We all crave interaction and fun, even in our workspaces. As more and more companies move to remote work opportunities to meet the demands of the current workforce, many are struggling to find ways to build their teams and keep them connected with the physical spread. Virtual meetings are here to stay, but with some planning, work from home does not have to feel isolating.

Remote opportunities leapt from under 4% of all high-paying jobs before the pandemic to about 9% at the end of 2020. Then to more than 15% in early 2022. According to researchers at Ladders, who began tracking work from home trends at the start of the pandemic, this data shows the need for interconnected activities in the remote workspace – and companies are answering the call.

The rise of job burnout jumped to an all-time high at the beginning of 2022, as noted by the American Psychological Association’s Work and Well-Being study. Their recent survey found that 79% of the 1,501 employees interviewed experienced work-related stress in the month before the survey. Three in five workers said work-related stress caused them a lack of interest, motivation, and energy at work. Additionally, 36% complained of cognitive weariness, while 32% experienced emotional exhaustion. In the same survey, 44% of respondents cited physical fatigue. This is a 38% jump from 2019. 

Remote Bliss published a list of the best companies providing work from home, and there were several common denominators. Each company on the list operated with 100% distributed teams, and they encouraged their employees to build fulfilling careers from anywhere in the world. 

To support them along the way, the companies provide some incredible perks and benefits, many related to webinars and video conferencing tools that help make work from home easy. If you are currently building a remote workforce, planned virtual social events and icebreakers for team building can be the secret to cementing a strong company culture, even when you can’t be physically close.

Ideas for Icebreakers

Virtual team building activities can help colleagues bond, communicate and collaborate without having to sit down face-to-face. When it comes to virtual meetings, icebreakers, can play a big role in getting everyone engaged and talking. And considering video conferencing is here to stay in the  post-pandemic world, it’s imperative that companies utilize virtual team building. 

Some unique and easy to incorporate ideas include:

Interactive Bucket Lists

–  Provide a fun way for coworkers to see what goals and activities they have in common.

Birth Map Bingo

–  Guess who was born where and find some geographical connections

Home-based Scavenger Hunt

–  Everyone on the team will have to think quickly to grab household items. This requires little to no prep, and you’ll quickly learn who has what on their desks.

Trivia

–  A wide variety of trivia games are available through a simple search on the internet. Find something that is themed around a popular television show or even your work genre.

Yes, And… 

–  This is an impromptu game that you can use anytime you feel you’re losing a team connection. Just start telling a wild story, then the next person continues it with “yes, and…” and adds their portion.

Recipe Recreation

–  This one takes a little bit more prep. Each team member recreates a recipe sent out in advance. Since there can’t be a taste swap, everyone is judged on their plating and presentation. If you’ve seen the reality tv show Nailed It, you know this can be super fun!

The Clear.Live Difference

Virtual team building is important to the interconnectivity and viability of remote workers, and icebreakers can be a great way to bring your virtual meeting to the next level. Clear.Live was built with robust features to keep co-workers engaged, including chats, surveys, polls, quizzes, and questionnaires. 

Sign up for a free trial today!