplace problems. One of the features of the tool is that it offers real-time feedback for recognition is a great staff motivational tool.
3. Kudos – Kudos is an employee recognition system and corporate social network. It is a motivation tool that encourages and engages employees to create connections with the corporate culture. You can use it for peer and management feedback and badges and certificates.

Also Read: Home office set up | Everything you must know

How to motivate employees at work during Covid?

Motivating your employees during Covid19 requires you to stay calm and positive. Management needs to be transparent about changes in operations and strategy. You need to create flexible workplace policies. Let your staff know you care about their safety during the pandemic. People are scared and stressed during the pandemic. Motivational managers check-in to ask how their team is doing and if they can help.

What did managers and owners want for their workers?

Managers and owners want their workers to be more productive. The workers should be motivated for work. The employee should proactively work towards team and company objectives.

Also Read: Distributed teams | A complete guide

How do you motivate employees?

Some of the ways to motivate your employees are,

1. Praise employees when they have done a good job.
2. Do not micromanage or be a control freak. Let employees work with more freedom.
3. Treat your staff with respect.
4. Allow staff to express their opinions
5. Ensure healthy work-life balance
6. Avoid double standards
7. Pay your staff well

What practical steps can a manager take to motivate employees to increase their effort?

If you wondering how to motivate employees, here are some employee motivational ideas you can use,

1. Encourage open communications
2. Create an agile work environment
3. Be someone you want to work for
4. Offer rewards for meeting targets or goals.
5. Encourage workplace camaraderie
6. Invest in your team’s happiness

Why is it a good idea to have one person in charge of office operations?

It is a good idea to have an operation manager, who oversees production within the company. One of their core responsibilities is to motivate employees to ensure high productivity. A dedicated person for office operation can ensure the stability and growth of your business.

Also Read: Virtual field trips | Critical items that you must know!

How to motivate employees as a manager?

5 ways on how to motivate employees used by managers are,

1. Recognition when a job is well done – managers motivate their staff by recognizing when something is well done. It does not have to be lavish or excessive but public recognition.
2. Mentoring – Motivational managers coach their staff. During the one-on-one interaction, the manager can talk about challenges and opportunities in the organization. They can offer constructive criticism to improve and provide praise when deserved.
3. Leadership Opportunities – employee motivation strategies can be giving promotion to deserving candidates. It helps to motivate the employee and helps in retention.
4. Break from norms – Employees need a break from the daily grind. Organizing employee engagement on-site and off-site events can help provide a break.
5. Importance and optimism – You can encourage employees by giving them a sense of optimism and importance about their work.

Need an exclusive list of the best 100 virtual team games? Here’s your list, updated for 2021. Read on!

Virtual team games

Virtual team games or remote team games are activities that can be conducted without a physical presence in the office premises. You can conduct team activity games, fun work from home games, fun bonding games, office team games, online collaborative games, training games for employees, work competition games, and many more to list.

The main objective is to execute the games leveraging remote technologies like audio and video conferencing tools and virtual software and tools. In this article, we will discuss 100 remote employee games ideas and online game ideas.

Also Read: Decision fatigue | An ultimate read for best results

What are virtual team games?

Companies promoting remote working are realizing the importance of instilling a sense of belonging and harmony among their remote employees. It is extremely crucial to ensure they are motivated and inspired to achieve the company’s goals and objectives. Hence the need for conducting virtual team games is gaining immense prominence.

But what are virtual team games? These are a set of online and fun virtual activities and fun games to play remotely enabling the teams to socialize with each other even while working in a remote environment. The remote games can be quizzes, competitions, free team games, motivation games for employees, fun games, and so on.

Also Read: Managing remote teams | A priceless list of tips to succeed

What are online team games?

While answering the question on what are online team games? It is vital to ensure that the virtual team games can be conducted online through audio and video conference calls. Online team games essentially can be group activities where team members are introduced to each other.

Conducting online games for remote teams by leveraging online tools or software is a methodology followed by many companies. The participants can engage in the game directly from their computers or laptops without even investing any additional time for preparations. The online remote games aid in collaboration and coordination amongst the team members.

Also Read: Remote meeting | A comprehensive guide

Benefits of work games

Let us now try to understand what are the key benefits of work games.

1. The participants can share their interests, culture, language, etc. through the virtual team games
2. The remote online games are a powerful tool assisting employees to overcome anonymity and isolation
3. Provide opportunities to share knowledge and experience on a particular subject, domain or technology through quick games to play at work
4. Help to increase the motivational and inspirational level by involving in the fun at work games
5. Opportunity for employees to know each other’s expertise on any domain or technology through work game online
6. Act as a stress reliever after the regular office hours
7. Generates a strong bonding among the team members
8. Helps to gain new friends or like-minded people
9. Introduces new members into the team, leveraging online group games for work
10. Assists in creating a virtual happy hour through fun games for employees

Also Read: Work life balance | Everything you must know

How to plan remote team games?

