10 Ways to Encourage Remote Team Building

Posted by Jake Mandel on Dec, 15, 2020

With many organizations transitioning to remote work, businesses now need to build alternative ways to encourage collaboration, strengthen employee relationships and create an environment that fosters teamwork.

Companies must now look at virtual ways to encourage team building

The work-from-home experiment was forced upon a large number of organizations in 2020, but many businesses have realized the benefits that this flexible way of working can bring - and they’re not looking back as we move into 2021. 

Remote work can lead to benefits such as:

  • Increased productivity
  • Reduced staff turnover
  • Improved job satisfaction
  • Lower business expenses
  • Greater access to talented and highly-skilled workers
  • And many others! 

However, a remote workforce does bring some challenges. Organizations have to make more of an effort to ensure their remote workers establish and maintain relationships with their peers, helping to create a virtual environment of collaboration and teamwork. 

Check Out Our Virtual Team Building Programs

With that in mind, Teambonders has created a list of the top 10 ways that your organization can encourage remote team building. 

#1 - Host a virtual team building event 

Company-wide events are a fantastic way to get your employees to talk and mingle with their peers. Virtual team building activities will create fun and engaging environments where your employees forget they’re not sitting in the same location, and instead learn how they can better collaborate and work together virtually. 

#2 - Encourage your team to check-in daily

It’s important not to allow any remote employee to feel siloed from your organization. Encourage daily check-ins with your entire team, where they can update their peers about what they are working on and what they hope to achieve. As a result, your team will feel happy in the knowledge that they are working together to achieve your business goals.

#3 - Celebrate important milestones, as well as team and individual successes

If you don’t acknowledge your remote employees while they are working from home it’s likely they will start to feel under-appreciated. Make your employees feel like a valuable member of your team by celebrating important events and successes such as birthdays, weddings, certifications and good work.

#4 - Use video meetings 

Businesses today have a wide number of videoconferencing technologies available to them. Hosting regular video meetings for your employees will bring your team together for face-to-face conversations. This is important for employees who will likely spend most of their time working on their own while at home.

#5 - Host virtual training sessions

Virtual training sessions are a great way for employees to learn new skills and progress their careers, but they are also a vehicle that brings remote workers together. By bringing your remote employees together to work on a fun and engaging topic, your company will build stronger relationships among your virtual team members. 

#6 - Encourage water cooler conversations with instant messaging

When working remotely you can’t exactly gather everyone around a table for a slice of cake and your team members can’t bump into each other while making a coffee. That’s why it’s important that your business uses an instant messaging platform, such as Slack, to promote water cooler conversations among your team. Not all conversations have to be professional, this helps to build stronger relationships between your employees.

#7 - Support charities and local initiatives on behalf of your employees

Employees of your organization want to feel like they are making a difference, both at their job and in their local community. When working remotely, however, employees can easily become disconnected from what truly matters to them. Support your employees through virtual team-building activities that raise money for charity and local initiatives. 

#8 - Create a virtual office

Want to take video meetings to the next level? Why not host a virtual office for an hour or two each week where your employees work with their video turned on. It’s not a meeting so peers don’t have to talk for the entire time, but employees can ask each other questions and collaborate on projects for a short spell instead of working on their own. 

#9 - Share a virtual lunch

When working in an office employees often join each other for lunch, helping to build relationships with their peers. Why not encourage your remote employees to have a conversation over a lunch or a coffee break with the creation of a virtual break room?

#10 - Ask team members to give a tour of their home offices

Encouraging team members to give their team a virtual tour of their home office will allow your employees to bond over mutual interests. They can talk about their pets, the posters on their wall or anything else they see in the office. This will help to strengthen the relationships between your team members.


Are you looking to host a virtual team building event that will improve collaboration, teamwork and happiness among your remote team? Contact Teambonders today. Our team of world-class team building experts would love to help.

Check Out Our Virtual Team Building Programs

Tags: "Virtual Events"