12 Virtual Team Gratitude Activities for Remote Companies

1. Why You Need To Promote Virtual Team Gratitude Activities?

How intentional you are about thanking virtual employees speaks volumes about your company’s remote work culture. Simple yet intentional gestures, such as personalized thank-you messages, recognizing outstanding contributions during virtual meetings, celebrating work milestones, and offering flexible work hours or occasional remote work perks are great ways to let your employees know you care so they feel valued.

Such gratitude ideas for work play a pivotal role in shaping a positive work culture, fostering strong team bonds, enhancing engagement, and contributing to the overall well-being of remote team members.

2. Best Virtual Team Gratitude Activities 2024

2.1. Run a Virtual Trivia Challenge

If you are looking for a buzz-worthy way to express gratitude for your team’s hard work, check out Virtual Trivia by Hooray Teams, an immersive team building platform that provides a wide range of hosted activities and gratitude exercises for groups. You and your team will need to prep yourselves to face 4-5 rounds of rapid-fire questions in a fun battle of wits

The game is led by a lively host who ensures that you stay engaged throughout Hooray Teams offers plenty of themes ranging from pop culture to the holidays and even a fun spin on “The Office”. If you want to pitch your questions and customize the game, all you need to do is reach out to Hooray Teams and they will do it for you.

2.2. Organize a Virtual Escape Room

Still looking for an offbeat yet entertaining gratitude team building activity for your team? Try an escape room adventure that gives your team a much-needed break from the usual work grins. Our choice for you is the Virtual Escape Room by Hooray Teams, an awesome hosted team building platform for a wide range of hosted games and activities.

You and your teammates get to pick from six thrilling options. If your team wants to venture into a mystical world of suspense, then The Alchemist is a great option. On the other hand, if you prefer more gore, then a horror-themed adventure like Patient 360 or Dungeon Things is what we would recommend.

2.3. Play Virtual Icebreaker Games

Gratitude activities in a team building session typically involve sharing thoughts and feelings. Here’s where icebreakers can help break down communication barriers, making it easier for participants to express themselves more confidently. Hooray Teams Virtual IceBreaker Games can double as awesome gratitude exercises for you and your teammates to bond, share appreciation, and engage in meaningful conversations.

Led by an experienced host, you and your team will enjoy 4-5 rounds of fun icebreaker games in a 60-minute session. Each game is designed to help you get to know each other just a little bit better. You can reach out to them to customize the icebreakers for a more personalized experience So, if you are looking for virtual group gratitude exercises, do consider this one.

2.4. Run Creative Hosted Workshops

Hosted workshops can be a great tool for gratitude team building among employees. The shared experience of creating something together fosters a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Hooray Teams runs an amazing lineup of creative interactive classes like Origami, Paint Class, Paint-a-Tote, and Terrarium Making workshops where team members are guided by experts to showcase their skills, share ideas, and create unique works of art and crafts. This also helps teammates gain a deeper appreciation for each other's talents and interests.

2.5. Ship Some Goodies

Shipping goodies to employees is one of the best virtual team gratitude activities to explore for team building. Consider creating personalized care packages or include items like snacks, company-branded merchandise, or even small gifts that resonate with your team.

This thoughtful gesture not only shows appreciation but also creates a sense of connection and camaraderie. You can add creative little notes for a personal touch. Everyone likes opening their door to a thoughtfully put-together care package making this one the most perfect gratitude group activities for adults.

2.6. Share Custom Gift Vouchers/Coupons

This one is a never-fail when it comes to expressing appreciation or gratitude for your employees. Customizing gift vouchers or e-gifts as part of your virtual team gratitude activities not only gives employees a chance to buy gifts of their own choice but it’s also a way to show you’ve gone the extra mile in personalizing them.

You could do this using platforms such as Bucketlist, Hoppier Awardco, Mo, and Caroo among a few that make customization a breeze. When you need to do this on a mass or large scale for your organization, employee engagement software is the perfect solution since you can send them out in bulk directly into their inboxes.

2.7. Create a CredBoard

Think of a Credboard as your digital shout-out space! It's short for credit board, and it's like a virtual gratitude board where you can link people to updates and give props for their awesome efforts. There are websites and apps to help you with this gratitude activity for staff meetings, such as KudoBoard, which also offers users the option to format appreciation based on the occasion, such as a coworker’s birthday, retirement, or work milestone!

You can also use a canvas tool or template library from whiteboarding platforms like Miro, Mural, or Stormboard to create an online gratitude wall for your employees. You can also create a channel in Slack or on whatever internal communications tool your company uses. This is one of the best virtual team gratitude activities you can conduct for your employees.

2.8. Have a Netflix Session

Expressing gratitude can be integrated by allowing team members to recommend movies they appreciate or organizing themed movie nights around achievements or milestones. Make movie night a once-monthly or quarterly event so team members can unwind and share a common experience.

