COVID-19 disrupted business all over the world and many companies have since been forced to embrace telecommuting.
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Not having the need to squeeze with the crowd on public transport and the time saved from travelling to and fro your workplace are just some of the benefits of working from home. However, there are downsides to working from home and not seeing your colleagues at work too. As time goes by, some employees may start to feel stressed out with all the disturbances at home, or even feel isolated with the lack of connections with their colleagues.
On top of that, if the team has got new hires during this WFH period, the new members may feel disconnected and unsupported, because it is hard to form that tight-knit camaraderie when you see each other only once a week over Zoom calls.
It is important for the team leader to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in the team while we are all working from home, and one of the ways to do so is to carry out virtual team bonding activities once in a while. Think of them as the daily lunchtime gossips and chit chats that we used to have when we were at our workplace.
Here are 5 virtual team bonding activities that you can try with your team to encourage more sharing and interactions. And especially when you have new members on the team, it will be an opportunity for everyone to know everyone better. Have fun!
1. House Tour
Get each team member to do a house tour or a room tour, and highlight their favourite corners in the house. If their family members or housemates aren’t the shy types, it will be great to get them to say hello to the team, and they can also show off their cute little furry friends at home if they are pet owners.
2. Share photos
Get each team member to pick 2 or 3 of their favourite photos that mean something to them. The photos should not be work-related, and they can be anything related to their loved ones, their hobbies, or even be an important memory to them. It will be a great way to know your colleagues better.
3. Show and tell
Is this a reminder of your primary school assessments? Yes, but now we are doing it the adult way and no, you will not be graded. Get team members to pick out an item that is meaningful to them, and get them to share about where and how they got it, and why it is important to them.
4. Hold a virtual KTV session
Have some fun together as a team with a virtual Karaoke session on 全民Party (translated to “Everyone Party. Download on Apple App Store or Google Play Store). Appoint one team member to be the DJ to host the session, and have fun singing along to the top hits. Comment on each others singing and even engage in non-singing related chit chat in the chat room.
5. Play virtual games
Houseparty app (download on Apple App Store or Google Play Store) blew up when the Circuit Breaker started as a means for family and friends to gather and connect with each other. Why not use it with your colleagues too? Set aside some time for a gaming session. Encourage, or even diss each other (that is if your workplace culture permits!). Have fun and get to know each other better!
