Ever since COVID-19 swept across the world, a lot of things that normally would strengthen companies and businesses were put on hold indefinitely. On top of disrupting normal business operations, it also affected things that could build a better corporate culture such as team-building events.

However, despite the restrictions of physical distancing, team leaders, managers, executives, and business owners found several creative ways to solidify their team’s interpersonal relationships that can positively affect their work output.

Here are a few team-building activities that people can do amid a pandemic:

Online Activities

The safest way to bond as a team is to utilize technology and go online via Zoom, Skype, or other similar messaging or web seminar platforms.

1. Friday Happy Hour

Happy hours are a great way to end the workweek. After a long hard week of hustling and grinding, you all deserve a nice cold drink. You and your team can do a virtual happy hour and just chill and talk about anything and everything like what the craziest thing happened at work that week or what you have planned for the weekend.

2. Online Challenges and Competitions

Challenges and friendly competitions are great ways to expose a person’s strengths. But the main goal of these contests is not to outdo each other but to give everyone a healthy distraction that will still make them productive, have fun, and build better team relations.

3. Satirical Awards Ceremony

Once in a while, it’s fun to hold give out awards that poke fun at people. You can give out awards for those who have the most ridiculous Zoom background or those who always have the most disruptive pets in meetings. Just make sure that the categories that you set don’t cross any lines. Make them fun and wholesome.

4. Outdoor Photography Challenges

Photography challenges allow people to put their creativity to the test. And since most people are stuck at home during this time, everyone on your team could use a break and step outside for a while.

5. Secret Santa

In such trying times, we need every little thing that can help cheer us up. And there’s nothing like spreading holiday cheers even if it’s not Christmas. You can do a Secret Santa with your team to help boost morale and make each one feel valued.

6. Arts and Crafts Day

Another great way for the team to have fun and unleash their creativity is through a show-and-tell of their arts and crafts projects. The goal is not a competition but rather relaxation and self-discovery.

7. Virtual Water Cooler Chats or Lunches

Virtual lunches and chats that have absolutely nothing to do with work can foster greater camaraderie as folks work remotely. This builds strong personal relationships that give each one a feeling of belonging to a family more than just a team of professionals brought together.

8. MTV Cribs

On one of your online meetings, perhaps you can ask one or two to show give everyone a virtual tour of their home and tell them some interesting stuff about certain things around the house.

Social Distancing In-Person Activities

While personnel training, such as automotive trade skills training, can be done in-person or virtually, team-building activities are definitely more fun in person. You can have teams wear custom-made shirts sporting their team logos. Doing this would definitely add to the level of competitiveness and fun in your company team building.

9. Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts can be done socially-distant as you exercise both body and mind. You can do this in teams to make it a bit more competitive. This is a great way to build stronger communications and greater team productivity.

10. Outdoor Cookouts

Good old-fashioned cookouts are always great team-builders. It’s a great way to see each other again after months of being holed up at home. Just make sure you stay six-feet apart from each other to keep everyone safe as you enjoy all the good food and great company.

11. Pet Playdates

Get together with the team and bring your pets along to the park for an afternoon playdate. It’ll provide everyone a much-needed outdoor time and interact with each other like normal human beings used to.

12. Go running, biking, or hiking

We all know how exercise can help improve one’s immune system. Make exercise more fun by doing it together with your teammates outdoors.

Hybrid

Hybrid events accommodate both those who are comfortable meeting in-person while social distancing and those who would rather just stay home to be safe.

13. Share Home Recipes

Sharing of home recipes can be done both virtually and in-person. You can host an outdoor team lunch or dinner and bring home-cooked food to share while those at home can get copies of the different recipes and choose which ones to prepare for themselves as they join you live online.

14. Watch Shows or Movies

Watching movies with teammates was pretty common before the pandemic. It gave them the chance to not just relax and unwind but to also socialize and get to know each other more. A pandemic alternative to this would be hosting a Netflix party in a big space where people can watch and stay at least six feet apart. Those at home can watch the same show or movie with you in real-time while live-chatting with the rest of the team.

While we’re still not out of the woods as far as this pandemic is concerned, team-building activities will look like the ones we listed above. Despite the limitations, they can still be a lot of fun if only people get into the spirit of it. Hopefully, it won’t take us long before we go back to how things were pre-COVID.