Here are the key steps on how to plan remote team games,

1. Select the time duration of the virtual team games for remote teams. Some fun online group names need more time to conduct and complete. Whereas certain free online team games can hardly take 15 to 30 mins to end.
2. Decide the objective of work games or staff games. It can be fun work games, employee motivation game, or leadership company games for employees
3. The moderator must prepare well before conducting the virtual office games like topic, description, duration, and rules; encouraging greater interactions while managing the office working games.

Also Read: Organize your life | A complete guide

Virtual office games and team bonding

Virtual office games help significantly in team bonding. It helps the team members to come together, get into light-weighted planning and strategizing, leading to the discovery of effective ways of collaboration. Virtual games for team bonding can be of 3 types,

1. Conducting online virtual team games leveraging available free games to play on Teams, Google, etc.
2. Conducting quizzes, riddles, competitions as part of fun games to motivate employees
3. Conducting activities in groups or individually celebrating any special moment, theme, day, etc. as part of the virtual team games for work; one of the popular group bonding games

Also Read: Working from home with kids | Critical items that you must know!

Challenges in organizing remote games

Highlighting certain challenges in organizing remote games with an appropriate resolution,

1. Avoidance to participate in online meeting games. Remote employees may consider office games online as an extra investment. You must elaborate on the benefits of virtual team games to increase participation
2. Some people may be shy or conservative in interacting with others during fun teamwork games. Deal with them wisely by guiding them to overcome their comfort zone via games for virtual teams
3. One of the group challenges can be non-alignment with each other’s thoughts and ideas. You have to act as a moderator in assisting the groups while conducting office games for employees

Also Read: Remote work | A how-to guide for everyone

Top 30 virtual games to play with coworkers

Now when we have understood the importance of virtual team games, and the ways to plan games for work. Let us now focus on the top 30 virtual games to play with coworkers. The list will act as a ready reckoner while ideating on conducting the games for teams. There are games for groups of varying sizes, fun games, motivational games and so on. Each sub-section below will mention the key game ideas for you to ponder upon and select the best team games.

Bonding games

A list of bonding games for your perusal,

1. Send virtual gifts and celebrate special moments by expressing good wishes; one of the most popular virtual team games to generate bonding
2. Conduct Dumb Charades where one person acts without speaking and the rest members try to guess; one of the fun games to play with coworkers
3. Normal chitchat sessions sharing interests, memories, poems, songs, etc.; a way of conducting fun games for coworkers

Fun office games for employees

Enlisted below are some interesting ideas to conduct fun office games for employees,

1. Team members dress up like a clown or funny fiction character, enact and win prizes
2. Offering virtual tours of exotic travel destinations in the world; one of the exciting games to play with coworkers while working from home
3. Scavenger Hunt is one of the fun-filled virtual team games where the participants are provided with a list of items to fetch from their house

Virtual meeting games

Enlisted below are the virtual meeting games to organize with your remote team members,

1. Solving a jigsaw puzzle online, one of the interesting games to play virtually with coworkers.
2. One of the happening virtual team games is to ask each member to prepare a summer drink of their choice instantly within minutes.
3. Members imagine being deserted on an island and offered with 20 items to survive of which they can select only 10; one of the thrilling remote games to play at work games

Also Read: Virtual ice breaker questions | An ultimate read for best results

Online office games

Conduct online office games to bring out the talent of remote employees from the below list of virtual team games ideas

1. Participants create a brand logo of the company; one of the intellectual games to play at work with employees
2. Word chain game like the first person names a city, the second person repeats and adds another city and the chain goes on
3. Participants bring in any object that describes their leadership skill and explain to all

Virtual group games

A list of virtual group games for your reference,

1. Each group describes the company via emojis to a group of aliens that have landed on earth who do not speak English; one of the fun at work games to play
2. Provide a sketch of a person to any one member of the group. Ask the person to describe the face to the other members to draw and sketch.
3. One of the interesting virtual team games can be assigning each group to prepare an animation pixel art in spreadsheets

Games for remote teams

Interesting ideas of games for remote teams that be conducted easily,

1. Each team member shares a video of their house and others are asked to guess the items inside the house; one of the fun team games to play
2. Each person guesses the emojis being used majorly by other members; one of the fun-filled virtual team games
3. Divide the participants into groups and ask each group to find out 10 things that are common to all; one of the good team games

