20 Non-Cringe Activities to Engage Remote Employees

How Do You Engage Remote Employees?

A great way to do it is through team-building and team development activities for remote teams!

If you feel like your remote employees could be more engaged, or notice that some team members rarely speak up during virtual meetings, you’re definitely not alone. The good news? There are plenty of virtual team development activities and fun ways to boost engagement, build trust, and ultimately improve collaboration within your remote team.

I’ve been working in a remote-first company for over four years now. Do I feel alone? Nope. Do I think my team works well together? Hell, yes. Honestly, I think we might even be more productive working remotely.

That’s likely thanks to the great habits we’ve built over time - through countless iterations and continuous improvement. In this post, I’ll share my experience and favorite virtual team-building activities that have helped us keep our remote employees connected and engaged.

💡 "A lack of social connection is the top factor contributing to the decline in mental health among remote workers, cited by 63% of respondent." Resumebuilder.com, 12/2024

What Are Virtual Team Development Activities?

In short, remote team-building activities are moments spent together online that have nothing to do with work. Instead, their goal is to create social connections and build positive relationships among team members.

How to Do Virtual Team-Building Activities?

How to engage remote employees? Looking at my remote-first company, there are so many ways to bring people together online.

You can organize virtual team development activities into three categories:

• 5-minute games & practices: For example, start meetings with a fun icebreaker or a “get-to-know-you” question.
• Dedicated team events: Host a one-hour online session to play a game or trivia together.
• Themed social nights: Spend an evening doing something fun like a wine tasting or virtual cooking class that lasts 2–3 hours.

By the way, I put together 8 non-intuitive tips for managing remote teams at the end of this post.

Why Conduct Virtual Team Development Activities?

Homo Sapiens is a social creature. Yet, in our professional lives, we’re often treated like machines - focused solely on output. But that’s not how people truly thrive.

To build a high-performing remote team, to practice the art of keeping remote employees engaged, you need a strong, positive team culture based on trust and authentic relationships. And those relationships usually form in relaxed, unplanned social moments - the kind where you can be yourself, share openly, and even be a little vulnerable.

So, why do remote team-building activities? They help you retain employees who work from home, strengthen team bonds, and keep everyone happy, healthy, and productive in the long run.

Ranked: Team Building Activities for Remote Teams

Here’s a handy overview of 20 remote team-building activities, ranked by how effective they are at boosting engagement, connection, and collaboration. From quick 5-minute icebreakers to longer social events, this table makes it easy to pick the right activity for your team and schedule. Use it as a reference to mix consistent habits with occasional fun for maximum impact.

🔋 Consistency is Key: Remote Team Activities to Do Often

Are you serious about improving your team dynamics and building trust? Then take a look at the table above: the effectiveness of these activities naturally grows with frequency. Sure, one-time games are fun - but if you want lasting impact, consistency matters.

Check out the calendar of my remote team below: it’s packed with weekly habits designed to continuously strengthen our team - and so far, it’s working beautifully.

The following remote team bonding activities from my team aren’t just one-off fun - their real power comes from being repeated and integrated into your team’s weekly routines. By making them a regular habit, you build trust, connection, and engagement over time, rather than relying on occasional events. The following simple ideas will help you understand how to lead remote teams effectively.

1. The After-Weekend Question: Positivity Pulse

In my remote-first company, we kick off every Monday at 11:00 am with a simple question for everyone:

• “What was the highlight of your weekend?”

We borrowed this habit from Google. It’s recommended to build psychological safety, and it really makes a difference. One simple advantage: you immediately have a topic for 1:1 small talk with every person on your team. 🙂

2. Taking a Walk or Coffee Together

On the same day, at 2:00 pm, we hold our shared “Coffee Minutes” - 30 minutes where some people drink coffee, others take a walk. There’s no agenda at all; the team just talks about whatever comes up. The “Positivity Pulse” question usually serves as a great primer.

3. Podcast Talk & Walks: Learning While Having Fun

During one of our agile retrospectives, we realized we weren’t moving enough or exercising during the workday. So we created a new type of meeting: Podcast Talk & Walk, Thursdays at 1:30 pm for 30 minutes.

The idea:

• A team member suggests a podcast related to current topics or challenges (e.g., new programming languages, marketing trends, etc.)
• Everyone listens to the podcast ahead of time (ideally during working hours)
• During the 30-minute walk, the team casually discusses takeaways, disagreements, and interesting ideas
• Bonus: Every 3–4 sessions, discussions even lead to actionable follow-ups!

The benefits are threefold: bonding, learning new trends, and occasionally creating actionable outcomes.

