Team building can be a game-changer for any business. Even if it seems like just “another goofy activity,” the real magic of team building is all about boosting camaraderie and communication.
November and December are perfect months to sprinkle in some holiday cheer with a fun team-building event. And if Q4 is crunch time for your team, no worries. These ideas are flexible enough to use any time (with a few fun tweaks for the season).
Team building activities and events offer great benefits:
- Encouraging teamwork and boosting communication between teams.
- Building stronger connections and fostering a shared commitment to common goals.
- Offering a helpful space for solving problems and resolving conflicts.
- Improving productivity, efficiency, and planning across departments or the entire organization.
- Promoting a better understanding of each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests – which helps build trust and create lasting, genuine connections for both employees and managers.
- Strengthening workplace culture and helping to retain valuable team members.
Team building can increase your workplace morale, reinforce your company’s values, and create an opportunity for people who may not work together regularly to collaborate and achieve a shared goal.
Activities to Consider
There are a variety of team-building activities, events, and games available. Some take less than 10 minutes, while others can last an hour or more. Certain activities are meant for in-person participation, whereas others are better suited for virtual or hybrid teams.
You can call on a professional team building or event planning organization like TeamOut, The Go Game, TeamBonding, Firefly, or Confetti. You might also consider an Escape Room experience. Or you can take a do-it-yourself approach. It all depends on your budget and how much time you want to be away from the job.
Do It Yourself Options
The people behind the time-tracking software Toggl developed a list of 38 games for team building efforts. Here are a few of their recommendations. You can link to the Toggl web post for details.
The Game of Possibilities is a great way to test your team’s creativity and quick thinking. All you need is some random items. You could use a basketball, scarf, hula hoop, stapler, or any other office supplies. Give each item to a team member and have them come up with an alternative use for it. Without talking, the others must guess the function being acted out.
Bridge Build is another way to tap your team’s creativity and communication skills. Divide your group into different teams. Each has to create half of a bridge with the materials you supply. The objective is for the two teams to develop similar concepts (and for the two bridge parts to fit together when finished). However, the teams have to do it without being able to see what the other team is doing.
Reverse Charades is exactly what it sounds like – the opposite of traditional charades. In a normal game, one person from the group stands up and acts out a word or phrase while the rest guess. In Reverse Charades, one person has to guess while the rest of the team works together and acts out. There’s both a box game version and a downloadable mobile app.
For more options, check out the full list on the Toggl website.
Other Options for Your Team
Here are more activities you can develop on your own or with help from an outside company:
- a Scavenger Hunt (create a list of items for team members to photograph)
- a Team Hike (depending on your area and weather)
- Annual Peer Awards (which you can tailor to your team’s roles – or go for laughs)
- Arts & Crafts competition (employees do it at home and bring it in for judging – or supply your staff with tools and they can create on site)
- Game Play (Trivia, Team Jenga, Pickleball, Feud [like Family Feud with holiday-related questions])
- Holiday Decorating (the actual holiday selected doesn’t matter, nor does the time of year; you can also have employees decorate at home and bring in photos or videos)
- Ugly Sweater Party
Rewarding Your Employees
Team building at the office, warehouse, or any worksite can boost collaboration and communication on the job. It’s not too soon to start planning!