Team Building During A Pandemic

You miss the days when you could play bubble soccer with your teammates (if you haven't played, I highly recommend it for a go...

October 24, 2020
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article
How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What is the best work holiday?
What is the first gift you remember receiving?
Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
Show us your most-used emoji.
What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

You miss the days when you could play bubble soccer with your teammates (if you haven't played, I highly recommend it for a good laugh), enjoy an in-person happy hour, or an offsite lunch where you and team members can get to know each other and chat about topics other than work. Afraid those days behind us for good?

Bubble Soccer


They don't have to be; many companies have found effective ways to adapt to working from home.

If your best efforts are Zoom happy hours and more frequent standups, there is plenty of room for improvement. Communication, recognition, teambuilding activities, and satisfaction in your employee's work could go out the door if you're not careful. So, what successes have we seen thus far?


Here are a few ideas your team might love:

  • Ask a daily question that requires more than a yes or no answer where people can see it in a public forum, like Slack or MS Teams. This will allow people to showcase their personalities and talk about things other than work! At Assembly, we've developed a "#tellmesomethinggood” channel in Slack to facilitate this conversation.
  • Host bi-weekly socially distanced outdoor activities such as lunch in the park, group hikes, or if you and your team feel really adventurous – rent bicycles and tour your city or suburb with Spinlister! It's unique and memorable for team building ...and so fun!
  • Make sure employees can feel recognized for their hard work. Without the ability for managers or fellow peers to pat each other on the back after an accomplishment, big or small, and unless you have an easy way to recognize one another, you can bet that recognition goes by the wayside. Companies like Assembly are key to boosting morale and engagement and surfacing all the little wins for the whole company to both see and celebrate!
  • Don't solely rely on email or chat applications for intracompany questions. Emotions, sentiment, facial expressions, and body language can be totally lost over chat. When you can, get on a facetime and see the person you're talking to. Not only is it more efficient, but it brings the social element back into the virtual world and more closely mimics office life.
  • Give back to your employees! Offer them half-day Fridays or one additional day off each month (whatever makes sense for your organization). We've all felt burnout as staying home makes it too easy to work in bed, in the kitchen, and we've heard many people referring to "work from home" as "live at work." Communicate to your employees that you know they are working hard, that these are challenging times, and that the company is there to support them and get them through it!
  • Trivia games are always fun (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). It's slightly corny/cliche, and you won't get full participation, but enough people need simple, amusing connections that you might be surprised. It's not about finding things that get 100% participation. It's about finding a diverse set of activities that, in aggregate, get as close to 100% participation.
  • Start a cooking channel on your chat application of choice —showcase everyone's cooking, run competitions, and offer real rewards that encourage participation.

Whatever you do, the key is to make sure your employees know you understand these are different and difficult times and that you care. Make them feel appreciated and let them know their hard work is noticed.


Anxiety & Depression Statistics

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/21878/impact-of-coronavirus-pandemic-on-mental-health/

Communicate often and ask questions. Mental health is more important than ever, and lowered morale can significantly impact your company's output and, thus, outcomes. According to the CDC, NCHS, and the Census Bureau, anxiety and depression are skyrocketing with the pandemic. Be there for your employees, support them, and encourage your company to act as a community!

Treat your employees well, and they will treat your organization well and you will see improved outcomes quickly; good luck!

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