10 Virtual Team Building Activities to Boost Employee Engagement

Why boost employee engagement? 

Jump to an activity:

• Conversation: Just Chatting, Coffee Chat
• Puzzles and games: Escape Rooms, Trivia, Scavenger Hunt, Online Games, Murder Mystery, Game Shows
• Self-paced choices: Book Clubs, Fitness Challenges
• Review usefulness afterward

Employee engagement is a psychological state, not simply happiness. Factors such as work-life balance, work relationships, job fit, work empowerment, recognition and feedback, expectations, and growth opportunities can influence how much an employee is committed to helping the organization achieve its goals. 

A boost in employee engagement may be associated with work outcomes, but CIPD notes that most studies show correlation, not causation. This does not establish that these activities improve productivity, retention, absenteeism, job satisfaction or general well-being. 

How to tell if your team is effective

Just because a team gets along doesn't mean they are effective. Here's a quick way to discuss work coordination: use these 10 topics as prompts, not requirements that guarantee teams work well together, are productive, or create an innovative environment.  

1. Clear Expectations: As a lead, ensuring that everyone is on the same page when it comes to goal setting will let your employees understand what you expect of them. 
2. Creativity: A team that promotes creativity can invite ideas from a group and discuss which to try. 
3. Conflict: It’s expected that teams disagree, but what’s important is how teams handle this problem. 
4. Conditions: A team that is aware of office/work policies, regulations, procedures, and rules can discuss how these apply when planning projects. 
5. Cohesion: Working as one big unit, ensures that team members are connected. 
6. Continuous Improvement: If a team member goes out of their way to improve their professional growth through a certain opportunity or course, discuss how they could share or apply what they learn. 
7. Communication: When team communication is discussed it usually revolves around communication of tasks. But more importantly, discuss how feedback is given. Make “good job” feedback specific. For example: “Good job clarifying the handoff; I knew who owned the next step.” 
8. Collaboration: A team that works together succeeds together.
9. Competence: For a team to succeed each member must be able to execute their delegated duties and tasks.
10. Commitment: Discuss what supports motivation and why employees decide to remain engaged or fall out of interest, rather than judging passion or emotional attachment to their work. 

What’s a virtual team-building activity?

A virtual team-building activity is an online interaction colleagues can choose to join. Online work environments present a boundary question for employers: how to separate personal enjoyment from work-related activities, without constant work demands.

Through virtual team building activities, colleagues can connect while keeping personal life and work life separate. Virtual team-building activities aim to help employees make more meaningful connections with other employees in the same company. In-person work environments allow for office conversations; through online work environments, these small interactions may need deliberate space. When employees can make connections with one another, that is an opportunity to talk, not proof of more effective teams. 

Note: Team building activities should never be forced. Offer them during agreed working time; colleagues can decline without penalty. 

Virtual team building benefits

The aims are connection and practising interaction through a game, quiz, or fun activity, not judging a colleague’s workplace mentality. 

• Team Cohesion and Trust: Bonding and building relationships through virtual activities during agreed working time can be a shared aim, with optional participation. 
• Improved Communication and Collaboration: Virtual team-building activities offer a chance to practise communication through online platforms. If a team member can express ideas and actively listen during a virtual game they may be able to transfer those skills into those same relationships during work. 
• Strengthen Team Problem Solving: Teams can practise agreeing and disagreeing freely. Through games, they can learn to do this in a low-stakes setting. 
• Supporting Professional Development: Virtual team building activities include workshops or courses taken together, if done correctly you can foster an environment where employees feel welcomed and valued. 

10 Virtual team building activities 

Use the timings below as adjustable planning examples. Check timezone overlap and participation needs; use agreed working hours. Let colleagues decline without penalty, keep cameras and personal disclosure optional, and offer chat replies or a shared thread for later contributions when live attendance does not suit.

