Many teams and companies are currently struggling with the same question: how to build and maintain team spirit? According to research, teleworking does not so much reduce productivity as it does team cohesion and innovation. As the corona has lengthened, well-being at work has taken a downward turn. Something should be done together to get the mood right. One concrete question is the team day: what to do at such a day? Here are some perspectives on how to organise a remote team day.

This article is based in part on our popular pre-Christmas article on interest rate safe Christmas parties. It has been updated to cover team days, leisure days and quiet days - and to focus purely on remote working.

Tip 1: think carefully about the time of the event. 

Expectations and demands are much higher in the evening. In most cases, it is worth considering running the programme at least mainly during working hours, so that, for example, family or hobbies do not compete for time and attention. In addition, you can offer the possibility of "extensions" for those who are interested.

Tip 2: don't raise expectations with a name based on the awesomeness of live events 

The name matters, it sets expectations and downloads. A "Spring Day" Zoom that exceeds expectations is better than a less than expected execution of a traditional company/team celebration called by the same name as the big traditional celebrations. Different party, different name - and of course it can be great or fun too, as long as it doesn't raise false expectations.

Tip 3: it is usually not worth informing people in detail about the programme in advance. 

A lot of things are really nice when you start doing them after drinking in a shared mood. When you read the instructions alone beforehand, it's easy to get preconceived and disappointed. Some things are still worth telling in advance - such as whether you expect the video to be on during the remote meeting, from what time the event will run, whether you need to book refreshments or how and when they will be delivered - but usually not the exact content of the programme.

Tip 4: "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it" as the song says. 

It's usually not about whether origami folding is fun in itself, but whether you feel like you're getting enough instruction, what the atmosphere is like, and whether it's connected to something interesting (like origami from our departments or projects vs. origami just because). If you're not sure how to lead into a topic, ask someone with experience in the field for help.

Tip 5: An outsider helps sell the new activity to participants

There are two reasons for this. We have ideas and expectations of each other, it is difficult to see a familiar person in a new role. Secondly, being a guest helps: the outsider is listened to more carefully and can be brought into the group more easily. It could be someone from another department or a professional presenter, but a little bit of an outsider brings an exotic atmosphere that often makes people more willing to try something new.

Tip 6: Story and pace are important!

The best jugglers can throw a lot of bowls, but even three balls can make for an even more entertaining show when it's connected to the story and progresses in an interesting way. That's why it's probably worth doing that fun drawing exercise you've come up with about something significant, like company strategy or a song about a board meeting. Whatever we do, it's worth linking it to something of shared significance. It's good to move things along at a pace that prevents participants from looking at the clock or getting bored. Pace is a demanding issue with a group: on the one hand, you have to be calm, but on the other hand, it is not good to be slow.

Tip 7: Boundaries facilitate creativity. 

It is usually easier to quickly name five animals than five nouns. It is easier to think of many ways to use a chair to commit a crime than to think of how to use a chair. If you are asked to do something creative, don't be afraid to draw boundaries.

Tip 8: Don't pretend you're doing the perfect event. 

On the contrary, you can joke at the appropriate point that, considering the expectations, this is going well, or whoops, that went like that, and the next one will be a really good thing. This is a demanding question: on the one hand, the presenter or host of the situation must present things with full force and with the feeling that this is a good thing and now this is being done, without apologising - on the other hand, sometimes a little self-criticism can do a lot of good and put the presenter on the same side as the others.

Tip 9: Say events, even unusual ones 

If you notice that some people are getting bored, you can, for example, verbalise your comment and say that we're going to pick up the pace. That way you're with the group.

Tip 10: If you have common items, open the packages together 

If you deliver something to the participants in advance, please instruct them to open the package at the same time at the event. This is the best way to maintain the atmosphere. Contrast this with a situation where, for example, the catering or decorations are waiting on the corner of your desk for a week without you knowing what they're supposed to do.

Below are 31 things you could do!

It is challenging to organise something new remotely when so much has already been done. Here's a list of different possibilities to stimulate you.

Things to do together

1. Shared meals, even a little more special. Exceptionally, the tax authorities now allow catering services paid for by the employer to be provided remotely, without any tax advantage for the employees. If you are holding a team day at a distance, this is probably worth taking advantage of.
2. Decorating a cupcake or similar small pastry. Send everyone a packet with decorating supplies and a treat to decorate. Each person draws a colleague to decorate for. A little time for decorating - and then guess who everyone has decorated for and hear the background and explanations. "I decorated for you like this because..." You can also use materials from home. You can put other things together in the same package, and possible serving pieces. 
3. Folding origami (or other crafting) remotely, using a normal A4 sheet as a starting point. As the tips say, it's worth tying in the theme of creative making to something common.
4. Writing poems, for example haiku, on work-related themes. A clear format makes it easy to do. This, like many other creative activities, needs a skilled facilitator to help overcome obstacles.
5. Mindfulness or yoga at a distance. Of course, only if the group is generally interested in the topic. On a couple of occasions I have been involved in a very successful mindfulness tea session. At best, the implementation is concise and at the right point in the programme. 
6. An evening of remote talent. If there are people in the group who are brave enough to show off their skills, this can work. I've been involved in a workplace remote project where the musicians were found within the group. This requires asking in advance, it's very rare that performances come about spontaneously. 
7. Social games remotely - if the group likes that kind of thing. For example, Pictionary and Alias work remotely - and if you draw on a shared whiteboard, the fumbling mouse drawing adds to the fun.
8. Who's most likely to... ask a question, each person writes an answer and press enter in chat at the same time. E.g. who has the most culinary lunches on weekdays, who takes the most brisk morning walks, who collects corona ice cream in their kitchen, who travels the furthest when it becomes legal again, who sleeps the longest on holidays, etc. The person with the most guesses in each round is picked, and possibly given a title and a small prize.
9. In a remote environment, one possibility is to have a different spring memory for each person. In this case, it's a good idea to group the ideas so that everyone can suggest gifts for each other. This is more work than buying a bottle of wine, but presenting the package on camera can bring some soul to an otherwise remote team day.

