Hybrid Team Building Activities for Your Hybrid Office
Hybrid workplaces are everywhere, and countless offices include fully or partially work-from-home (WFH) employees. So how do you put together fulfilling, engaging hybrid team building events?
Planning fun virtual team building activities or in-person events that work for hybrid groups can be a challenge. But it can be done, as long you remember to be flexible. To help you get started, here are nine hybrid team building ideas and fun virtual team building activities to fit just about any group. We’ve also included some recent real-life examples of our work helping clients incorporate their WFH colleagues.
Solve a Murder Mystery
When a Watson Adventures staffer is killed, it’s up to you and your colleagues to uncover his secrets and solve the murder. The Virtual Murder by Team Building Game is perfect for hybrid groups because teams can work together no matter where they are. Remote workers and in-person players can match wits over Zoom to solve the puzzles and unravel the mystery.
Play a Game at the Same Time in Multiple Locations
Many of our games, including the Grab ‘n’ Go Scavenger Hunt, can be enjoyed no matter where your colleagues are. That hybrid approach has benefited many of our clients, even in the past few months. Recently, a global marketing company brought together staff in a variety of cities across the country. They wanted two options: one would be a virtual game for those who wanted to stay close to home and/or are the sole staffer in their area. The other group would compete in-person on a Grab ‘n’ Go hunt, with teams calling in via Zoom to get their instructions. Each location was its own team competing against other cities’ teams.
In another instance, a multi-national tech company wanted to celebrate National Intern Day. The majority of their interns are all over the country, so they wanted a virtual game. But since one-quarter of their interns are in one office, we ran an in-person version of the game for them.
Name That Tune
Did you know you can play music through Zoom? When you Screen Share, click the Advanced Tab up top. Click the Music or Computer Sound Only button, and Zoom will share the audio playing on your computer. Prepare a playlist in advance, or pull one up on your preferred music service, and let players guess each song by playing a short snippet for them.
Virtual Coffee Klatch
Simply chatting over a cup of coffee can be a great opportunity for colleagues to catch up and build rapport, even if they have never met in person. Schedule a morning meetup among in-office and remote workers, or carve out time before a regularly scheduled meeting, and devote the time entirely to casual conversation. No shop talk allowed!
Pictionary
This classic game is easy to translate into Zoom, thanks to Whiteboard and Screen Share. One person on each team can draw something while the rest of the team guesses what it is. (Bonus: The difficulty of “drawing” on the Whiteboard using a mouse often adds an unintended level of hilarity to games like this.)
Happy Hour
Hybrid groups can enjoy a happy hour anytime, whether as a dedicated event or simply to liven up a meeting. Team members gathering in person can enjoy a mixology kit together. And if sending everyone their own kits isn’t feasible, team members at home can make their own favorite drink, which gives them each a chance to talk about their creation.
Virtual Trivia Games
Tackle trivia together, no matter where your colleagues are, on one of our many virtual trivia games. Each game consists of five rounds of fun challenges, ranging from name-that-tune audio rounds, fictional dating profiles, trivia with visual cues, and more. You won’t need a bunch of trivia geniuses to play, either. No matter the theme, each game is designed so that anyone can compete and win. So even non-sports fans will love Go for the Gold! The Olympics Trivia Game, for example, and your whole group will be wowed by the Fascinating Facts Trivia Game.
Recently, a law firm wanted to include their smaller offices in a game. We ran a Trivia Slam from their conference room in Chicago while the other offices teamed up and video-conferenced in to participate.
DIY Trivia
Whether you devote an entire event to it or sprinkle it into meetings, groups everywhere can play trivia. You can put together trivia about famous movies or surprising events in history. Or to put a personal spin on it, ask colleagues ahead of time for silly or embarrassing stories, and make a game out of those. Then compete in groups or individually, and award the winner with a prize.
Magic Show
If you want a morale-boosting activity everyone can relax and enjoy, book a virtual magic show. Close-up magicians and mentalists have carved out their own niche in the world of Zoom entertainment. Acts like Phil “The Magic Man” combine card tricks, mind tricks, and audience participation into surprising, mesmerizing shows.
Paint and Sip
Studios offering paint-and-sip activities exploded in popularity pre-pandemic, and virtual offerings have kept that going ever since. Companies like Paint and Sip Live put on virtual painting parties that can work for hybrid groups, engaging coworkers’ minds, hands, and senses of creativity. And of course, the wine part is entirely optional.
Find More Fun
Check out our hybrid team building games and fun virtual team building activities. Contact us to learn more and to start arranging your own team building event.
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Image credits: Lead photo by Sigmund on Unsplash; coffee photo by Mad Fish Digital on Unsplash