Whether your team works in-office, remote, or hybrid, encouraging some social interaction can go a long way toward building a positive culture. While remote work can make employees’ lives better in so many ways, it can also impact one’s sense of connection and belonging. The truth is that informal, casual conversations are critical - but not easy to come by in a remote work environment. Here’s what business leaders need to know about virtual water cooler and how it can impact your team. 

What is a virtual water cooler? 

If you’ve ever worked in an office, then you know how many conversations happen around a water cooler - or, perhaps a coffee station or in a break room. Almost every workplace has some sort of area where people tend to gather, discuss weekend plans, and share informal updates on work projects. These spaces are a great way to take a break, have a snack, and hang out with some co-workers. 

For those managing virtual teams, extra efforts need to be made, since there is obviously not a physical space to gather around. You can create a shared digital space that is designed specifically for informal interaction. This gives employees a chance to better understand one another, catch up on anything they may have missed, share photos or stories, or even connect with others over conversation. 

In the event of increased remote work, workers are more in need of team bonding than ever. This is leaving a serious gap in improving employee engagement and morale. However, this can be addressed by setting up a virtual space where colleagues can chat informally and share day to day conversation. 

Virtual water cooler options for remote or hybrid teams

There are a couple different ways to create virtual water coolers. They both require some form of technology to facilitate, but there are plenty of options that can make this simple. 

Video meeting breakroom

If you have any virtual employees, you probably also have video conferencing as part of your tech stack. Virtual meetings are one of the simplest ways to connect remote employees. This is a way that people can “meet” face to face without being in the same place. We suggest setting up a video meeting “breakroom” where employees can enjoy some coffee and conversation with others. Choose a platform that people can join with just a couple clicks. You’ll also want to ensure that employees can join from any browser, desktop, or mobile device. You may also want to set up regular meetings that occur at the same time every week, for example. You may even want to have one that runs every day, so that people can check in during a daily break. 

Group chats

This is another great option for connecting work teams. You can set up different chats based on things like interests or work-related (or non-work related) subjects. Think of them as virtual clubs that people can join to discuss various water cooler topics that pertain to them. On some platforms, you can choose to make the chats private or public - meaning you can allow anyone to join them, or you can keep things invitation only. Consider what would work best for your team according to their interests and things they enjoy chatting about. 

Some other ideas for facilitating water cooler conversations include the following: 

• Informal team breaks - Choose a particular time in the day when remote workers are encouraged to take a break. Encourage them to engage in casual conversation without a particular topic in mind. This is effective in not only encouraging a daily break, but helping people to get to know their co-workers better. 

• Virtual team-building activities - If you aren’t sure that people will chime in on general conversation with no real agenda, try setting up some more specific chats. Book clubs, weekly movie nights where everyone tunes into the same film, or virtual team lunches are all good ways to help colleagues to interact socially. 

• Virtual happy hours - Who couldn’t have fun by ending the day with an ice-cold beverage and some lighthearted conversation? Since staff can’t just pop down to their local pub together on a Friday after work, why not set up a digital option that has the same effect? Set up a time at the end of the work week where everyone can let go of a stressful week and get ready to kick off the weekend. 

• Invitation-only clubs - Have some Star Wars lovers in your group? Or some culinary geniuses? If so, encourage like-minded individuals to start up an online club where they can discuss what interests them. Appoint a staff member to be the club coordinator and have them organize virtual events and meetings where these interests can be explored and discussed. 

Steps for setting up a virtual water cooler

Ready to set up a virtual water cooler of your own? Here are the steps you need to follow to set up an effective digital water cooler for your team.

1. Pick a platform that allows interaction

Start by choosing the virtual tools that you will use for these conversations. You might consider a virtual messaging tool that you already use in your company, or you can investigate other options like video conferencing tools. 

2. Create areas based on topics of interest

The entire process will be easier if you give people a place to start. You can do that by setting up chats around things like company announcements, resources for employees, activities in your city, and more. You can set up some that are centered on work topics, and some that are just fun such as book reviews or recipes. Here are a couple ideas to consider: some text

1. TV show and movie recommendations

2. A virtual bookshelf that kickstarts a casual book club

3. A virtual fridge where people discuss their favorite foods and beverages and can even upload pictures

4. Hilarious GIFs or memes 

5. Company calendar so everyone can see what’s coming up and learn important dates

6. Announcements - whether pertaining to the company or individuals 

7. Travel and trips, where people can share photos, ask questions about agendas, etc. 

3. Share with your colleagues and collaborators

This virtual water cooler won’t be very effective if no one shows up! Once you have a few chats set up, make sure to spread the word. Use messaging platforms such as Slack, as well as email to share the appropriate links. Just make sure that everyone you invite can make their own contributions, so the conversation can grow. Leave notes and comments to get a dialogue going, and share them broadly so that everyone can join the chats that interest them. 