Themed virtual team activities like these can get a bit tricky because you need to ensure everyone can clear their schedules without impacting work. But it's worth it if it gets your team together for some fun pre and post-movie discussions. Invite your staff to pick movies and then proceed to create a list to go through. This way everyone will feel involved in these virtual team gratitude activities.

2.9. Host a Virtual Team Lunch

If you wish to keep your virtual gratitude activities for employees simple, host a virtual coffee or lunch social at midday. Everyone can either order in from their favorite restaurants or cook a special dish at home If you already have a particular coworker or manager in mind that you’d like to thank, you can discreetly ask them about their favorite dishes and pass the information along to the rest of the team. Surprise the member on the actual call with everyone showing what they’ve made in honor of him or her.

2.10. Build a Virtual Gratitude Board

Building a virtual gratitude board or wall for team building among employees is a fantastic idea for your list of virtual team gratitude activities. To create one, consider using collaboration tools like a digital whiteboard or platforms such as Asana, Trello, or Slack where team members can easily share and acknowledge each other's contributions.

Teammates can post messages expressing gratitude, recognizing achievements, or even sharing small wins. By fostering a space where appreciation is openly expressed, a virtual gratitude board becomes a powerful tool for building a positive team culture and strengthening the bonds among team members.

2.11. Recognize Birthdays and Anniversaries

The personnel file should have everything you need on your employees, including their date of birth, date of joining, and number of years in service at your firm. Fill up your calendar with reminders on the actual days so that neither you nor the rest of the team miss recognizing them on a special day.

Even if they aren’t expecting it or forget their work anniversaries, it's nice to be surprised! These are the kinds of virtual team gratitude activities that can make their way to the virtual gratitude wall. Another great aspect of curating a list of calendar birthdays and anniversaries is that it acts as a virtual gratitude icebreaker.

2.12. Mark Work Appreciation Hour

This is one of the easier-to-do and simpler virtual team gratitude activities for employees. Simply take out time in a call to announce the goals met. Match it to who in particular stood out. If you’re unable to make it to the meeting yourself, you can record a dedication message to your employees thanking them for all that they’re doing and post it on a virtual gratitude wall. Take it a step further by making the appreciation and feedback two-way.

Encourage employees to use surveys to suggest changes or improvements that they think they and the company would benefit from implementing. A virtual gratitude board helps take the guesswork about when one should post if they want to appreciate one another.

3. FAQs

3.1. How do I express gratitude virtually?

Expressing gratitude virtually comes down to a tried-and-tested framework. You may have to experiment iteratively until you find a mix of virtual team gratitude activities and gratitude group exercises that work for your business. Remember to involve employees not just at the start but throughout the process. get their feedback on what's working and what's not and ask for suggestions for new programs to make people feel valued, appreciated, and recognized.

3.2. What is a gratitude exercise?

Gratitude exercises for teams are the means to appreciating the value of each individual on a team, or department. It establishes goodwill for the entirety of an employee’s association with the firm and remains long after they leave, no matter the circumstances surrounding their exit.

3.3. What is a virtual gratitude wall?

A virtual gratitude wall is an online platform or space where people can express their appreciation and thanks to others by posting messages, notes, or comments. It's a digital way to share and celebrate gratitude.

3.4. What are some virtual gratitude exercises for teams?

Virtual gratitude exercises for teams include:

Gratitude Journals: Encourage team members to keep online gratitude journals and share their entries regularly.
Virtual "Thank You" Meetings: Schedule regular video meetings where team members express appreciation for each other's contributions.
Appreciation Channel: Creating a dedicated channel for team members to share thanks and positive feedback.
Gratitude Cards: Send e-cards or virtual thank-you notes to team members to acknowledge their efforts.

3.5. What are the activities for Gratitude Day?

Gratitude Day offers a wonderful opportunity to engage in various virtual team gratitude activities that foster a mindset of thankfulness and appreciation. Some meaningful gratitude group activities are writing heartfelt thank you notes, and expressing gratitude to colleagues.

3.6. What are the appreciation games for teams?

Appreciation games for teams are a great way to express gratitude within a group. One of the most popular virtual team gratitude activities that shows the power of gratitude is "Compliment Bingo," where team members create bingo cards with compliments or positive traits and try to fill them by receiving those compliments from their colleagues during team meetings.

3.7. What are some gratitude icebreaker questions?

Some gratitude icebreaker questions that you can use are;

Can you share a recent experience where someone's kindness made a positive impact on your day?
What's a specific achievement or accomplishment from the past week that you're grateful for?
Who is someone in your life that you're thankful for, and why?
Share a moment from your day that you appreciated or found joy in.