External performers or programmes

10. Virtual cartoon workshop - learn how to make cartoons. This can be both fun and useful. (Note: I was a co-founder of the Pussycat Makers myself).
11. Stand-up comedians can work well remotely, especially if they tailor their performance at least to some extent to the group and the situation. 
12. A speaker to give a presentation remotely - depending on the team day, the topic could be more light-hearted. For example, there are plenty of speakers available on the Speakers' Corner.
13. A remote gig by a band or musician. Support the artists at the same time!
14. Improvised music from professionals, with the possibility of including content from the company and the group. So the audience can ask for songs about a current project, IT systems or anything else. There are many improvisational theatre groups and a few specialised bands in Finland, e.g. Katriinamies-improduo, where I have good experience.
15. Virtual cooking course 
16. Remote chocolate tasting (or any other remote tasting).

Electronic exercises and games

17. Alongside the rest of the programme, "bullshit bingo" remotely, on topics such as teleworking vocabulary.
18. Scripts competition. The competition can be taken as a relay, where several people are in the same team. 
19. For spreadsheet art (all colors and characters allowed), you can make a base with cells in a square shape.
20. Can you hear me? One of the team members takes a random picture. His/her task is to describe the picture, and the others draw it. There are constraints on the description, such as only being able to use geometric shapes and their positions. You can also limit the time or the number of words. Drawing can be done on paper or digitally. The pictures are presented and the illustrator chooses the most appropriate picture to be drawn next. This is a great way to practice effective online communication!
21. Guessing your favourite emoji. Most instant messengers (Slack, Teams, etc.) group the user's most frequently used favorites separately or first. Team members guess from each colleague which are their most used emoticons.
22. Guess who's on the mothers. Preparation: take a screen shot of the smiley faces in the instant messenger and name the rows and columns as you would in a spreadsheet (e.g. B5 is a specific smiley face). One team member starts. His/her task is to show one smiley face, leaving the others to guess what it is. The first guesser plays the next one. Usually this can be done by free speech as in Pictionary, so no limit on the number of guesses etc.
23. "Virtual cocktail event". Split into groups (e.g. breakout rooms), free to change groups, with topics assigned to each group. For example, bad jokes, an account of winter events, a "you're a good guy" group, i.e. positive feedback to colleagues, etc. So it's reminiscent of the Open space facilitation technique, in a very simple way. Works for example towards the end of an event.

Team discussions about us, work, etc. in a relaxed atmosphere

24. SmoothTeam has eight simulations, three of which can be used in a relaxed team day. Not only is a simulation fun, but you also get to know your colleagues. The simulation breaks the ice for discussions about who we each are. The best part of a team day is Team strengths(This and the next two are from us, feel free to ask for more).
25. Similar to the previous one, SmoothTeam's Agility Simulation is also cheerful in nature and can be used in the context of a team day.
26. SmoothTeam management team simulation also works for non-management teams when the work of the team is self-directed in nature. This is another option to try, especially if the team has already played the two simulations mentioned above.
27. Stories about us, for example: everyone puts a few words on a virtual sticky note about their own history, with a headline about a story that others don't know but could tell. So it's up to each person to choose whether the story is personal or work-related, funny, touching or whatever. Short stories will be discussed. 
28. Stories can also be told about the history of the company or team. In everyday life, it is easy to forget that some people have been with us for a long time, others are newer. "For some, a familiar story is a new one for others. I have been involved in situations where the stories of shared history have been the highlight of the evening and a very intense and interesting experience.
29. Quiz how we know our colleagues (or the history of the company or something else). kahoot.com works well as a real-time quiz, even remotely, and is used a lot in schools. For example, each team member can be asked one question about his or her background, with four options (of course, everyone can answer his or her own correctly, but that's OK, the questioner can't participate, he or she can just plot the situation).
30. A facilitated unwinding of a past period of time or feelings, focusing on positive experiences. Be forewarned that everyone will be thinking ahead about praising their colleagues. Go through the feedback verbally or ask for short videos from everyone beforehand.
31. Closing the season and evaluating together the work and achievements of the past season. There are many different techniques and ways to do this!

All of these are stimuli to use as a basis for your own brainstorming and to mix and match!

If you want, you can read how SmoothTeam has worked in a relaxed context. You can also find more information about SmoothTeam simulations on our website.

Can you think of more ideas? I'm happy to add to the list! Send an email to aleksis.nokso-koivisto (at-merkki) smoothteam.net