4. Schedule asynchronously or set up specific times

One of the biggest benefits of virtual water coolers is the flexibility. This way you can set aside time with your team, to be sure everyone connects. Or, if you have employees scattered in different time zones, that will be difficult. In that case, you can keep the chat available on an ongoing basis, and people can join as they have time and see fit. If you can make this work even once a week, you can take advantage of some extra team-building. 

Questions and icebreakers for virtual water cooler chat

You are not likely to have high engagement in these digital spaces if you simply leave them open without any direction. People find it much easier to be the first participant in a discussion if they’ve been provided some direction. Begin the conversations with various icebreakers, fun facts, conversation starters, or trivia. Here are a few ideas for where to begin:

• Create daily themes like “Travel Tuesday” or “Favorite Sport Friday” where people can share images, ask questions, and generally discuss everything pertaining to that particular subject. 
• Virtual trivia sessions are perfect for helping current and new hires to learn more about the company. Come up with a few questions that pertain to your company and coworkers and post them in the chat for others to answer. 
• Meme Mondays are a fun way to share humorous memes that create a lighthearted atmosphere. 
• Plan virtual scavenger hunts where people find and share unique items from their own home during the event. 
• Host a virtual recipe exchange where employees can share their favorite recipes, cooking tips, or photos of their creations. This is especially fun around the holidays when people might be hosting groups or doing a lot of baking. 
• Use online Pictionary tools to organize some fun and interactive drawing games that can promote creativity and laughter as well as socialization. 
• Pick a day to share throwback photos, memories, baby pictures, etc. This is a great way to learn more about the background of your team as well as insert some fun into a usual workday. 
• Create a competition based on desk plants. Who has the greenest or most unique plant? Who is ready to show off a green thumb? 
• Initiate friendly fitness challenges where people can post daily updates. Encourage team members to share healthy recipes, exercise routines, fitness achievements, and other wellness tips. Bonus points if you happen to have a corporate fitness or wellness challenge going on, and people can use this digital space as a way to be more involved and engaged. cf
• Various fun challenges - you can find a variety to choose from in our blog on virtual team challenges. Explore other virtual icebreaker games, Zoom icebreaker games, and virtual team-building activities there, too. 

You can also just start the session by asking a daily icebreaker question, such as: 

• Name one thing on your bucket list and why. 
• The last vacation you took and if you’d recommend it. 
• Your favorite restaurant in your city. 
• Share your dream destination and why. 
• A simple “how are you doing today?” - where the answers “good” or “fine” are not allowed.
• Would you rather questions such as “Would you rather live in the Arctic or the desert?”
• “Where are you joining from and what is that place known for?”
• Use one word to describe… (your feelings on the meeting, how your weekend went, etc). 
• An emoji that expresses your current state of mind. 
• Highlight of the week or month - share your most recent top accomplishment. 
• Unsung hero - have people call out and acknowledge someone else on the call for something they’ve done. 
• A brief gratitude list - what people are grateful for on that particular day. 

Don’t forget in-person connection

Though virtual water coolers - and other remote team communication methods - are more important than ever, they can’t replace human interaction altogether. In fact, many of the opponents of remote work state that reduced face to face connection is one of their concerns. No matter how far we’ve come in creating effective workspaces online, there is no substitute for looking your colleague in the eye while you discuss various things. 

For this reason, it's essential to schedule occasional team gatherings. You may want to schedule larger meetings for your entire department, as well as all-company retreats where everyone can come together and get to know people they normally don’t interact with. If your team is highly scattered, this can be difficult. However, it’s worth creating team-building retreats that the whole company can attend at least once a year. Make them both compelling and entertaining by creating an agenda of company announcements, learning opportunities, social interaction, or other fun activities like a group volunteer session.

If that sounds like a tall order, let Surf Office help. We work with companies of all sizes to organize events that bring entire teams together and create a strong culture.