There are benefits to be enjoyed when your business takes the time to develop its employees. One way to nurture your environment and boost engagement is through team building activities. Such activities can improve company morale, build trust among co-workers, and improve communication throughout all levels of the company. When employees are kept engaged, they’re 87% less likely to leave their position and organizations with highly engaged employees are able to achieve twice the annual net income than competitors with minimally engaged employees. If it’s time to boost morale and business through engagement, try these affordable and fun team building activities.
Themed Activity Ideas
Team outings
No matter the size of your company, its budget, or location, there’s a perfect outing idea that your team will love. Some suggestions include go-karting, hiking, bowling, and scavenger hunts. Team outings combine friendly competition with the opportunity for open communication. Employees will feel comfortable in letting their guard down and build relationships that otherwise might not have formed inside the office.
Culture celebrations
Allow employees to volunteer to teach coworkers about different holidays or traditions they celebrate. If you have the budget, a small party will create a relaxed atmosphere. This type of activity celebrates diversity and encourages dialogue that coworkers hesitate to bring up on their own.
Education day
No matter your industry, continuous education is important for employees. An alternative to drawn-out conferences is to allow employees to either choose an online class or other learning opportunity on their own. Consider allowing one department to teach another what they do and why it’s important to the company. When education isn’t forced and instead chosen, employees will be more present, and the information better retained.
Start a club
See if enough employees have a similar hobby that can be hosted after work. For example, host a craft club or photography club. Employees get to know each other on a more personal level in an environment they feel comfortable in.
Family day
Have employees plan and host a family day where spouses and children can come and tour the factory, office, or workspace of your business. This type of activity evokes pride in the workplace.
Spirit week
Schedule a theme for each day of the week. Have as much fun as you want and let employees make suggestions. Ideas include superhero day, Hawaiian day, mismatch day, and sports team day.
Though some employees may be wary, this team building activity involves everyone on an equal level.
Team Building Games
Silver lining
Two employees play this game at a time. One tells of a negative experience, whether work-related or on a personal level. The other employee must then point out the positive aspect of the memory. This activity allows employees to be vulnerable yet feel safe as coworkers help them find the silver lining in all types of situations, which is a valuable skill.
Egg drop
Put employees in small groups and provide them with an assortment of supplies. Include common office items, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, tape, construction paper, and other items as desired. Each team needs to build a platform that can catch an egg without breaking it. Once everyone has built their egg catcher, it’s time to test them out. Award prizes to the teams who saved the most eggs. This activity promotes teamwork and can even uncover some hidden talents among your employees.
Surprise puzzle
Separate your team into groups and give each a puzzle. Set a time limit and let them get to work. What they won’t know is that you’ve swapped out several pieces of their puzzle for a different team’s pieces. This is a great activity because it promotes teamwork and forces the team to deal with an unexpected twist, which can happen on the job as well. Teams will need to communicate to complete their puzzles.
What would you do?
Either split your team into small groups or let them answer as a large group. Ask them what they would do in certain situations. For example, what would they save in a fire? What would they bring to a desert island? What’s the solution to world hunger? This activity promotes deep thinking and problem-solving. It can also bring out leadership qualities in unexpected individuals.
There are several benefits you can expect when you properly administer effective yet fun team building activities on a regular basis. If you feel your environment is lacking or stagnant, it’s time to give some of these suggestions a try.