Games for employees

Enlisted below are some virtual thrilling games for employees,

1. Each participant comes up with two true facts about themselves and a false one. Others have to guess which is true and which is false. One of the popular virtual team games.
2. One person is placed at the hot seat virtually. Others are free to ask any non-controversial question; one of the sensational online games for remote teams
3. 2 to 3 minutes slot is provided to each member to come up with a movie brief they would like to direct; one of the best games to play remotely

Also Read: Virtual party ideas | A priceless list of tips to succeed

Work from home games

A list of work from home games for entertainment and enjoyment,

1. Conduct an online scramble game; one of the prominent team building games you can play remotely
2. Each member dresses up as their favorite cartoon character and entertains others.
3. Pumpkin carving is one of the fun-filled virtual team games, especially during the autumn season

Virtual work games

Virtual work games create a sense of bonding and togetherness, as enlisted below,

1. Divide into groups and provide a situation like theft or robbery etc. with clues to resolve the mystery; one of the exciting games to play with remote employees
2. Scavenger Hunt is one of the popular virtual team games where you provide a list of items to the participants to fetch from their house within a specified time
3. Participants prepare a tagline on the company’s future 5 to 10 years down the line; one of the interesting games to play with virtual teams

Virtual games with coworkers

Wandering how to conduct virtual games with coworkers? Here is a list of some virtual team games for you to refer,

1. Participants prepare a symbol with Lego blocks representing the company’s brand; one of the exciting games to play remotely
2. Each member performs a song, dance, play a musical instrument, etc.; one of the preferred games to play at work with coworkers
3. Live brewing sessions in the kitchens of the participants; creative way to conduct fun games to play at work

Virtual games for work

A list of virtual games for work with remote employees,

1. Create an online interactive world map with each participant pinning their respective location
2. Guessing each other’s personality and interests through live interactive quiz sessions; one of the best ways to conduct working games online
3. The photo challenge is one of the interactive virtual team games where you provide employees with a caption and ask them to share photographs related to it

Virtual games for teams

Few interesting virtual games for teams working remotely,

1. Each participant draws a picture and others can guess; one of the fun-filled online games for coworkers
2. Preparing bingo cards with multiple personality characteristics written on them. Hand over to the participants and then randomly call out the characteristics. The one who can relate the maximum to themselves wins
3. Place a question starting with “What you would do… ?” and have fun listening to the answers from all; one of the funniest virtual team games

Also Read: Virtual gift ideas | A comprehensive guide

Virtual games for large groups

If you wish to conduct virtual games for large groups, here are a few for you to consider,

1. One of the popular virtual team games is fitness programs. Goals are set for each team member or a group to attain the fitness level
2. Running 5K or 10K marathon competitions is one of the thrilling work-appropriate games
3. Clean and decorate your desk with a theme in mind; a creative method to conduct the best remote games

Virtual games for coworkers

Virtual games for coworkers can be interesting if conducted properly. Here are some ideas for virtual team games,

1. Each member paints his or her face representing a concept. The winner gets a prize.
2. Employees dress up as their favorite Disney characters and enact them; among the best work game ideas
3. Members dress up as their favorite Hollywood actor or actress and present a popular dialogue or act; a fun game for office

Remote games for teams

Some creative remote games for teams connected virtually,

1. A tutorial session can be organized where each team member can bake a cake; a unique way to conduct online games at work
2. A mocktail or a cocktail can be prepared by each team member and recipe shared with all; an interesting idea for executing games for coworkers
3. Participants can prepare a traditional breakfast menu; one of the best virtual team games to showcase culinary skills

Online games to play at work

Instant online games to play at work,

1. Each team member shares a video of their house and others guess the items inside the house; a perfect idea to conduct personnel games
2. All participants hold their five fingers up. Questions will be asked for example “Have you ever tripped in front of your supervisor?” If it’s a Yes, then the participant needs to lift a finger.
3. Each of the team members shows a live picture or video of their workstation for others to list; one of the engaging virtual team games

Also Read: Problem solving activities | Everything you must know

Office meeting games

Interesting ideas for conducting office meeting games mentioned below,

1. Each participant selects one alphabet and describes themselves with 5 to 10 words starting with the alphabet; one of the best work games ideas
2. Select some random letters and display them. Ask the participants to create as many words using the letters; one of the easiest quick games for work
3. Conduct a riddle session, one of the interactive virtual team games

Motivational games for employees

Illustrated below are some motivational games for employees, ideas to conduct coworker games,

1. Divide the team into groups and distribute goodie bags with specific items. Skits need to be performed using the items as props.
2. One of the productive virtual team games leveraging online emailing tools to check how fast an employee can respond to an email message
3. Employees exchange roles between themselves and try to enact the other person; an interesting idea to execute online games with coworkers

Motivation games for work

Here are some of the motivation games for work or worker games online,

1. Members spin a virtual wheel to earn prizes like a voucher, gift card, desktop accessories, etc. One of the most inspiring virtual team games.
2. Celebrate holiday theme days like Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. and motivate employees to be in their best attire
3. You can play a month-long work game. Create a virtual snake and ladder board and each time an employee earns an achievement can move up the ladder to win.

