Here is our list of best online offsite ideas for teams.
Online offsite ideas are virtual team bonding exercises that allow teammates to connect and have fun outside of their usual workspace. Examples include Virtual Wellness Sessions, Online Arts and Crafts Workshops, Virtual Scavenger Hunts, and Music Bingo. These activities aim to promote employee engagement and interaction outside work.
These gatherings are offshoots of online events for teams and virtual team building activities and are similar to online field trips.
This list includes:
- remote team offsite ideas
- online offsite events
- online offsite activities
- Zoom offsite ideas
Let’s get to it!
List of online offsite ideas for teams
From Virtual Cooking Classes to Online Sports Shows to Online Trivia, here is a list of fun online activities you can do offsite ideas with your team.
1. Music Bingo
Music Bingo is one of the best online offsite activities for teams because it allows players to connect and have fun while listening to their favorite songs. Each player will get a Bingo card with 25 squares for this game. Each square will have a song title, but the middle square will be a free space to serve as an extra point for all the participants.
To organize this activity:
- Create a short playlist of trendy songs.
- Customize each Bingo card with different music titles.
- Send each player unique copies of the music Bingo card.
- Play snippets of a song from the playlist.
- Players with the song on their Bingo card must tick it off.
- The first player to tick off five songs in a row must yell Bingo!
This game is fast-paced and is an excellent activity to improve communication and interaction between remote employees. You can create free Bingo cards on a website like Bingo Baker.
Learn more about Bingo Baker.
2. Virtual Wellness Sessions
Virtual Wellness Sessions are simple and fun online meetings where remote employees encourage each other to develop healthier habits. These meetings may include yoga sessions, water drinking challenges, daily step challenges, or short workout sessions. Wellness sessions may also include activities that promote mental well-being, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or journaling.
To organize this activity:
- Meet using any video conferencing tool.
- Choose a challenge or workout for members to partake in.
- Set a specific timeline for challenges or organize workouts sessions with teammates.
- Employees may use apps like Fit Body to create a workout plan that all members can follow.
Online wellness sessions help team members commit to fitness goals and motivate remote employees to stay healthy. Workers may also serve as colleagues’ accountability partners, which helps team members stay dedicated to their targets.
Here are more online wellness ideas.
3. Virtual Card Games
Virtual Card Games are excellent team building activities for large groups. Players can enjoy games like Go Fish, Texas Hold Em’, Poker, and Solitaire online.
To organize this activity:
- Meet on a video call.
- Choose a dedicated card game website like Cardzmania to play with teammates.
- Choose a game. For example, Hearts, Solitaire, Spades, or Texas Hold Em’.
- Choose up to 12 players at a time for the game.
- The site will curate scores in real-time.
- The player with the highest score wins.
Virtual Card Games are a simple way for teammates to engage and have fun outside work. The rules are simple, so players will be able to follow along easily.
Learn more about Cardzmania.
4. Online Sports Show
Online Sports Shows are one of the best remote team offsite ideas for sports enthusiasts. These activities are best held on special game days so employees can support their favorite teams. Colleagues can watch live football matches, rugby, or basketball games.
To organize this activity:
- Meet using a video conferencing platform.
- Find a live sports streaming website like ESPN to watch the match.
- Share your screen with colleagues using the share screen feature on your video conferencing platform.
- Members must attend the sports show wearing their favorite team’s colors or jerseys.
- Enjoy the live games with colleagues.
- Teammates can chat and discuss after the game.
Watching sports shows together helps build team spirit and encourages remote employees to bond over shared interests.
Watch live games on ESPN.
5. Virtual Cooking Class
Virtual Cooking Classes are fun interactive sessions where teammates learn to make delicious meals or pastries. For this class, you can invite a culinary expert to teach workers to make a unique dessert or meal.
To organize this activity:
- Set a time for the cooking class.
- Send cooking ingredients to employees.
- Meet on a video call.
- The chef will give step-by-step instructions for the team members to follow.
- The employees must follow these steps to recreate the recipe shared by the chef.
