Good morning!
Despite a years-long RTO push, remote work is still a reality for many workplaces. Despite the obvious upsides like increased worker flexibility and saving on office space, many organizations struggle to connect with colleagues spread out across the country.
But there’s considerable evidence that workers can create meaningful relationships online if companies go about it the right way. The trouble is, most employers don’t know how to effectively build these connections on their own.
Teamraderie, a startup that offers virtual team-building activities, aims to help bridge this gap. The company creates virtual “experiences” intended to help create camaraderie for teams that are either fully remote or hybrid. Its customers include teams at Microsoft, Google, Dell, Spotify, and Apple.
With more than 80 experiences available, each Teamraderie activity is designed to create specific outcomes. For example, a virtual LEGO brick-building competition aims to improve collaboration and team communication, a virtual coffee-tasting session hosted by a barista is designed to help connect and align team members on common goals, and a simulated rescue mission hosted by a former Navy SEAL is designed to improve how teams work together and approach problem-solving.
“Every CHRO has that challenge of: I have a distributed workforce, how do I get it to feel cohesive, as opposed to just a bunch of people I've hired from around the country?” Michael McCarroll, Teamraderie’s cofounder and CEO, tells Fortune. “Which is the unfortunate challenge a lot of CHROs are sitting on.”
Earlier this year, I shadowed a Teamraderie experience attended by employees at JustAnswer, an advice website, who are part of its HR, admin, legal, and finance departments. The experience was a virtual NASCAR “pit stop” hosted by former pit crew coach Andy Papathanassiou. Before the exercise, teams were mailed a plastic toy car with removable tires and accompanying tools. They then learn the ins and outs of a NASCAR pit stop—where crews are expected to change the stock car’s tires in a matter of seconds during a race—practice their own pit stop tire change rotation with the toys, and discuss how their actual work might relate to the chaotic environment of a NASCAR race and how they approach teamwork in similar situations.
Most people seemed reluctant to contribute at first, and there were awkward silences when the presenter would ask a question. However, the group warmed up by the end, and the activity went a few minutes over time because people kept sharing ideas.
Kimberly Nerpouni, VP of people operations at JustAnswer said the NASCAR “experience” was the fourth Teamraderie event she’d attended. JustAnswer is remote-first and has employees dispersed across the U.S., Ukraine, and India. Nerpouni said the experience was helpful for workers to understand what each department does and why it’s important that everyone fulfill their role. She also said she wished the exercise had been longer—it ended just as the team was digging into some important insights and the last few minutes felt rushed.
That said, Nerpouni overall considers Teamraderie to be one tool of many that help build engagement in the new world of work.
“I think the jury's still out on whether this is going to be the new normal,” Nerpouni says of CEOs’ and other business leaders’ beliefs about the effectiveness of remote work. “I think the more we [HR leaders] can demonstrate to businesses that you can effectively manage talent and create talent density and still be remote, remote-first, or hybrid, the more we're gonna be able to keep employees engaged. It's a secret sauce.”
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
Today's edition was curated by Emma Burleigh.
