How to Unify and Motivate Remote Teams

March 31 2022 - Many business owners and managers have taken the first steps involved in getting their teams set up to work remotely, with lots of companies now more established with a remote or hybrid team two years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote teams are now more likely to be comfortable with working from home, have the right tech tools set up, processes clearly defined, and video conference accounts permanently logged into. However, getting all the right processes and tools set up is just one part of creating a remote work environment that is effective for employees. Unifying and motivating your remote team is a crucial step in the process of creating a truly effective and productive work environment. So, what can companies do to improve remote teamwork?

Ice Breaker Activities

Along with adjusting to working from home, it’s likely that your team might also be getting used to having new people join the team who they may not have had the chance to meet and get to know in person. Some people will feel awkward making small talk with strangers, especially in a remote setting, so it’s a good idea to encourage ice breaker activities that your team can take part in to get to know one another better. There are lots of great options to consider. BreakoutIQ offer a wide range of virtual icebreakers including virtual escape room games, ‘Get to Know Me’ quizzes and more.

Schedule Water Cooler Breaks

In the office, teams have access to a physical water cooler where they can take a short break and catch up with their co-workers. However, they don’t have this when they are working remotely, so it’s a good idea to create one for them. Using the video chat platform that you would normally all be logged into, you can schedule a break during the way where employees are encouraged to talk about non-work stuff or ask your team to come to a meeting a little bit earlier so that everybody can have an informal catch up.

Live Remote Office

While this option might not work well for everybody since some people genuinely do work better when they are just left to get on with it, those who feel that they are not getting the same benefit socially or as part of a team as they would when in the office might like the idea of a live remote office. Essentially, this involves everybody joining a virtual meetup or a team video chat when they sign on in the morning, to mimic being in an office environment.

Virtual After-Work Activities

If one of the main things that you and your team miss about being in the office is the chance to catch up and have some fun at a local bar after work, then you might want to schedule this virtually. Staying logged in with a drink after the working day or week is over is a good way to get to know new virtual colleagues, catch up with other team members and strengthen the team without the pressures of work and deadlines involved.

Remote teams are becoming more and more commonplace. Whether you’re quite established now as a remote workforce or still have some issues to iron out, these are some of the best ways to unify remote workers.

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