What is your current workplace setup? Are your employees working from the office, home, or hybrid? Well, regardless of your approach to work, I bet it’s difficult to get your whole team together at times.
The truth is, regardless of the work styles, team building can bring morale, productivity and a sense of purpose to your employees.
Yet the idea of team building ideas for employees may differ from one professional to another. Some may feel team collaboration could be over Zoom calls, office retreats, or potlucks, or your company may not be having any engagement at all.
Whatever it is, you need to build your team regularly. Not just in the event of another pandemic, recession, or anything else, it has to be done at least a couple of times a year. Team building has a profound effect on your company, profit, and your employee’s wellbeing, much more than you think.
To save you time, I’ve come up with a list in this article of top team building ideas for any work setting. Check it out below!
Why team building?
It may seem obvious what team building can provide, but let’s pause for a second and go beyond the surface level. Before diving into team-building ideas for employees, let’s look at the advantages it provides for both your business and your staff.
Benefits of team building for business
Higher chances of profitability
In today’s times, we allocate so much of our attention to research & design, marketing, customer service, and more to increase our income; it can often become tedious. One way that often gets overlooked is by looking inwards to your employees. Research by Gallup shows employees are happier when they’re engaged, and a business is less likely to suffer from high absenteeism and staff turnover.
Greater reputation
If you want to scale your business, then reputation is everything. According to the American Psychological Association, 80% of employees with wellbeing initiatives at their workplace are more likely to recommend their place of work to others.
This means if your company has team-building initiatives that allow them to feel good, you could receive more referrals for job roles and greater opportunities for your business. Plus, from a public point of view, more people might want to come to work for you.
More productive
When you take on any idea of team building for employees and implement it for your business, your company will likely become more productive. One of the major reasons businesses lack productivity is their own internal health.
For example, your employees could suffer from high stress levels if you’re in a fast-paced industry with high demands. High stress levels are linked with fatigue, depression, and more. On the contrary, if your employees are engaged, more connected with their workplace, and happier, they’ll likely experience burnout less, be healthier, and more productive.
Benefits of team building for employees
Enhanced communication
If you run team-building activities outside of your office, your employees will likely communicate more. Because of this, they’ll better understand their coworkers better and pending work to be done, allowing them to build more meaningful relationships at work and greater happiness as a whole.
Higher motivation levels
Regular team building inside or outside the office can result in higher employee motivation and morale. Often team building activities allow employees to break from their typical daily work routine, and often, there’s fun and spontaneity mixed in. Because of this, your employees may feel more connected to their job, valued, and have a positive mindset throughout their work day.
Better problem solving
Often many team-building ideas for employees involve tasks with critical thinking, creative solutions, and problem-solving. When your employees are regularly engaged in these challenges, their ability to solve problems in the workplace will often become quicker. Plus, they will be open-minded to problem solving, leaving them feeling more confident in their job.
5 Team building ideas for employees
Now that you know just how beneficial team building can be for your employees and business, let’s delve right into ideas.
1. Take them outdoors
One of the best ways to build up your team and develop a positive company culture is by taking them outdoors. Simply getting away from a concrete space and doing wonders for the whole team’s mental health. Even research shows time spent in nature can improve mental health and reduce symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. It’s a win-win for everyone! To inspire you, here are some ideas you might want to consider:
- Scavenger hunt
- Hiking
- Obstacle courses
- Charity walkathon
- Tree planting
- Beach cleanup
2. Indoor activities
You can always think about indoor activities if you don’t have the resources to take your teams right into nature or work right in the heart of the city. This could either be onsite or offsite, whatever suits you the most. Here are some indoor team-building ideas for inspiration:
- Escape rooms
- Board game tournament
- Shark tank
- Rock climbing
- Cooking competitions
- Charades
3. Team building for remote workers
If a lot of your team works remotely, then there are still many possible options! Here are some ideas for employees who work remotely:
- Live coworking
- Have each employee show them around their home
- Have a virtual breakfast or lunch club
- Host a digital wine tasting event
- Conduct live musical performances
- Have show-and-tell sessions
4. Team building ideas for contract workers
Do you have many contract workers in your company? If so, you might be pushed for time to take them out of their role for the day. Don’t worry, though; there are still lots of options for contract workers:
- Office quiz
- Lunch and learn session
- Office scavenger hunt
- Presentation sessions
- Knowledge sharing sessions
- Puzzle-solving
5. Team building ideas on a budget
Do you want to increase morale in your workplace, yet finances are scarce? Then fear not; there are plenty of options you can do on a budget. Here are some great ones to try:
- Board game night
- Day at the beach
- Office Olympics
- Make a DIY escape room
- Karaoke
- Potluck
What to consider when undergoing team building activities
Before you set out to conduct team building activities for your company, there are several things you should take into consideration; they are:
Onsite/offsite logistics
When deciding on any activities, you must factor in the logistics behind it. For instance, if you’re planning on something out of office, can you provide transportation, accommodation, venue, and catering? Whereas if you’re on-site, do you have the space and equipment for your team building session?
Therefore before selecting the activity, decide what logistics are required first. If you have your logistics organized, your team-building session is more likely to function smoothly and encourage engagement with participants and satisfaction.
Inclusion
For your team-building activities to be successful, your whole workforce must feel included. When deciding on an activity, ensure it promotes diversity and encourages collaboration. After all, you’ve probably got many employees from different backgrounds with different experiences and opinions. Therefore, if you consider them, you can conduct them more effectively and increase their sense of belonging to your company.
How to tie to company culture
Your activities should align with your company’s vision, goal, and culture. When choosing them, always take this into account. Plus, when you’re undergoing team building for your team, always involve the leaders, add company stories and follow up with them afterward to ensure your staff stays connected to your culture.
Frequency suggestions
Team building events for your company should be conducted at least once a year. While there’s no hard and fast rule to how often you include this event, try to keep them regularly to maintain a positive working environment. When organizing any event, you’ll want to consider vacation leave, time to plan, and get advice for your team before deciding on a date.
Final thoughts
Overall, team-building activities are a must for any sized business. Regardless of whether you are running a company remotely, in person, or a fusion of both, team building is beneficial for you and your employees. Activities increase communication, productivity, reduce absenteeism, and foster a sense of belonging.
If you conduct any team-building activities for your workplace, make sure you capture them with great footage! Doing that can provide you with many promotion tools and ways to show your company is a great place to work for.
Ready to schedule your team activity and capture the fun on camera? Reach out and I’ll ensure you get photos that create an impact!
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