The adoption of remote work had been already growing at a fast pace in the last few years until the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions worldwide ended up accelerating its adoption. This led to work from home policies being set in record time across companies of all types and industries all over the world.
Today, almost all businesses – both small and big – enable remote work. The means that without seeing face-to-face, organizations have adapted to the new normal. The increasing preference for remote work by many workers also makes it inevitable for teams not to have provisions for remote work.
So to preserve company culture, observe work policies, and encourage team bonding, some organizations have implemented new initiatives, such as the use of video conferencing tools and the hosting of regular workshops. But one of the most effective ways for organizations to bond and catch up is taking the team on a virtual tour.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate teams used physical activities, such as workout sessions, beach hangouts, and picnics to create fun times and encourage bonding among team members. Today, the story has changed dramatically. Nonetheless, thanks to virtual tours teams can still share fun and enriching experiences together. Traveling together is always a wonderful experience, and now companies have a cost-efficient and practical way to offer it to their employees.
Virtual Tours
As one of the virtual activities that corporate bodies can engage in, virtual tours are the ideal alternatives for physical activities like beach hangouts, office parties, and picnics. Employees who have been looking for opportunities to travel to tourist sites and relax their nerves have the chance to do so virtually. The increasing number of virtual travel companies, like Globetrotter VR, make it surprisingly easy for people from different places to experience their dream destination.
Boost Team Morale:
Throughout the pandemic, many people have been forced to work from home.. This situation can create feelings of helplessness and damage one’s mental state and overall team morale. Therefore, it is vital that as a manager or employer, you show your team that you care about their well-being and that you are willing to offer a moment of fun and relaxation to them during these difficult times. If you boost morale, you will also increase productivity.
Make their dreams come true.
The pandemic has crushed countless plans and dreams of visiting far-away places. With a virtual tour, you can give your employees the chance to experience their dream destination. The best thing is that you do not need to buy plane tickets or bus tickets to provide them with this thrilling experience. With virtual tours, you can send them to far-flung places at a fraction of the cost.
Virtual tours help teams to bond.
A research by Gallup in 2020, exploring the effectiveness of remote work, maintains that virtual team-building exercise causes an increase in employee performance rate, resulting in 41% lower absenteeism and 21% higher profitability. This is because about 20% of remote workers struggle with loneliness, with office interactions and gatherings gone.
This means that one of the best ways remote employees can build team spirit and promote a healthy work culture is by engaging in virtual team building activities, games, and going on virtual adventures together. When looking to improve employee bonding and promote employer-employee relationships, remote teams can use immersive virtual tour experiences to create memorable moments that help to bridge communication gaps.
Virtual tours are available on multiple devices.
The future is indeed here! Innovative start-ups and using technology to bring the world to you. With virtual tours, anyone can start virtually globetrotting from any device and an internet connection. Some companies offer virtual tours through Zoom and Teams, which you can access from your laptop or mobile device.
Other companies, such as Globetrotter VR, create virtual tours powered by Web VR technology. This means you can really immerse yourself in the destination, but the experience is still accessible from PCs, mobile devices, or virtual reality headset. Essentially, with an internet-enabled device, anyone from anywhere can participate in a virtual tour. Team members who have not interacted for so long can catch up and have fun together.
Improve workers’ productivity.
According to some observations, socializing and physical interactions can improve the productivity of workers. But this can be a challenge for remote teams. Luckily, this challenge can be overcome through virtual tours. Virtual teams can improve productivity by as much as 21% by engaging in virtual activities together.
Therefore, team members can still get the opportunity to socialize a bit more than before. There’s also the added benefit of improving employee engagement and worker’s productivity at work.
As many companies across the globe fully adopt remote work policies, it is becoming increasingly important for these remote teams to stay in touch and engage in team bonding activities constantly. In addition to the fact that research has shown that virtual team bonding activities help improve productivity, virtual tours are essential for enhancing socialization among virtual team members and enhancing employee engagement.
