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In the United States, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 27th, 2025.
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On a recent episode of the Amazing Teams podcast, we discussed developing remote work culture without forcing it. The trial and error of scheduling virtual events was an important subtopic here, and one that we hear about from our teams all of the time.
Over and over, people at the helm of great work cultures share the same advice. You just have to try everything. If you’re willing to let an activity go when it doesn’t work and move on to the next idea, you’ll eventually find something that sticks.
Today, we have 16 more ideas to add to the pile. Specifically, these remote team engagement ideas are intended to attack the main complaints heard about such events: they can feel forced and meaningless.
Why the virtual water cooler is draining remote employees
Team engagement cannot be built on chat pairings alone. Historically, water cooler chat was spontaneous social interaction. Today’s virtual environments can make that feel like we’re scheduling and performing a thing we used to enjoy authentically.
Remote-first is still relatively new, but research is already unearthing employee resentment around mandatory team activities. When a company-led activity feels forced or meaningless (distracting from work), it breeds negative feelings.
Authentic remote team bonding ideas need the following to become a real team ritual:
- Simple and easy to do, doesn’t encroach on their time
- Makes sense for the organization and its values
- Optional participation, feeling of choice
- Can be adapted, invites the team’s cultural contributions
Remote team engagement activities that emphasize shared purpose
Invisible work divides people. When remote teammates are already deep inside of their own screens, pulling them away for “fun” can be annoying. These ideas won’t arouse suspicion that they’re being roped into team building.
1. Skill-based virtual volunteering.
In-person teams have long held Volunteer Days, and so can remote ones. Perform some pro bono analysis, coding, or content creation for an organization that could use a little free expertise.
2. Worst advice ever.
Knowledge sharing is one of the most valuable activities any team can engage in. Keep a “worst advice ever” doc where someone shares a role-specific mistake they made with the fix and what they should have done instead.
3. Practical skill swap sessions.
These peer exchanges help with growth and development from people who know best–your teammate who’s already doing it. From software tours to nifty shortcuts, everyone can take their turn teaching.
4. Name that project.
Out in the world, the new shoe campaign is flawlessly branded. Inside the team, it’s Project Heel Yeah. Invite remote teams to give their collaborations code names, strengthening group identity and getting a little creative.
Low-pressure remote team bonding ideas for building trust
Acquaint remote teams with one another a little better and add cohesion to WFA models. One or more of these can be introduced when anticipating new or increased collaboration.
1. Two truths and a dream.
Two truths and a lie are an all-time icebreaker activity. Make it a little more sincere and informative by swapping the lie for a dream or goal someone has.
2. Shared working hours map.
Some people need visuals to solidify concepts. A collaborative map where everyone can pin their time zone and share their prime working hours keeps everyone on the same page.
3. “Current mood” library.
The team collaborates on curating a set of images, memes, or emojis that best describe their moods. They become cultural insider signals during regular vibe checks in the team chat.
4. “Work with me” guides.
When are your deep focus hours, what are you especially skilled at solving, and do you happen to have a really dry sense of humor? Everyone can include their paragraph in a shared doc that creates more familiarity in a remote setting and gives new hires the real scoop.
Relaxed, authentic remote team activities for async work
Building belonging on an async team can feel high pressure. But even interactions with hours between responses accumulate over time, strengthening the sense that one is in fact part of the team.
1. Shared annotations.
Have teams mark up an industry-relevant article or doc over the course of a few weeks, exchanging info and insights. This lets people in time zones that aren’t as well-represented share their point of view.
2. Show me your tabs.
Once a week, everyone takes a screenshot of their open tabs and sums it up with one sentence. It’s a slick way to make everyone’s work a little more visible.
3. Async book/movie club.
Share interests without a very active live discussion. Async-friendly interest channels let people leave comments on the latest chapter or episode that their coworkers across the globe can catch up on during breaks.
4. Silent co-working channel.
Severe introverts on your team? Strict silos? Slowly warm up distributed or silent teams with quiet co-working channels. Just type “here” when working and nothing else. People will feel more accountable to stay on top of their tasks. There’s also peer presence gently weakening feelings of isolation.
Remote team engagement activities that recognize people, not output
Some teams have no choice but to be all productivity, all the time. Take a moment once a week to try on a ritual that isn’t too off the map, but still isn’t all business.
1. First job flashback.
Have everyone share their first real work experience. People can reflect on what they learned, how far they’ve come, and how much the workplace has changed.
2. Top giver picks a game.
Spotlight giving and gratitude as a core value by letting the month’s Top Taco Giver pick the activity. People feel like they’re sharing a prize instead of being made to attend a company event.
3. The hidden skills marketplace.
Have people share what they’re great at outside of work and leverage each other's skills. A coworker’s passion for graphic design becomes another’s party invitation.
4. Taco origin story.
Fast, funny, and tied to your favorite recognition platform. Everyone takes turns sharing their Spicy Trait, Mild Side, and Secret Ingredient.
Real engagement involves small habits, not forced fun.
If you’re wary of imposing remote team engagement activities on your people, start with the subtlest ones possible.
The shared working hours map seems like “good to know” basic information. Asking a team, “What should our code name for this project be?” is light conversation, a far cry from forcing them to do trust falls. But all of these tiny things build up in the mind, coalescing into community. Daily reminders that even though we can’t see them, we work on a team of other humans.
HeyTaco is another way to add interactions at work without scheduling, instructing, and feeling like you’re interrupting. Tiny virtual tacos are a lighthearted, no-big-deal way to throw a remote coworker a little recognition. But over time, the connections we build become a very big deal indeed.
"Such a great way to connect with remote colleagues. It's the kind of thing that sounds small until you start doing it, and then you can't imagine work without it."
- HeyTaco user
HeyTaco is chat-native and specially designed for remote-first teams. Try it for free and send your first taco in less than a minute!
