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:
