Being part of a remote or hybrid team can sometimes feel lonely, disconnected, or just lacking in the day-to-day office banter. And while having the right tech is the leading way to engage hybrid and remote teams, Slack and other team-building apps create an easy platform to initiate casual conversations throughout the workday, fostering a more inclusive environment. Whether you’re managing a Slack team or participating in groups in Slack, there are plenty of creative ways to engage with your colleagues and enhance team cohesion.
Remote or hybrid team building is specific to your team and won’t look the same for every group. To start having remote and hybrid team conversations, use these tools to open a line of communication via Slack. The following tips for managing remote teams can be used as a remote team-building activity or as an everyday remote or hybrid team communication strategy.
1. Create interest-based Slack channels
Many organizations have a few main channels for discussing business-related topics like #general, #announcements, #marketing, and #sales. To encourage a sense of community, allow employees to create or request new channels based on shared interests. These could be channels for video game enthusiasts, Bachelor/Bachelorette fans, cyclists, football fans, Harry Potter aficionados, and more.
You can also start channels specifically for casual conversation. Try something like #fun-and-games or #random as a place for employees to share jokes, news stories, or anything that doesn’t fit into other channels. Some companies even have channels specific for finding free food around the office (yum). Make sure every channel has a purpose listed or pinned to the top. If conversations get off-topic, kindly suggest a better channel for the new discussion. Interest-specific Slack channels are a great way to build culture as a remote team and feel more connected.
2. Use Slack conversation starters
If you have a Slack channel for your remote or hybrid team, use the below prompts to kick off a conversation. To promote remote team building, you can set up a time every day for a prompt (maybe mid-afternoon once your team has had a chance to get some work in) or do this once a week on Mondays.
Here are a few of our favorite conversation starters:
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- What’s something interesting you did this weekend?
- What’s on your current must-watch list?
- Poll: Which fall activity are you most excited about? (For polls, try a Slack app like Simple Poll and see more integrations below.)
- A: Leaf peeping
- B: Apple picking
- C: Pumpkin carving
- D: Not sweating
- Does anyone have any fun trips planned?
- What’s your #1 travel tip?
- What’s the best Halloween costume you ever had?
- What’s your favorite summer memory?
- What’s your favorite work-from-home snack?
- What’s your guilty pleasure show or movie?
- Has anyone read any good books recently?
- What’s your best strategy for focusing when you need to get work done?
These prompts are a great way to replace the “water-cooler” (or espresso machine, barista line, communal kitchen) chatter for remote or hybrid teams. Limit these prompts to once a day, or folks may get annoyed at the constant chatter in the team Slack channel. For those who want more casual conversation, create a channel that is chitchat-friendly. Finally, make sure leadership sets an example by chiming in. Slack polls and conversation starters can be a great way to recognize accomplishments and promote cross-team bonding as well.
3. Recognize team accomplishments via Slack
Celebrate wins and recognize accomplishments via Slack. Whether your sales team hit their targets or someone delivered outstanding work on a project, giving a shoutout in Slack can boost morale. Consider integrating tools like HeyTaco!, where team members can send virtual tacos as a fun way to say “great job.” This helps build a positive atmosphere, even when working apart.
4. Celebrate birthdays
Whether your employees are in-office or remote, don’t forget to celebrate their special day. BirthdayBot is a free Slack integration that reminds you of upcoming team birthdays, privately. The app even comes with birthday wishes and funny Gifs that you can share in your team Slack channel to recognize a team member’s birthday. It’s a fun way to get the team involved to create a positive experience for their teammates.
5. Add Slack apps to facilitate remote team building
Slack offers a variety of apps that can help facilitate team communication. Here’s a few we recommend:
- Simple Poll: Simple Poll allows users to create a poll in Slack channels using the command ‘/poll’. You can also create anonymous polls to get honest feedback from your remote team.
- Giphy: Giphy provides GIFs that can be used with the command ‘/giphy’. This is a fun way for employees to communicate, encourage, and say anything with a silly GIF.
- Zoom: Zoom is a free video conferencing software that makes video chats as easy as a Slack command ‘/zoom’. Instantly start a video meeting right from Slack to increase face-to-face time with your hybrid team.
- Donut: Donut randomly sets employees up on coffee dates (or video chat dates for remote/hybrid teams!). With a dedicated channel, you can track Donut dates and share stories about these new connections. This is a great way for remote or flexible employees to feel connected and build relationships.
- GameMonk: GameMonk provides 90-second games for your team for a quick break from work. These include GIF guessing games, trivia, and more.
Managing a remote or hybrid team can be challenging, and it can be difficult to know how your team is feeling. Using these strategies to leverage Slack to help build remote team culture and communication will encourage team bonding and improve morale. Take advantage of polls and anonymous surveys to keep a pulse on how your remote team is feeling, then adjust your strategy to their preferences. Grow and learn with your team – and don’t forget to have fun while you’re at it!
New Slack features for enhanced team management
Slack has recently rolled out several new features that can further support remote team management:
- Workflow Automation: Simplify everyday tasks with new workflow templates in the Automation gallery.
- Deal Insights: Keep sales teams on track with notifications summarizing deal changes, proactive reminders, and editable records within Slack.
- Custom sidebar sections: Keep your team organized by creating shared sidebar sections tailored to specific groups.
- Scheduled messages in Threads: Need to respond later? Now, you can schedule replies in threads to ensure timely communication without interruptions.
To keep your remote or hybrid team connected, try these Slack team-building ideas to foster engagement and a sense of community. By consistently incorporating these strategies, you can enhance team cohesion and boost morale, no matter where they’re working from.
