Microsoft Teams is one of the primary tools for better collaboration and communication in a hybrid world. As teams continue to work from a range of distributed environments, solutions like Teams bring people together. Through video conferencing, chat, and a range of synchronised tools, your employees can continue to work efficiently.
Part of what makes Teams particularly impressive is the ability business leaders have to implement third-party tools to tackle specific challenges. For instance, with third-party applications and services, you can improve your employees’ relationships and enable bonding among remote workers.
So, which tools are best for boosting team bonding in Microsoft Teams?
Internal Solutions for Microsoft Teams bonding
Before you start experimenting with add-ons and integrations for Microsoft Teams, it might be worth checking out some of the in-built functionality. For instance, Microsoft introduced the “Viva” ecosystem for engagement and employee motivation in Teams.
This platform comes with various tools to boost individual employee efficiency and performance. However, Viva can also help to strengthen the connections between your staff members. Microsoft Viva Connections, for instance, supports staff in keeping track of stories about their co-workers and ensuring staff feel unified.
Combined with regular video meetings hosted on Microsoft Teams, Viva can be an excellent way to keep your staff in sync. Don’t forget, tools like Microsoft Teams “Together mode” for immersive video meetings are particularly valuable for this purpose too.
Microsoft Teams Apps for Bonding
After you’ve experimented with the in-built solutions for Microsoft Teams bonding, it’s worth exploring some of the available add-ons for your teams too. Here are some of the top choices available specifically to enhance collaboration and staff synergy.
- NickNack
NickNack is a unique Microsoft Teams add-on intended to recreate office chemistry between remote and distributed team members. The selection of asynchronous activities offered by NickNack is a great way to keep teams engaged and having fun. Your staff members can collaborate on lip-syncing videos or work on virtual escape rooms.
There are gamification elements built-in, like leader boards and rewards. This ensures you can build a fun and engaging experience for your team, keeping the conversation going. There’s even a challenges tab where team members can track their challenges in progress. Features of NickNack include:
- Comprehensive “Challenge” tracking environment
- Lots of asynchronous games to play with colleagues
- Convenient gamification features to improve engagement
- Easy to track participation from various members of the team
- Karma
A crucial part of keeping employees happy in a flexible or hybrid environment is recognition. Staff members need to know they’re appreciated wherever they are. However, it’s not just feedback from business leaders which leads to positive results.
With tools like Karma, companies can enable individual staff members to give micro feedback to their peers and connect. The ability for each person in your team to say “well done” more often to their colleagues paves the way for deeper, more meaningful emotional connections. You can even set up real-life perks and rewards for your staff.
Features include:
- Instant feedback sharing for all members of staff
- Reporting and analytics
- Set up rewards and perks
- Engage with your team regularly
- Deliver individual reports to staff for motivation
- Trivia
One of the most significant issues with maintaining team bonding opportunities in a hybrid or remote workplace is that there aren’t many opportunities for casual conversation. To feel more closely connected to their colleagues, employees need to chat, play games, and interact in a way not always related to work.
Trivia is a tool for Microsoft Teams which helps to bring fun and camaraderie back into the workplace. You can play trivia games, spark conversations with quizzes, and create virtual watercooler experiences for your staff. This fun and laid-back environment is great for getting your teams on a more friendly level with each other.
Features include:
- Custom quizzes and trivia
- Pictionary and fun games
- Watercooler chats about popular topics
- Ice breaker activities
- Peer-to-peer introductions for meetings
- Employee wellness by Health Hero
Team bonding doesn’t just have to involve bringing your staff together around shared workplace goals. Sometimes, the best way to get everyone unified in your workforce, is to give them other targets to work towards. The Employee Wellness app by Health Hero is an excellent addition to Microsoft Teams for companies investing in staff wellbeing.
This application works by giving your team a leader board environment to track and participate in wellness activities. You can get all of your team members working towards weight loss goals or fitness targets. Not only does the app give teams a way to bond, but it can also make your employees happier and healthier too.
Features include:
- Pre-built wellness and step challenges
- Mental health and risk assessment screening
- Biometric screening options
- Competitions and leaderboards for engagement
- All-in-one dashboard with chat for staff
- Kudozza
Similar to the Karma app for Microsoft Teams, the Kudozza application is a tool intended to improve staff motivation and satisfaction in a digital world. The app focuses on allowing team members to provide their colleagues with a virtual “pat on the back” when they do a good job. You can send appreciation in a range of different forms, including eye-catching emojis.
Aside from simply giving your staff members an easier way to deliver feedback and kudos to their colleagues, Kudozza is also a fantastic solution for tracking important insights. The app comes with analytics and reporting features for team leaders. This helps you to keep your finger on the pulse of staff engagement levels and happiness.
Features include:
- Appreciation and feedback options for staff members
- Dedicated emojis to make feedback more fun
- Ranking and reports for competition
- Insights for business leaders
- Challenge setting
