Encouraging Mental Health Through Remote Team Building
The way we work has changed significantly. Since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the world has undergone significant changes and pressures on ‘normal’ daily life.
From social restrictions to remote working, our lives were drastically changed overnight. Everything, from the way we worked to the way we socialised, was carried out remotely.
Mental Health and Remote Working
One of the most significant changes was experienced in the modern workplace as thousands of offices were forced to close and many more employees were required to work from home. And it had a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing. According to the World Economic Forum, an average of 45% of adults worldwide reported their mental and emotional health had worsened as a result of the pandemic.
Some individuals reported their mental health symptoms relapsing as a result of the isolation caused by remote working, while others developed entirely new mental health struggles. Depression alone affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Prioritising the mental health of your employees can have a significant impact on their overall health and wellness, impacting every aspect of their lives for the better.
As remote work is set to continue for many for the foreseeable future, employers are looking for ways to encourage better mental health and employee wellness. In this article, we will be sharing how you can encourage better mental health through remote team building.
How Team Building Impacts Mental Health
Team building is often used as a tool to support and strengthen employee mental health. While the term ‘team building’ can make some people break out in a cold sweat, it’s an extremely effective way for employees to connect with each other.
Did you know that we spend one-third of our lives at work? Take a moment to think about that. One-third of your life is spent at work - whether that’s sitting in an office cubicle or at your kitchen table. So, it should come as no surprise that when your mental health is supported at work, the positive effects of this impact all other areas of your life. And the same can be said for poor mental health. When your mental health is suffering (whether as a result of work or something else) every aspect of your life can be affected.
Prioritising mental health and wellness in the workplace can be transformative. So, let’s take a look at how you can encourage better mental health in the workplace.
Promote Communication and Collaboration
One of the most vital elements of a successful organisation is one where communication and collaboration are prioritised. However, since the introduction of mainstream remote working, many employers are struggling with how to promote communication and collaboration. After all, if a team can’t physically meet together how can they be expected to communicate and collaborate effectively? This is a challenge that many remote workplaces face.
Prioritising the forming of social relationships at work supports better mental health. Social isolation is one of the main triggers for increasing mental health struggles, with more than three out of five Americans suffering from chronic loneliness. As a result, remote working poses a significant challenge for many. To counteract this statistic, it is important to consider social team-building exercises that help promote communication and collaboration across your organisation.
While team building in the workplace is typically utilised as a tool to promote more productivity, in today’s remote work environment team building is primarily used to help colleagues bond and form friendships that will blossom over time and provide much-needed support during life’s highs and lows. Some of the tools we recommend to boost team collaboration and communication include:
Slack
Stormboard
Trello
Google Meet
P.S. Stormboard integrates with all of the above!
Image Credit: Austin Distel on Unsplash
Team Building Exercises to Promote Communication and Collaboration
Four Facts and a Fib: have your team gather on a video call and ask each participant to share four facts and a fib about themselves. Players then have to guess which was the fib. This is a great exercise that gets people talking and helps your team get to know each other better.
Tour of Remote Working Environment: asking your employees to give a brief tour of their home working environment is a fun way for colleagues to feel more connected with each other. Of course, not everyone will be comfortable with this. So, another option would be to do an object show and tell.
Team Quiz: split your employees into teams and have them collaborate on a quiz. This is a great way to encourage teamwork, promote social interaction, and have your employees engage in a fun activity together.
Host Team Building Events Virtually
Team building activities are typically a great way to gather your team together and encourage better mental health. However, with many organisations now working completely remotely and no physical space to gather colleagues, team building events have become more challenging. But this does not mean they are impossible!
Team building events can be held virtually as well as in-person and will help to cultivate a sense of community and togetherness that promotes better mental health.
Ideas for Virtual Team Building Events
Host a Club: when you’re stuck at home working all day, it can feel like the hours all blur together. Having something to look forward to can make a big difference. That’s why we recommend hosting a club. This can be anything from a book club to a cooking club. The idea is to gather people with similar interests together for an evening of socialisation once a week/month. It will give your employees something to look forward to, helping to promote better mental health.
Trivia Nights: who doesn’t love a quiz night? After a tough week of work, sometimes all employees need is a space to let off some steam and take part in a non-work-related activity. Virtual trivia nights are a great way to engage employees in a fun activity that takes their minds off work and helps them bond with their colleagues.
Image Credit: Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Pub Meet-ups: when you were working from the office, did you often head to the pub for lunch or after-work drinks? Many of your employees will miss social events like these, so it’s important to be proactive and do what you can to encourage social activities even with everyone working remotely. Virtual pub meet-ups, where everyone brings their own drink and attends a video meeting, are a helpful way for employees to stay connected and socialise regularly.
Weekly Workout Sessions
Since the uptake of remote working, the morning commute into the office is no longer necessary. As such, many of your employees are getting less exercise than they were before. This can worsen the symptoms of mental health and have a significant impact on physical wellness.
One way to overcome this challenge is to provide weekly workout sessions. Remote workouts are a great way to encourage staff wellness in the form of team activities. The isolation of remote working is causing a significant decline in face-to-face interactions. Employees who workout together once a week form positive, healthy relationships that have a positive effect on individual wellbeing.
Best Remote Workouts to Support Mental Health
Yoga and Meditation: encouraging mindfulness is a great way to support the mental health and wellness of your employees. Just 10 minutes of meditation a day can reduce anxiety, depression, and improve pain tolerance. Yoga helps promote better body control and reduces the likelihood of physical aches and pains caused by sitting for long periods of time.
Cardio: Cardio is a great way to reduce stress and keep physically fit. Hosting a weekly cardio session for your employees is a great way to encourage physical activity and promote wellness.
Final Words
Mental health is often the elephant in the room. Everyone knows about it, many people struggle with it, and yet nobody wants to talk about it. This can lead to many of your employees suffering in silence, which only leads to worsening mental health symptoms.
Encouraging better mental health through remote team building activities is one of the best ways to show how much you care. We hope the tips in this article have provided you with some inspiration so that you can take proactive steps to improve the mental health and wellness of your remote employees.
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About the Author:
Chris Harley is a passionate mental health and wellbeing writer, focusing on sharing his experience and improving the lives of others. When Chris isn't researching the latest holistic and wellbeing therapies, he's spending time with his two cats, usually curled up on the sofa reading a book.
Header Image Credit: Malte Helmhold on Unsplash
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