Team-building is an important part of strengthening your company’s workplace culture. If you have employees who don’t know each other or ones having problems with collaboration, then team-building is the answer.
New employees enter a workforce on a regular basis, and oftentimes there is turnover that affects relationships. By encouraging employees to get to know each other, you’re developing relationships, improving productivity, reducing misunderstandings, and increasing morale. Read on to learn unique and engaging team-building activities that improve your company culture.
1. Outdoor Activities
It’s nice to escape the four walls of the office and get out into nature. However, it’s a rare opportunity for many employees who sit in front of a computer from 9-5. Help your team get some sunshine and fresh air with outdoor team-building activities.
A community garden allows employees to test their green thumb while growing flowers and vegetables. Allot each employee free time during the workday to go outside to the garden to water and weed. Once it’s harvest time, team members can swap store-bought produce for a full array of fresh veggies for a salad or side. A garden gives employees some common ground that works well as a conversation starter too.
On a similar note, a playground on office grounds is great for team-building, and it’s useful for encouraging family get-togethers and daily exercise. A commercial swing set, for instance, allows for competitions on who can swing the highest or jump the farthest. A rock wall can be the starting point for a relay race. After the fun and games, you can host a cookout with an outdoor grill and picnic tables. Perhaps you’ll even get to cook up some of those delicious veggies grown by the team.
2. Party Games
Party games are a popular and fun way for employees to get to know one another. Each game offers a different goal, like improving communication, working together, or getting to know one another. Party games are often silly, meaning that everyone ends up laughing. Plus, they’re a great way to make memories together.
The egg and spoon race is a familiar game that encourages team members to work together to win. All you need is two hard-boiled eggs and a spoon for each person. Split the group into two teams, each getting an egg. Have the teams form a single-file line. The goal is to pass the egg from spoon to spoon without touching the egg. You can make it more difficult by grasping the spoon with your teeth and keeping your hands clasped behind your back.
Salt and pepper is another fun party game that works for team-building to help foster communication, bonding, and problem-solving. You prepare by writing down common word pairs, such as rock and roll, Jekyll and Hyde, or bread and butter. Write one word on each sticky note paper, then stick them on each of your team member’s backs. First they must figure out who they are by asking questions, but then they must find their match.
3. Lunch and Learns
What better way to encourage growth while utilizing team-building than through lunch and learns? A casual get-together complete with free food is effective for building relationships. Employees can gain insights on their colleagues’ positions and how their own role fits into the big picture. Team members often become more engaged and connected too, improving retention rates.
Turn a lunch and learn into a socialization event. Rather than learning a new skill, encourage employees to learn about each other. You can play two truths and a lie during the meal. Each employee names two unique things about themselves and one plausible lie. The others must guess the lie. You’ll learn some strange things about your employees that you normally wouldn’t know.
You can also host lunch and learns centered around hobbies. Oftentimes, employees share interests and don’t even know it. You may even choose to form employee interest groups based on some of the hobbies discussed. Consider topics such as gardening, knitting or crocheting, golf, or gaming. You can encourage employees with in-depth knowledge to host the event, enabling them to discuss topics that they are passionate about and teach others.
4. Community Service
Acts of community service improve company culture through team-building. But it does so much more. Since it engages employees and creates a sense of purpose, volunteering boosts employee retention. Volunteering also draws in top talent, with 76% of American workers seeking companies that are concerned with making a positive impact, according to a study by Paul Polman. And it works full circle. If you are environmentally conscious, for instance, you will attract employees with the same mindset as the organization. In turn, these workers will readily volunteer, helping the company meet its community service goals.
Giving back to the community is an effective way to build team relationships. Not only will everyone bond, but they’ll also feel wonderful about making a positive impact. Volunteering can span a wide array of options to get to know each other while helping out. Be sure to choose service ideas that inspire employees to participate.
Volunteer opportunities may include everything from volunteering at an animal shelter to supporting a local school. Encourage employees to get outside, enjoy the sunshine, and help out. Litter is everywhere, so your company can select a location from local parks to a nearby beach and pick up trash. Or transport employees to a senior citizen center to help during lunchtime, assist with crafts, or sit and chat with residents. Team members can help out at a food bank or homeless shelter or even simply donate blood. No volunteer activity is too small to make a difference, and any activity, when done together, can build a sense of camaraderie.
Team-Building Activities
Team-building can be fun and games or serious activities that support the community. Regardless, they are an effective way of building new skills, developing bonds, creating memories, and getting to know each other.
Incorporating these team-building exercises into your workplace will strengthen your company culture. Employees will be happy to change their routines, going outside or enjoying a free lunch. And in doing so, they’ll get to know each other better.