4. Agile Retrospectives with Fun Icebreakers

Agile retrospectives are one of the most powerful ways to continuously engage remote employees. Many virtual teams, especially in IT, already run them - so why not also use them for team building?

For those unfamiliar with agile retrospectives:

Any team can - and in my opinion, should - hold retrospectives. Here’s how to incorporate team development activities into your agile sprint retrospectives:

• Play a mini-game while people are in the waiting room (see image below)
• Start with a fun icebreaker question, like the ones mentioned above
• The big advantage: every 2–4 weeks, the retrospective becomes a recurring team-building trigger. We’ve been doing this for 4 years - and it works!

5. Keeping Remote Employees Engaged: Virtual Coffee Roulette

Another great remote team bonding idea is Virtual Coffee Roulette. Once a week, team members meet 1:1 over coffee - with randomized partners.

These virtual one-on-one conversations, on random topics, are highly effective for building deeper relationships. Everyone participates equally.

Tip: Use themes to guide the conversation, e.g.:

• Work: “What’s a small win this week?”
• Personal: “What’s your biggest curiosity right now?”

6. Fun Ways to Engage Remote Employees: Show & Tell Hobby

After three years of working together, I finally discovered that my colleague Robin is a Lego brick movie nerd - yes, it took way too long!

How did I find out? Through our monthly Show & Tell session:

• Once a month, a team member shares a hobby or passion
• They can show something, explain why they love it, and dive into details

It’s amazing to see quiet team members light up when they start talking about their hobby, full of energy and enthusiasm. The team-building impact is huge, and it’s fun.

7. Mini Retros: Last Sprint Metaphor

Back to agile retrospectives - here’s a fun variation: integrate mini retrospective questions into regular meetings. For example, every Friday before the weekend, ask a metaphorical or playful reflection question (see whiteboard below):

• The goal is simple: make reflection fun rather than a chore
• Teams can still generate insights that impact productivity
• Everyone enjoys the activity while connecting and learning

⚡ Easiest Place to Start: Daily Activities & Icebreakers

Before I continue with the remote team building games, there’s one more point I want to make. Remote team building can start surprisingly easily - even in your next meeting. Just use the first five minutes for a light, non-work-related question that everyone answers. Starting with a smile boosts energy and makes the rest of the meeting flow better.

Here are some question ideas I borrowed from the remote team-building and agile retrospective tool Echometer, simple virtual team development activities to start with:

Fun & Light Icebreaker Questions

These icebreakers for remote teams are perfect for kicking off online meetings - quick answers and instant connection.

• What’s your perfect summer vacation?
• What’s your favorite song / movie / car right now?
• What’s the weirdest thing on your desk at the moment?
• What did you have for breakfast today?
• What’s your favorite meal of all time?
• You have to do karaoke - what song are you singing?

Personal Reflection & “Get to Know You” Questions

These icebreakers for remote teams spark interesting stories and help teammates share something meaningful.

• What are you looking forward to this weekend?
• Have you ever checked something off your bucket list? What’s next?
• If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?
• If you were to teach a course on anything, what would it be?
• Name a book or podcast you’d recommend.
• If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?

Keeping Remote Employees Engaged: Creative & Imaginative Questions

These icebreakers for virtual teams are a great way to spark laughter and creativity during a call.

• What fictional world or place would you love to visit?
• You’re about to sail around the world - what do you name your boat?
• If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?

One-Minute Team Warm-Ups

These icebreakers for virtual teams are short, energetic prompts that get people moving or thinking fast.

• Share a meme that describes your week at work.
• Choose: Always green traffic lights or the best parking spot?
• Take turns suggesting a warm-up or stretch (15 seconds each).
• Upload a childhood picture - everyone guesses who’s who.
• You can only keep three apps on your phone - which ones make the cut?

Check-In Questions & Icebreakers to Promote Psychological Safety

Many remote team managers introduce virtual team development activities with one goal in mind: improving psychological safety. If that’s your focus, here are some icebreaker questions - from my perspective as a psychologist - designed to nurture it. Obviously, as the team leader, you should participate and answer as well (!):

• Favorite mistake: Looking back over the past week(s), what was your favorite mistake - the one that may or may not have led to a learning?
• Lessons learned: What’s something new you’ve learned recently, personally or professionally?
• Gratitude check: When was the last time you said “thank you” to a teammate? Share the situation. If you haven’t expressed your appreciation yet, take a moment to do it now.

🕔 One time 5-minute activities & free mini games

Even in remote work, you can energize your team in just a few minutes. These free 5-minute activities and mini games are perfect for small and big groups, fun, free, and definitely not lame. A quick way to spark engagement and connection, without needing a big time commitment.

