Is there such a thing as a non-cringe virtual social/team building activity?

[whyeyeeyeeyeeye]

I’ve just taken over a team of 13 based in 3 locations and I’m finding they barely know each other let alone work together effectively, but every virtually-delivered team social/team building event I’ve ever been to has been so cringeworthy I don’t want to reuse.

Bring them together on teams, sort them into rooms and tell them to solve a problem together then come back to the meeting and share the solutions. They'll either enjoy it or bond over how shit team building is.

How long is the session, and have you got budget?

Is it possible to just do a lunch or something?
You're right , these are cringe.

I can decide how long the session is (probably a few hours as part of a working day) and budget probably just for snacks at each end point not travel budget to bring everyone together to one location.

Depends om the group of people and what they’re used to. I have a group of young people in their first jobs after uni… they are still playfull and not too serious.

Do you have an app like Jamboard where you can draw things together? You could do pictionary online or any other online games.
you can do “two truths and a lie” and make it a kahoot quiz. Some people enjoy those things.

Online escape room?

There's escape rooms that you can do online. My dd did some with her friends in lockdown.

There is no option that isn't cringe.

I'd just organise a paid-for lunch in each of the three locations, so the people within the three groups can get to know each other. Then people across groups will just gradually get to know each other through projects they are working on.

You can also do peer training virtual lunches,where people volunteer to give a talk about something they're expert in, over lunchtime, and people optionally log in to watch. Then at least they'll know "Alex in the London office is really good at xyz"

Personally I think your budget should be renegotiated so you can bring them altogether to a single location, possibly with overnight accommodation provided as well.

I personally resent being made to waste time at work, but I know I'm on the grumpier end of the spectrum. I'd dial in to an optional CPD talk though

This: https://www.tcv.org.uk/greengym/

Group volunteering outdoors.

They are all cringe and your team will like you more if you don't force them to do one. A crappy quick team building exercise does nothing to bond a team. I don't know why managers think they do. Could you not set some small proper work tasks and get people across teams in small groups to work together on them over the next few months?

Could you ask them what they'd like to do? Make it part of the team building to get them to come to a choice they all agree on. I always found something social builds a better bond than building an imaginary bridge, finding items in the pouring rain, solving puzzles that nobody is bothered about. I miss the socials, christmas parties of old, which did more to bring people together than any activity designed to do so. How about a christmas buffet where you make your own crackers, eat, laugh, have a quiz and win a prize - so lighthearted, fun, food with fun prizes, with a quick getaway after?

I have only done one 'activity' that was actually quite enjoyable and not too cringe-making, but it did help that we were a really great team. It involved being in sets of 2, one of us blindfolded and one not. We had a set of different shapes and coloured blocks and had to build something. The one who could see had to give the instructions, the one who could not had to do the building.

It helped to focus on the need for giving really clear instructions, no ambiguity, and on the other side the need to wait and listen to the instructions and to obtain clarification if they weren't clear. My team won - of course.

No amount of money would pay for me to participate in an overnight team building exercise with work.

This sort of thing tends to divide along a number of lines, introverts v extroverts, those with responsibilities for parent or childcare v the carefree.

There will never be an exercise equally welcomed by all because everyone has such different requirements. Your best chance will be If you can somehow link it to their actual roles so it's slightly less pointless than many such events.

I also agree about starting with lunch in three locations and would encourage you to attend all three. Lunch (in working hours) tends to be more acceptable than out of hours evening events. maybe after the meal is complete , over coffee (other hot drinks available) ask everyone to share something that "no one else knows about them" or take it in turns to tell three things about themselves, two of which are true and one not true. Everyone else tried to guess which are which.

There is a useful side effect as it can give you an idea of who can tell good lies and who not which can be useful (though really great liars can anticipate and appear to be useless.