Also Read: Voice echoing | A complete guide

Games to play at work online

Want to conduct games to play at work online? Enlisted below are few suggestions to consider for games at work,

1. Each person selects any item on their work desk and sells it to others
2. Each participant creates a flag describing their first interest in life; one of the intellectual virtual team games
3. Participants share funny pictures with their pets and share the significance of the moment

Games that can be played remotely

Some thought-provoking games that can be played remotely,

1. Motivational speaking sessions can be organized on a fortnightly basis on various topics.
2. Team members can visit a nearby beach and play beach games while being online remotely
3. Memory game is one of the prominent virtual team games where one member names an object or person, the next person repeats and adds one more name, and so on

Fun virtual games for work

Fun virtual games for work boost up the energy level of remote employees.

1. You can plan for a Juke Box where each member requests for a song to be played. All the members shake their legs with the tune.
2. Watch a movie together on a Friday afternoon. The moderator can play the host of playing the movie at his or her workstation
3. A virtual rooftop drink party can be organized with some chilled summer cool drinks and snacks; one of the best virtual team games ideas

Fun games to play at work with coworkers

You can create groups and conduct fun games to play at work with coworkers,

1. Each group imagines a fictional scientific discovery and elaborate the same
2. Conduct a debate between the groups on a specific topic related to science, current news, etc.; one of the interesting virtual team games
3. Divide into groups and provide them with a situation like theft or robbery etc. with clues to resolve the mystery

Also Read: Synchronus & asynchronus communication | A complete guide

Fun game at work

For some fun game at work, you can take a look at the virtual team games ideas below,

1. Participants describe a situation wherein they ran into a funny situation at the office without realizing what they are into
2. Each participant can mention his or her lucky number and explain moments when the numbers truly resulted in good luck or fate
3. The team members can dress up like a clown and enact funny activities

Employee game

Looking for ideas on employee game? Here are few ideas to select from,

1. Prepare an online achievements book and ask the employees to contribute pictures and write-ups on the awards and accolades earned for a collage
2. Conduct a friendly debate on breaking news related to technology or an innovation
3. Participants discover 10 things that are common to all; one of the most engaging virtual team games

Best games to play at work

Sharing the best games to play at work,

1. Participants prank each other that must be harmless and funny.
2. Collect the pictures of the childhood of each participant and place them on a common board. Ask to guess the person; one of the thrilling virtual team games
3. Conduct a Tambola game with remote employees, the winners get prizes

Also Read: Virtual water cooler | A how-to guide for everyone

Where to find office games for free?

After being acquainted with the best 100 virtual team games, the next question is where to find office games for free? Here are some online stores where you can search for team activities games, fun games for work, leadership games for virtual meetings, online teamwork games, employee engagement games, corporate games, and many more,

1. Webex games like Pictionary, Yello submarine, One word to rule them all, ice-breakers virtual team meeting games, and so on
2. Microsoft store contains a plethora of games to play with coworkers online like bike riding, car race, etc.
3. Google Play provides several work games online for free like virtual cricket, virtual football games, and so on.

Virtual game ideas software

unremot is the most user-friendly online resource available that can be leveraged to organize and conduct virtual gatherings and play games as a team, within the company. The platform is essentially designed to collaborate and interact among remote teams, thus most appropriate for those who regularly communicate.

It comes with a host of features like a virtual watercooler, cafeterias, game zones, group movie experiences, and reading zones. It is enabled with video conferencing and chat interfaces, which are exclusive to your team.

Plenty of team members have switched from coming into the office every day to staying at home for their 9-5 workday, while others have been remote for many years. Regardless of why your employees have switched or stayed remote, it’s essential to keep them in mind by recognizing their performance and abilities. Neglecting employee recognition, no matter how near or far, could be detrimental for your business, team morale, and your overall job satisfaction rates.

How Many Employees are Considered Remote?