8. Never Have I Ever

Anyone who played drinking games in their early adolescence might recognize this one (some even play it as kids - I only know the drinking version, which maybe says something about me). Here’s how it works:

• One by one, everyone shares something they have never done.
• When everyone’s gone, you can vote on the most surprising fact or person, or have everyone share individually what surprised them the most.
• Optionally, you can go for another round and keep the fun going.

9. Remote Team Engagement Ideas: Either/Or

This is a quick mini-practice you can integrate as team bonding activity into a weekly meeting. Present the team with two options, and everyone chooses which they prefer.

It’s amazing how much energy and laughter such simple questions can spark. And once again, this virtual team development activity helps team members get to know each other better - a small but positive impact on team culture.

In the Echometer software tool I mentioned earlier, this template is often used at the start of a retrospective workshop to kick things off. Some examples (see screenshot), asking "What kind of person are you?":

• Tea or coffee?
• Soccer or basketball?
• Pizza or Pasta?
• Jeans or Sweatpants?

10. Remote Team Engagement Ideas: Brain Teaser Riddles

Another easy and fun game is solving riddles.

There are tons online, and Echometer has some pre-made riddles on its icebreaker whiteboard templates (see image below):

• Forward I am heavy, backward I am not. What am I? (The word “ton”.)
• Two fathers and two sons go fishing together in the same boat. They all catch a fish but the total catch for the day is three fish. How is this possible? (There are three men: A grandfahter, a father (the grandfathers's son) and the father's son.)
• What is harder to catch the faster you run? (Your breath.)

Once again, this could be a great activity to play at the beginning of more casual remote meetings, helping to warm up the team and spark discussion.

11. Team Bonding Activity: Fun Fact

Similar to “Never Have I Ever,” everyone shares a fun fact about themselves that the rest of the team doesn’t know.

If coming up with a fun fact is tricky, you can offer some inspirational prompts. For example, the Echometer whiteboard template below provides a few suggestions:

• The first concert you attended (as a teenager)
• The kind of prepping you would do for the end of the world
• Your biggest non-serious fear

12. Remote Team Engagement Ideas: Travel Truth & a Lie

You might know “Two Truths and a Lie.” Each team member shares three statements about themselves - one is a lie - and the team guesses which one it is.

I would offer a twist on this: Travel Truth & a Lie. In this virtual team development activity, you share three places you’ve visited, but sneak in one lie. The rest of the team has to guess which one didn’t actually happen (see image below).

🎯 Virtual Activities, Events & Games

Looking for fun, free games to engage your team in remote work? The following virtual activities, events, and games are perfect for small and big groups, completely free, and definitely not lame. From quick 5-minute games to longer team events, these ideas make remote work more engaging and enjoyable for everyone.

13. Virtual Team Building Game: GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr is like getting magically teleported anywhere on Earth - except instead of jet lag, you get a mild crisis trying to figure out where you’ve landed. It’s part detective work, part world tour… This is how it works:

• You get dropped somewhere random on Google Street View - could be Paris, a potato field in Idaho, or a tiny Japanese island (been there, had no clue…).
• You look for clues: road signs, vegetation, license plates, or even the number of sheep per square meter.
• You drop your pin on the world map where you think you are (and pray it’s not the wrong continent).
• You earn points based on how close your guess is.

Everyone typically has 1–2 “aha!” moments during a game. It sparks conversations about travel and personal experiences - a fantastic team-building game!

14. Team Bonding Game: Skribbl

Skribbl.io is simple, chaotic, and endlessly fun - like Pictionary meets a digital art battle where your mouse forgets how to draw straight lines.

• One player draws a secret word.
• Everyone else guesses in real time, typing furiously to figure it out.
• The faster you guess, the more points you earn.
• At the end, you see who wins.

Some people shine with their drawing skills, others with their lightning-fast typing. Either way, it’s a game that almost always gets everyone laughing and engaged.

15. Gartic Phone – Story: Drawing & Guessing

One of our favorite games for monthly remote team-building events is Gartic Phone. Man, we’ve created some extraordinarily weird stories 😄

It works like this:

• Players join a game room with a room code.
• Each player starts by writing a quirky or funny sentence (a prompt).
• Next, players draw a visual interpretation of a prompt using simple drawing tools.
• Then, drawings are passed to other players, who write down what they think the drawing represents.
• This cycle of writing, drawing, and guessing continues until everyone has contributed.
• At the end, all drawings and interpretations are revealed - often with hilarious results 😄

Gartic Phone also offers other versions of the game. I recommend trying the “Story” version - even your quietest team member will probably laugh out loud.

