In a world where over 600 employees from 50+ different countries come together to work remotely, the magic of team building still plays a vital role. It's no secret that building trust among coworkers can be challenging when face-to-face interaction is limited to tiny squares on a screen. Today, we're sharing practical advice and real use cases from Maryna Chernyshevych, who has successfully organized over 70 events for colleagues this year alone, ranging from intimate team gatherings to company-wide celebrations.
Remote work brings incredible flexibility, allowing our team to contribute from almost any corner of the world. But with it comes the challenge of building connection, trust, and that irreplaceable sense of belonging—all while staring at a screen. A well-planned online team-building activity can be that breath of fresh air that rekindles relationships and strengthens collaboration. At RISK, we've discovered that regular virtual gatherings have become the cornerstone of maintaining our company culture and keeping teams connected across continents.
So how do we ensure that our 600+ RISKers, spread across 50+ countries, feel connected and engaged? Here's how:
The key to a successful online team-building event starts with understanding who you're working with. This understanding is crucial to delivering an event that makes everyone feel included, heard, and excited. At RISK, this means considering team members from Asia to America, accommodating various cultural backgrounds and work schedules.
Consider your participants' different time zones, cultures, ages, and personal preferences. RISKers are all unique—embracing that diversity is step one. We've learned that using tools like World Time Buddy helps find optimal meeting times, while pre-event surveys reveal fascinating insights about team interests. For instance, our tech teams often gravitate toward coding challenges, while creative departments enjoy collaborative art projects.
One of the secrets behind a wow-organized online team building is to embrace creativity. Bring your own twist to activities that might otherwise seem mundane. Remember, these activities don't just fill up time—they should create memories.
Adding a theme can instantly make an online gathering more memorable. This year, we treated our employees to several exciting themed meetings during the holiday season. First, we organized a festive quiz that included questions not only about New Year and Christmas but also about our company, its values, and history. Additionally, we gathered in teams to "cook together" elaborate holiday dishes – and we succeeded, despite the distance! When working online, you really miss that authentic personal communication vibe, and such activities are exactly what remote teams need.
We've found that unexpected moments create the most memorable experiences. For instance, during one of our virtual gatherings, we arranged for team leaders to suddenly appear in costume, completely transforming the meeting's energy. These 'wow' moments keep participants engaged and create stories that teams share long afterward.
At RISK, we've learned that starting with energy is crucial. We create carefully curated playlists that reflect our diverse team's musical tastes. Our most successful sessions often begin with a quick dance break or movement exercise - it might feel awkward at first, but it never fails to break the ice and get people laughing.
Technology is your best friend for virtual team-building, but it needs thoughtful selection and testing. At RISK, we've discovered a winning combination of platforms that keep our teams engaged and excited:
Our go-to platform for quizzes and knowledge battles is Kahoot - it adds a competitive spirit and gets everyone involved, whether we're testing company knowledge or playing just for fun. For more strategic entertainment, we've found great success with online Mafia games, which create an atmosphere of intrigue and encourage communication even through screens.
For large groups (100+ participants), we use a combination of main session platforms and breakout tools. Zoom and Microsoft Teams serve as our primary platforms, but we enhance them with interactive tools like Mentimeter for real-time polling and engagement.
For smaller team sessions (10-30 people), we focus on platforms that enable more intimate interaction. Breakout rooms become essential here - we've hosted virtual escape rooms, cooking classes, and even art workshops by splitting larger groups into smaller, more manageable teams.
The best online team-building events keep energy high throughout the session. We've learned through experience that variety is key. Our most successful icebreakers involve personal storytelling - like asking team members to share an object that tells a story about their life or showing their favorite coffee mug and explaining why they chose it. These simple prompts often reveal fascinating insights about our colleagues and create natural conversation flows.
The secret to preventing "Zoom fatigue" is constant interaction. We make sure no one feels like a passive observer. During our online events, we encourage:
- Regular chat participation with specific prompts
- Using reaction buttons to show engagement
- Quick polls between activities to maintain momentum
- Small group discussions in breakout rooms where everyone gets a chance to speak
Through trial and error, we've found that 60-90 minutes is the sweet spot for online engagement. Even our most exciting events follow this rule. We break down longer sessions into digestible chunks with clear transitions and short breaks. For instance, during our two-hour holiday events, we include 5-minute "refresh breaks" every 45 minutes, often with a fun task to complete during the break.
At RISK, we offer our employees compensation for an elegant dinner if the event takes place outside working hours. This small gesture shows we value their personal time and adds a tangible element to virtual gatherings. It's amazing to see how team members share photos of their meals and create spontaneous conversations around food and local cuisines.
One of our biggest online team building successes at RISK was the Christmas Advent Calendar. Like excited children, all our employees eagerly participated in this two-week advent, discovering new puzzle tasks each day. We wore our favorite ugly sweaters, reminisced about childhood memories, prepared festive dinners, and created holiday cards. Each day brought a new surprise - from virtual cookie decorating contests to holiday trivia challenges. Team members from different time zones would wake up excited to check what the day's activity would be.
The engagement was remarkable - we saw team members who usually stayed quiet in meetings actively participating and sharing their holiday traditions from around the world. The post-event survey revealed that 75% of participants rated the idea and organization a perfect 10 out of 10 and expressed interest in participating in similar activities in the future. This heartwarming response showed us that even virtual celebrations can create genuine connections and lasting memories.
Don't try to hide technical glitches or awkward moments - embrace them! Some of our most memorable team moments came from unexpected situations, like when someone's cat walked across their keyboard during a crucial moment in our online Mafia game.
Get team members involved in planning and executing events. When people take ownership, they're more likely to participate enthusiastically and encourage others to join in.
Organizing an engaging online team-building event is all about understanding the uniqueness of your audience, maintaining an interactive and inclusive atmosphere, and giving people an experience they'll remember. At RISK, we've found that these virtual connections keep us going—they are the threads that tie our 600+ RISKers from 50+ countries together, reminding us that we are part of something bigger.
The key to success lies not in trying to perfectly replicate in-person experiences, but in creating new, meaningful ways to connect virtually. Each event teaches us something new about engaging our global team, and we continue to evolve our approach based on feedback and experiences.
If you're organizing your next online team-building event, feel free to use these insights, add your own creative spin, and make it unforgettable. Remember, the goal isn't perfection - it's creating moments of genuine connection and shared experiences, even across screens and time zones. Happy team building!
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