Team building activities are a great way to strengthen workplace bonds and increase motivation in the workplace. The right choice of activities can help teams work together, build friendships and keep office morale high.
Team building, however, can and should be, an enjoyable exercise - provided you have the right kind of activities up your sleeve. Here are five great team activities and games that your staff will not only love, but want to play over and over again.
A Better Place
For this team-building game, you’ll need pens and paper. Organize employees into groups of 2-4 people and give them an hour to come up with a plan on how to improve a particular issue around the office with a small budget.
Have each team present their ideas at the end of the hour. Whichever team wins the most votes for the best idea wins the small budget needed to make a difference!
Why play it?
This simple activity requires only a paper and pen, yet it can encourage teamwork and act to solve real workplace issues. With the winning team able to facilitate real change, it gives value to your employees’ opinions and gives real-world stakes to the game itself.
The budget can be flexible; the whole purpose behind it is about getting creative as a team. While even the smallest budgets can make a difference, think big! Creative ideas can lead to a more environmentally sustainable office or simply to a more enjoyable workplace. Whatever the result, this exercise can be amazing for the future of your team and workplace.
A Lie and Two truths
For this game, have employees sit in a circle. Pick a staff member to start, which can be determined by using a factor such as “tallest” or “youngest” employee to break the ice. They will start by preparing three statements about themselves, two true and one a lie. The rest of the group gets to vote on which statement they believe is untrue - the object of the game is to guess which is the lie. The game then moves around the circle until everyone has had their turn.
For a competitive edge, you can face two teams against each other. Members from each group prepare their statements, with the other group guessing and scoring points for each lie guessed.
Why play it?
This game is a great way to discover interesting facts about your staff while breaking the ice between employees. It can be a great activity to introduce members and form bonds when creating new teams in the workplace.
Escape rooms
An escape room is a team-based game centered around working cooperatively. Players must find clues to solve puzzles and work together to escape the room within a given time.
Companies often have multiple rooms of different difficulties and themes, making each time unique. So when the staff ask to go back, it's no problem.
Beating an escape room demands speed, teamwork and creativity. All skills which are invaluable when translated into an office setting. It allows employees to learn how to work efficiently with one another – particularly under a time crunch. Beyond that, beating a room can be incredibly satisfying and a great way to make fond memories and boost employee morale.
Scavenger Hunt
This a great activity for a warm summer’s day. Celebrate the hard work of employees with an outdoor scavenger hunt. Split your employees into groups of 2-4 and create a list of tasks for them to complete as a group. Be creative – these can be related to your company or industry, or completely random such as completing a puzzle or finding an object outside based on clues. Have teams race with one another to see who can complete the list of tasks the fastest.
This activity allows employees to engage in teamwork and problem-solving – particularly if the teams are randomly assigned. It also allows employees to get outside and get active. (This activity may be more difficult to achieve if you work in an office.) Your employees will reap the health benefits of outside play. After all, play is not just for children.
Create your own
Split employees into teams of 3-4 and give each team 20 minutes to find an activity that resonates with them. Each team presents their idea at the end of the allotted time, and the ideas are put to a vote to find the most popular activity.
Every office is different, why not create something personal that reflects your employees. Finding an activity in groups also helps individuals work as a team before the activity has even begun!
Just have some fun
Team building doesn't need a huge budget or extensive planning. All you need is an afternoon and some creative thinking. As simple as some of the activities may seem, the benefits are undeniable. Put some of these exercises in place and notice the positive impact it can have in your workplace.
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