16. Manage remote employees smartly: Harry Potter Retrospective

The Harry Potter Retrospective blends team-building with a touch of productivity. Instead of the usual “Keep, Stop, Start” questions, you use a magical theme in your agile retrospective meeting workshop:

• What is our “Firebolt” (Harry’s broom) that helps us achieve our goals?
• What surprising message did Hedwig deliver to us?
• Looking into the Mirror of Erised, what heartfelt wish do you see based on your work?
• Which recent memories would you like to save in a Pensieve to relive later?

This works best if a few Harry Potter fans are on the team, but even casual fans will like it. The remote team building software Echometer can help you conduct the workshop, as you can see in the screenshot. Feel free to check it out using the link (no login required).

17. Remote Team-Building Game: Codenames

Got some wannabe detectives in your team? Let’s see who’s got the communication chops! As a psychologist, I can honestly say this game could easily double as a team communication training exercise: Codenames (no login required!) is a clever word-association game that’s basically a team communication exercise disguised as fun:

• Two teams compete, each led by a spymaster who knows which words belong to their side.
• The spymaster gives a one-word clue to connect as many of their team’s words as possible.
• Teammates discuss and guess which words match the clue - avoiding the opposing team’s words and the dreaded “assassin” word.
• The first team to find all their words wins, proving their communication skills are sharper than their opponents’.

It sounds complicated, but it’s easy to pick up online. Fun for new teams and long-term teams alike.

18. Let Everyone Prepare 3 Quiz Questions

We play this often in my agile remote team - it’s simple, engaging, and fun, even if you lose 😄

• Each team member prepares three quiz questions on topics they enjoy - could be trivia, multiple-choice, or guessing games. They can just say the question aloud or show a quick slide through screen sharing.
• Someone keeps score: points for correct answers.
• At the end, tally points and pick a winner.

19. Let remote employees cook together

As shown in the first image of this post, we’ve also cooked together remotely.

• The recipe is sent ahead of time.
• Everyone shops individually.
• Someone experienced gives rough cooking instructions during the event.

This is an experience that works for co-located teams . and it works just as well for remote teams.

20. Beer, Wine, or Sausage Tasting

These are inexpensive but bring a whole new vibe to team gatherings: Find a local brewery, vineyard, or charcuterie shop… and order small tasting sets for everyone. You can even do guided online tastings where a host explains the background of the drinks or food. This virtual team development activity is worth trying!

🗺️ How to Lead Remote Employees: 8 Non-Intuitive Tips

You’ve probably spotted one or two engaging activities you’d like to try with your team, but before you do so, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

There are a few fundamental shifts you need to make when thinking about how to lead remote teams.

As Margaret Andrews from Harvard University puts it:

“Social time is not wasted time… When we’re working remotely, we don’t have chance encounters while waiting for the elevator, walking to the parking lot, getting coffee, or getting to the meeting room early — so when we’re working remotely, we need to build in time to build relationships, to really get to know other people beyond what they say in meetings.”

Source: Harvard Professional Development

That perfectly captures the essence of what it takes to lead remote teams effectively. So, here are a few non-intuitive tips I’d like to end this post with.

1. Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs

Make sure your remote employees focus on outcomes, not just outputs. What does that mean?

Imagine a software developer writing 1000 lines of code in 3 hours versus one who delivers a fully working, valuable feature in one hour. Which is more important? Exactly - the “outcome”, the actual working code. Not the “output”, 1000 lines of code.

Encourage the employees who work from home to avoid fixating on appearing active - being online all the time, replying to every chat instantly, or flooding Slack with updates. Those are outputs. What truly matters are the outcomes that move your business forward.

2. Design for Energy Over Time, Not Just Productivity

This builds on the previous point. Yes, productivity and outcomes matter. But if your employees burn out along the way, your long-term performance will suffer.

So, design your processes to protect and sustain energy. Don’t track working hours; instead, track energy levels and engagement. For instance, you could run a short bi-weekly pulse survey - tools like Echometer make this easy - and simply ask:

“How’s your energy?” (Scale 1–7)

Keeping an eye on your team’s energy helps you catch burnout early and maintain a healthy, high-performing remote culture.

3. Reduce Status Updates - Increase Casual Check-ins

I’ve interviewed around 100 engineering managers this year, and one recurring theme stood out: many don’t know what best to talk about in their regular one-on-one meetings.

Here’s a simple fix - spend part of your meeting time casually talking about non-work-related topics. These informal check-ins are crucial for maintaining human connection.

