By Lindsey Carbaugh

“Success is best when it’s shared.”—Howard Schultz

Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of us worked on-site, where we had the privilege of speaking to our colleagues face-to-face. Whether it was in times of concern/when we needed a question answered or catching up on a lunch break to get to know one another. This was “our normal” until the COVID-19 breakout, when so many of us began a full-time remote work schedule. Although several companies have since decided to return to the workplace, many have decided to continue working remotely. A team approach and getting to know one another is still vital.

It is undeniably more difficult to bond with your coworkers in a virtual environment, rather than a typical office space, as the foundations that make a strong team can get lost. We spend most of our days communicating with colleagues through a phone call or an instant message. We only know how to put a face to the name by way of their contact image in Outlook or Teams and often, individuals may not provide that. Therefore, remote team members may often feel lonely or experience a sense of isolation that creates a feeling of disconnect from the other members of their team. These negative feelings could be eliminated if the correct course of action is taken to maintain a strong work group. The goal should be to form an encouraging remote workspace. Which raises questions such as,

• How can we make working remote and hybrid more enjoyable for a team?
• How do we create an effective workspace for those balancing personal and professional life at home?
• How can we show each other appreciation to improve employee mental health?

Whether you are still fully remote or work a hybrid schedule, it is important to take the time to learn about your coworkers by way of something called ‘Team Building’.

What is Team Building?

Team Building is an ongoing process of creating a team that cohesively works together towards a common goal. This helps employees better understand each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This could be by way of activities or events designed to increase motivation, promote employee engagement, and initiate/hold solid bonds and connections with one another.

For a company to stay relevant in any market the employees must remain innovative, as a failed team significantly inhibits innovation. Creating a healthy team leads to employee engagement, collaboration, and innovation, which all work together to increase productivity and efficiency. So, what will you do to maintain, build, or rebuild your team?

Why is continuous and ongoing Team Building for remote teams beneficial?

Team Building is arguably an imperative investment to encourage a remote work team to create together. It builds trust, mitigates conflict, and encourages communication. Regularly scheduled team building events can provide a space to understand your employee’s wants and needs. Additionally, spending time together allows bonding to happen more organically and effectively, as a close-knit team will increase team performance all while improving your company’s culture. Therefore, Team Building for remote teams should never be neglected. It is key to find ways to keep the excitement going by coming together to interact in meaningful ways outside of meetings.

People are more likely to take considered risks that lead to innovation if they are confident that they have the support of their coworkers behind them. Team building can help contribute to a more creative workspace, as people tend to use more imagination when they are around others whom they are comfortable with. It permits colleagues to find skills and qualities in each other that they might not have ever known unless provided the time and means to do so. While working on an activity such as a problem-solving game or an icebreaker, we can build a stronger sense of respect for each other. If a workgroup loses touch with this, the bonds they worked so hard to create with their colleagues could slowly become strained. Once you can identify and encourage everyone to reach individual potential, your team will be able to reach its collective potential, as well.

How can you execute effective Team Building for remote teams activities and/or events?

Team Building activities have value, but these often fail because they are done poorly. Team building is an ongoing process, not a one-time activity. The right kinds of Team Building for remote teams activities can prove to be the missing link that will help your group feel more connected, identify gaps and strengths in individual members, and be able to collaborate more effectively. So, how do we execute effective team-building activities using the correct tools and techniques in a strategic manner?

It can be adventurous and enjoyable if you do it with a little pizzazz. Whether it is once a week or every few months, scheduling team-building activities will give employees something to look forward to other than project deadlines. It should be something that gets employees excited about non-work-related events during the workweek. While these activities and events should be exciting, they also should be the result of smart strategy and careful execution. This means that these strategies should involve proven methods for getting groups to cooperate and form healthy relationships.

For example, you could engage in collective problem-solving activities where you provide your team with an opportunity to reflect on recent achievements and plan ahead in a fun, relaxing environment. A game that asks for creative problem-solving is a wonderful way to bring everyone together and enable better team practices. Your team will learn how to work together more effectively and reflect on how they can take that learning back to their daily work. During these activities, be each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Make sure to avoid focusing on competing versus working together. You are a team and everyone’s individual opinion matters. When you take the time to listen to your team, such as through a group problem-solving activity, you can show them that their thoughts and knowledge are important. After each activity, reward and acknowledge the excellence of your team members. Celebrating your team members’ accomplishments brings everyone closer together because recognizing incidences of your employee’s excellence helps make their work worthwhile. These practices will entice others to continue praising their peers on a job well done in their daily work. They will make your staff feel valued but also motivated to succeed, ultimately contributing to your company’s success. Team Building can be anything from a creative problem-solving and collaboration exercise to team bonding and icebreaker activities.

Building Team Momentum

At Momentum, we strive to engage our employees in as many Team Building activities and events as possible. Whether this is a virtual Lunch and Learn, getting together to raise awareness for a good cause, or doing our best to meet in person for a holiday event, we strive to help the Momentum team feel closer. Getting to know each other on a deeper level by coming together as a unit is one of our goals. Because Momentum takes such measures to encourage employee engagement/success, we can pride ourselves in doing whatever we can to create a comfortable, motivating, and positive workspace for staff. Whether you have been working the same job with the same people for years or are a new member, always remember the importance of Team Building and the benefits it will bring to you and your company’s success.

What are your ideas for team building for remote teams? Connect with us and share your thoughts.

Written by Lindsey Carbaugh

Lindsey Carbaugh has a strong client-focused background with a proven track record for thorough and concise documentation. Strong communication skills enable her to provide direction to her team, as well as comprehensive status reporting for complex issues. She is known for specializing in continuous improvement and increasing efficiency through tools like the project retrospective, which has provided her team with the organization and strategies necessary to increase their success in the future. Ms. Carbaugh’s current focus is working within the state government sector to ensure the availability of public services.