In regards to team building and establishing strong relationships with our employees, those that don’t work in the main office are often neglected. Before the pandemic, 31% of Americans worked remotely for four to five days a week, but that number skyrocketed immediately when lockdown procedures were initiated. Some figures state that over half of the American workforce is staying home 40 hours a week in all job markets.

It’s easy to forget about something or someone that you don’t interact with daily, but your remote workers are just as valuable to your business as central office employees. 

Read: Virtual Water Cooler for remote teams in 2021 | Remote Working Made Fun

The Value of Connection Between Employees

Employees want to feel connected to their coworkers and managers. In a 2014 Globoforce study about work relationships, 93% of respondents want their colleagues to think highly of them and want to engage positively with the entire workplace. Face-to-face interaction can improve productivity, innovation, and efficiency in all collaborative efforts.

To keep morale high, which will improve the quality and quantity of work produced, a peer-to-peer recognition program isn’t just a benefit but a necessity. 

Why Remote Employee Recognition Can’t Wait

Most employees require recognition from their coworkers and management to understand if they’re doing a good job. Simply not firing them isn’t good enough to keep their worries at bay, especially if management only speaks to them to criticize. Criticism is necessary for the workplace, but it shouldn’t come without positive assertion or congratulatory statements.

Manager and worker relationships are the most important factor in regulating the moods of your employees. Sometimes the problem is more profound than a bad manager. Managers also need to have a good relationship with their higher-ups to perform better on the job. If your managers are also feeling underappreciated, why would they go out of their way to improve employee relationships at all?

Read: Managing Remote Teams: 15 effective tips that will come handy in 2021

1. Work Pressure isn’t the Culprit 

A heavy workload has little effect on the happiness of your employees. Many employers will cut back on project quantity because they think it will improve the quality of the work produced, but if the manager doesn’t have a good relationship with the employee, this will backfire. They will likely think you’re cutting back their workload because you consider them incompetent. 

2. Workers Perform Better When Appreciated

Treating your employees as people will make them better workers, but micromanaging or using other dismissive behaviors won’t. When employees feel that they affect the company’s economic performance or that they’re an essential part of the team, they are more likely to work harder. The idea that all workers are unaccountable or lazy simply isn’t accurate.

Read: Best 60 virtual gift ideas for your remote team in 2021

3. Workers Leave Jobs Because They Feel Underappreciated

There is nothing more disheartening to your employee than receiving no recognition after finishing a project, especially if they worked overtime or dropped other projects to focus on yours. Depression is likely to develop, and employees will become less open to helping you in a crisis. As a result, they will either get fired from diminishing work performance or quit in frustration.

How To Give Remote Employees The Recognition They Deserve

While it’s more challenging to show recognition to employees with whom you can’t communicate face-to-face, there are still plenty of ways to show appreciation for your workforce.

1. Encourage Equal Participation in Meetings or Group Emails

You likely converse with your remote employees via Zoom call or group email. If you don’t, this is a great place to start. Asking your remote workers to commit to a weekly meeting can help them get up to speed and feel included in company decision-making. During the meeting or email chain, go over key points, ask questions and encourage feedback.

Make your remote employees equal participants by including them in in-house meetings as well. People can join in on phone or video chat whether they’re home or on the road.

2. Recognize Contributions Publicly

Too often, contributions of remote employees go unnoticed, or a satellite office is grouped together, so recognition is given to the whole team and not the individual. A simple “good job” is incredibly meaningful, especially if congratulatory words come from a manager or CEO. However, giving individual employees recognition requires an audience to be worthwhile.

The most memorable form of recognition involves public acknowledgment because it sends a message to their coworkers on what success looks like. If a group meeting isn’t an option due to money or time restrictions, send a group email or a Slack message to all employees.

Read: Best 100 virtual party ideas for remote teams in 2021

3. Never Scapegoat

Scapegoating is when someone blames another person for their actions or the actions of others. It’s easier for remote employees to blame other remote workers because they often don’t know each other or for in-house employees to scapegoat satellite employees. In a VitalSmarts study, 41% of remote employees said their colleagues had bad-mouthed them.

Always hear both sides of the story before blaming anyone because you could lose trust in your remote employees. If the problem escalates, hold a private meeting between both parties.

4. Reach Out During Crunch Time

Most employers will let other duties fall at the wayside during tight deadlines or other stressful moments. When you feel you don’t have time for your remote employees, that’s when you should reach out to them the most. Work relationships are never secondary, and if you’re feeling the heat of an impending work crisis, they are also more likely to feel stressed as well.

Waiting several weeks before interacting with remote employees will make them feel unappreciated, so it’s important to continue communicating with them. Taking the time to reach out will improve your remote workers’ mood and increase productivity.