This applies not just to 1:1s, but also to team meetings. A few minutes of genuine conversation can do wonders for morale and trust.

4. Make Team Building Voluntary

Yes, social time matters - but don’t force it. Give people autonomy. Nothing kills engagement faster than “mandatory fun.”

In my remote-first company, we made a simple rule from day one: every meeting is voluntary. Even tactical or strategic ones.

Why? Because if someone feels a meeting isn’t valuable enough to attend, that’s a signal that something might need fixing. Making this visible helps us continuously improve how we collaborate.

And guess what? People choose to show up.

5. Set Clear Expectations with Working Agreements

Remote work requires even clearer expectations. Remote employees are often less likely to ask small, clarifying questions, which can lead to stress and misalignment.

To avoid this, create working agreements - simple, shared rules that define how your team collaborates. For example:

“Everyone responds to chat messages within four hours on workdays.”

These agreements reduce uncertainty and help your team work smoothly together.

You can find more information on working agreements in this post: 10 Working Agreement Examples and Samples.

6. Actually Meet in Person

This one’s obvious - but worth emphasizing. If possible, meet in person at least once or twice a year. My team meets every six months, and those gatherings are invaluable.

If you only meet once a year, I recommend spending about 80% of that time socializing - doing fun, shared activities that strengthen relationships beyond work. Those connections pay off massively once everyone’s back behind their screens.

7. Have Great 1:1 Meetings to Build Psychological Safety

Some say regular one-on-one meetings are the most important meetings in any organization - and I agree.

Why? Because they’re your best opportunity to connect with your direct reports on a human level. Use these meetings to get to know each other better, share feedback openly, and build psychological safety.

Tools like the Echometer one-on-one meeting software can add structure and continuity, turning routine check-ins into powerful trust-building sessions.

8. Safety Begins with Vulnerability

As a remote team leader, your influence on team culture is exponential. You set the tone.

One of the smartest ways to use that influence? Be vulnerable. Talk about what didn’t go as planned. Share your own challenges and failures.

When you model openness, your team feels safer to do the same - and that’s where authentic connection and real growth begin.

Conclusion - Team-Building Activities for Remote Teams

If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: Don’t make teambuilding activities a one time thing. Then in three months, you will visit this blog post again.

Instead, save your time by integrating it into your existing meeting routine. Or integrate it into your agile retrospectives or a new remote meeting - like we have with a monthly team building meeting where every team member is rotating to be responsible for some remote activity.

FAQ - Virtual Team Development Activities

What are some remote team-building activities that actually feel natural and engaging, without being awkward or “cringe”?

The best remote team-building activities are simple, voluntary, and easy to integrate into your regular meetings. Quick icebreakers, mini-games like Geoguessr or Skribbl, and reflective practices such as “Fun Fact” or “Travel Truth & a Lie” help teams connect while keeping things fun. Tools like Echometer, a remote team-building and agile retrospective platform, make it easy to run these activities, spark conversation, and strengthen engagement without feeling forced.

What are simple daily or weekly practices to keep remote teams connected?

Quick check-ins at the start of a meeting, fun “Either/Or” questions, or sharing a Fun Fact can keep teams engaged and connected even when working remotely. Software Tools like Echometer make it easy to integrate these practices, offering ready-made templates and prompts that fit seamlessly into your weekly routine.

How do I run retrospectives for remote teams that actually get participation?

Engagement in retrospectives often drops when meetings feel repetitive or unstructured. Echometer provides structured templates, interactive prompts, and mini-games that keep team members involved, ensuring discussions are lively, actionable, and genuinely reflective.

How do I track team engagement and wellbeing over time?

Regularly checking in with your team and gathering feedback is the most effective way to understand engagement and wellbeing. This can be done through short surveys, pulse checks, or structured reflections during meetings. Tools like Echometer can support this process by providing templates and dashboards to make tracking easier, but the key is consistent observation and communication.

How can I build trust and psychological safety in remote and virtual teams?

Trust and psychological safety grow when team members feel seen, heard, and appreciated. Simple activities like gratitude check-ins, reflection prompts, or collaborative mini-games help, and software tools like Echometer make it easy to embed these exercises consistently, so everyone can contribute comfortably.

What’s a good gift for remote employees?

Thoughtful gifts that make remote employees feel valued and connected work best. Three great options are:

1. Personalized mugs or drinkware - like a custom engraved cup that adds personality to their home workspace.
2. Digital gift cards - for meals, coffee, or experiences (e.g., Uber Eats), which are flexible and easy to use regardless of location.
3. Comfort or wellness kits - cozy gift sets, headphones, or small ergonomic items that improve their home office experience.