- When the food is ready, members must share pictures of their meal via the chat box.
- The chef will rate the best meal based on visual appeal.
- Colleagues can then sit and share a meal together.
Virtual Cooking Classes are fun ways to encourage employees to try out new meals and promote team bonding. Employees can organize this activity every other week and create fun memories together.
6. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Virtual Scavenger Hunts are among the most exciting Zoom offsite ideas because they are fast-paced and create a fun and engaging environment.
To organize this activity:
- Create a list of five to ten items. For example, a dog leash, a red cap, winter boots, or a checkered clothing item.
- Meet on Zoom or any similar platform.
- Set a timer for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Each employee must gather the given items before the time runs out.
- The first player to find the objects within the allocated time wins the game.
This thrilling game is a great way to promote laughter among workers and help create a friendly environment. This game also allows teammates to get to know each other better and build friendships.
Learn more about online scavenger hunts.
7. Online Arts and Crafts Workshops
Online Arts and Crafts Workshops are virtual educational sessions where attendees learn from art experts or professionals. Employees may try painting, drawing, sculpting, or photography.
To organize this activity:
- Invite an art expert or professional in any artistic field.
- Send employees materials needed for the art session.
- Meet on a video call.
- The expert will educate the teammates on specific art practices.
- The professional will give the employees step-by-step guidance to recreate an artistic piece.
- At the end of the activity, the art expert will grade teammates’ art pieces.
- The employee with the best art piece gets a prize.
Employees can also learn in-demand art skills like graphic design, which may come in handy at work or serve a purpose in today’s tech-savvy world. Arts and Crafts Workshops are therapeutic and allow employees to channel stress and anxiety into creativity. Employees will also get to keep their art pieces as souvenirs, which will help create fun and lasting memories with colleagues.
8. Online Trivia Tournament
Online Trivia Tournaments are one of the best online offsite events because they broaden employees’ knowledge on various topics. Some interesting subjects for the trivia include science, sports, entertainment, beauty, health, and food.
To organize this activity:
- Create a quiz using Kahoot!
- Meet on a video conferencing platform.
- Send each team into breakout rooms.
- Each team will choose a captain to select answers on behalf of the group on Kahoot!
- The captain will read the questions aloud, and the team members will choose an answer.
- The captain will input the selected answer on Kahoot!
- The game will continue until the teams have answered all the questions.
- The site will assign points and show the winning teams in real-time.
Online Trivia Tournaments are competitive games for energetic and intelligent groups. These activities are fun and easy ways for employees to learn and cooperate.
Check out Kahoot!
Learn more about online trivia games.
9. Hangman
Hangman is a simple and fun word game that remote employees can play online. In this game, players must guess letters to specific words to escape the hangman’s noose.
To organize this activity:
- Meet using any video conferencing tool.
- Split players into groups of three or four.
- A player will come up with a word and create dashes to represent every single letter of the word.
- Colleagues must correctly guess the letters in the word.
- The player will write each correct letter in its corresponding spot.
- For every wrong answer, the player draws a new body part on the hanging man, putting the team closer to swinging on the noose.
- If the team members cannot guess the word, the point goes to the next team.
- The game will continue until each team has several turns.
- The team with the most points wins the game.
This game is an excellent team building activity that encourages employees to work together to achieve a common goal.
10. Remote Worker Fashion Contest
Remote Worker Fashion Contest is an exciting activity where remote employees show off their go-to outfits for remote work. These outfits may be simple combinations, like robes and socks, or weird combos, like white shirts, ties, and shorts.
To organize this activity:
- Schedule the fashion show.
- Meet on a video call.
- Employees take turns showing off their remote work styles.
- Employees must try to strike poses or do a runway walk for full effect.
- At the show’s end, employees will vote for the best remote worker fashion using live polls.
- The employee with the most votes wins a prize.
Team members can even gamify this event by sending emojis in the chat box if they have ever dressed similarly to a fellow remote employee. The employee who gets the most emojis in response wins. This event is a great way to lighten the mood and build camaraderie between remote employees.
