If Your Team Members Work Remotely, Find Ways for Them to Bond

April 8, 2019

If Your Team Members Work Remotely, Find Ways for Them to Bond

Remote workers often feel excluded from company culture. To build camaraderie on a geographically dispersed team, find meaningful ways for people to connect online. One effective approach is to have everyone watch the same TED talk, read the same book or article, or take the same online learning course, and then discuss it over videoconference. Kick off virtual meetings with an icebreaker question that has nothing to do with work (say, “How did you take your coffee this morning?”) to get people relaxed and talking. Another surprisingly helpful tool is video games — yes, video games. While it may sound odd, playing a game that forces people to collaborate and allows them to fail can have multiple benefits: building trust, encouraging them to speak up, and revealing how they navigate challenges together. Doing a group activity like this, even one that may not seem to belong on company time, can be great for team cohesion.

Adapted from “Ideas for Helping Remote Colleagues Bond,” by Kuty Shalev