1. Just Chatting

A group space where employees can freely chat about personal or work life, if they choose; think of it as a virtual lounge. Cameras can stay off. Suggested: 15 minutes. 

Hosting a successful just chatting event

• Choose a platform that suits your team best, whether it’s Zoom or Discord make sure your employees are familiar and comfortable with the chosen platform.
• Set a theme, this may be the ice breaker that reduces anxiousness and awkwardness as sometimes employees are not familiar with each other's interests and therefore find it difficult to start a conversation. 
• Plan an activity: try one easy opening question, with spoken or text replies
• Encourage participation by inviting, not pressuring; listening is welcome too 

2. Online Escape Rooms 

Online escape rooms are a more exciting way to promote teamwork. The satisfaction from completing a team goal is a way you can show your team that they are capable in a fun way. 

Suggested: 30 minutes. Prepare a linked set of puzzles and clues, explain the goal, and let teams discuss solutions aloud or in chat.

3. Trivia Night 

Friendly competition can be a great way to share a game respectfully and encouragingly. Suggested: 20 minutes. 

• Choose a host to read questions and collect answers in chat
• Select a category that will be fun for everyone, anything with general knowledge or company information is usually the best
• Create teams of 3 - 5 to promote friendly competition 
• Keep score of points and offer small prizes

4. Digital Scavenger Hunt 

Digital scavenger hunts are designed to be fun and quick team-building activities. These are made for remote teams and start in a virtual meeting where you will receive clues such as “Breakfast food”. The first person to complete each clue gets a point, this could easily be turned into a team-based game as well. 

Suggested: 10 minutes. Prepare five clues; accept descriptions in chat instead of photos or live fetching.

5. Online Book Clubs

Does your team enjoy reading? Maybe a book club is the right choice for you. This allows employees to do the bulk of the activity on their own while still talking to colleagues about their favorite parts of the book or what they found intriguing. 

Suggested: two weeks to read, then 20 minutes to discuss. Agree on a short book or excerpt; post one question for live or written replies.

6. Virtual Fitness Challenges 

This activity is about self-chosen group challenges and goals. Suggested: one week. Offer movement or a nonphysical option, such as a reading break. Use optional check-ins, not health data, ability comparisons or staff rankings. 

7. Online Games

Classic games such as UNO allow employees to connect in a comfortable setting. If you are familiar with the game you can focus your attention on connection with your colleagues instead of spending your time learning instructions or game mechanics. Simple party games are best for this. 

Suggested: 20 minutes. Explain the rules, play a practice round, and allow team decisions through chat.

8. Solve a Murder Mystery 

Murder mystery cases offer a way to bond with colleagues through a fictional puzzle. Suggested: 30 minutes. Prepare a short case, clues and a solution; teams read the clues, discuss theories in voice or chat, and choose a suspect before the host reveals the answer. 

9. Coffee Chat

Some team members may struggle with naturally creating conversation, coffee chats can be a great way to know someone more and perhaps even delve into more of their interests and hobbies. 

Suggested: 15 minutes for an invited pair or small group; offer an email exchange if a call does not suit.

• Politely ask for a coffee chat through email 
• Prepare some questions or topics you’d like to talk about
• Go with the flow and feel free to go off-topic

10. Ultimate Game Shows 

Plan a game show inspired by Office Feud, Jeopardy, and Price is Right for your team to participate in. Teams strategize, compete, and work together to complete a variety of challenges and questions.

Suggested: 30 minutes. Prepare three short rounds, explain scoring, and let teams submit answers in chat before the host reveals them.

Was the activity useful?

Ask optional questions: “What did you enjoy?” “Was anything a barrier to joining?” “What should we change next time?” These are event prompts, not an engagement survey. CIPD’s employee-voice guidance stresses listening and acting on feedback; tell colleagues what you will change. Discuss work handoffs or communication separately: neither event feedback nor work observations prove games caused engagement gains. Do not rank staff by attendance, camera use or game performance.