11. Virtual Open Mic
Virtual Open Mics are fun events where employees can perform any act. Attendees can crack jokes, sing, read poems, or play the guitar.
To organize this activity:
- Meet using any video conferencing tool.
- Employees will take turns performing different acts.
- While teammates perform, colleagues must mute their mics.
- After each performance, team members must drop comments and reactions in the chat box to encourage their colleagues.
- The event will continue in this manner until each employee gets a turn.
You can award a prize to the fan favorite. This activity allows remote employees to express themselves and show off their talents. This event is also a great opportunity for remote employees to share things they may have in common and connect.
12. Online Dance Party
Online Dance Parties are great opportunities for remote employees to let loose. In this activity, workers will meet using video conferencing software and dance to their favorite songs.
For this party, you will curate a playlist of classic and trendy songs that team members will enjoy. It is a great idea to ask employees for their favorite songs beforehand, so each team member has their moment. Another great idea is to organize a dance-off where colleagues can compete for a prize. This event allows remote workers to ease stress, interact, and have fun.
13. Online Book Club
Online Book Clubs are small groups where teammates can have reflective sessions, share good reads, and discuss important topics. These clubs help broaden employees’ knowledge and encourage workers to make time to read books on important subject matters.
To create an online book club, employees will meet on video call weekly or biweekly and choose books to read before the next meeting. Sites like Goodreads are great places to look for recommendations with live reviews from readers.
14. Virtual Karaoke
Virtual Karaoke is a fun activity where workers sing along to their favorite music.
To organize this activity:
- Each employee must send their song selections to the host before the meeting.
- Curate a playlist with the listed songs.
- Notify the teammates when it is their turn to perform.
- Play the songs using apps like Spotify, Apple Music, or Deezer where employees can see the lyrics.
- Reduce the music volume so employees can sing clearly over the song.
- The best performance wins the game.
You can also use third-party online karaoke platforms like Stingray or Smule for a smooth experience. This fun activity allows teammates to express themselves through their favorite songs. Karaoke is also an opportunity for teammates to bond through duets or other team performances.
15. Online Campfires
An Online Campfire is a simple activity where employees can share moonlight tales, tell horror stories, and sing age-old songs. Teammates can organize this activity on any video conferencing platform. Depending on the size of your team, you can host this event on tiny campfire.
Games such as This or That, Charades, and Trivia are excellent ways to keep employees engaged and entertained. Teammates may also stargaze or roast s’mores with a candle. This activity is an excellent opportunity for teammates to bond over childhood memories and encourage remote workers to develop friendships.
Learn more about tiny campfire.
16. Name that Emoji Song
Name that Emoji Song is a fun activity where employees guess the name of a song from a couple of emojis.
To organize this activity:
- Meet using any video conferencing software.
- Share two to five emojis that rhyme with a song title. For example, the dollar sign emoji and a bag icon can be translated as Cardi B’s “Money Bag.”
- Set a timer for 10 to 15 seconds.Players must guess the song title within the allocated time to win a point.
- The player with the most points wins the game.
This activity is a fun and interactive game for remote employees. As a fun bonus, employees can learn new songs and artists by participating in this game.
17. Virtual Murder Mystery
Virtual Murder Mystery is a fun team building game where employees work together to solve a murder. The teammates will need to work together to solve a syria of puzzles, riddles and clues to uncover the crime. The goal of the game is to accuse a murderer among the players.
Players will enjoy playing the roles of detectives and helping the story unravel. This game is a great way to challenge employees intellectually and promote teamwork among remote employees. Players will also learn to pay attention to detail and communicate with each other.
Conclusion
Online Offsite Ideas help remote employees connect and engage outside of the remote workspace. Employees can host games, dance parties, or virtual art workshops. These activities are excellent ways to help remote employees get to know each other better.
These virtual offsite ideas enliven the remote work environment and help remote employees develop good working relationships. These activities also boost employee morale, which can motivate workers.
For more ideas, check out online team building icebreakers, online team games, and free online team building activities.