These 6 Team-Building Activities Will Bring Your Employees Together
The work world has gone a little topsy-turvy the past two years. Many of us have gone remote, come back to the office, or adapted to hybrid schedules. With the many changes that have impacted how we work and connect with each other, it's become essential to find new ways to connect with our work teams.
At my accounting software and payroll company, we are 100% remote and have been since March 2020. But we’ve stayed in touch and worked on our team-building tactics—and have gotten creative with them during the process.
Whether you’re back in the office, still working from home, or doing a mixture of both, here are six team-building activities that focus on building rapport, trust, and camaraderie among your team members in ways that most (if not all!) will find fun.
6 creative team-building activities
1. Lunch and learn meetings
Food is a great unifier. Before Covid-19, my coworkers and I enjoyed many "lunch and learns." The opportunity to come together, share a meal, and learn something new was always great at making us feel connected.
Traditionally, we held our lunch and learns to dive into topics related to our industry and our company. But, you can host a lunch and learn to engage your team members in learning about a topic completely unrelated to your business. Is a member of your team a baker? Do you have any avid readers? Can a talented team member teach their coworkers a new skill? Don’t be afraid to venture out and choose topics outside the realm of work.
You can choose to provide a meal for participants, or they can bring their own lunch.
Still working remotely? Organize a video call (e.g., Google Meet) and have people sign up to join the call at a specific time.
2. Book clubs
The opportunities are endless with coworker book clubs. Maybe your coworkers want to focus on books they read for their enjoyment. Or, perhaps individual teams wish to choose books relating to their work to learn more about their industry field.
Whichever way you decide to go, a book club allows your coworkers to come together to discuss what they’ve read, share insights, ask questions, and gain new perspectives. Plus, it's a great way to help people get to know each other better.
Not in the office? You can create a shared document where people list ideas or share thoughts. Or host a video discussion that brings people together.
3. Office contests
Office contests are great because they inspire a bit of friendly competition, as well as creativity and bonding. Some fun ideas for office contests include:
- Costume contests for Halloween
- Egg decorating contests for Easter
- Cookie decorating contests for Thanksgiving or Christmas
- Best desk setup contests
The best part about contests is that they can be hosted either in the office or virtually. For any decorating contests, have your coworkers submit photos or videos of their creations for everyone to see. Food-related contests may taste better in the office, but virtual submissions can include recipes so everyone can try their hand at making them.
More articles from AllBusiness.com:
- 10 Team-Building Tips for Managers
- 11 Virtual Team-Building Activities Your Employees Will Love
- 11 Fun Team-Building Activities That Won’t Break the Bank
- The Advantages of Being an Independent Inventor
- Simple Tips on Transforming Employees Into Powerful Brand Advocates
4. Board or team games
A bit of friendly competition will draw people together and allow their personalities to shine. Board games encourage banter among coworkers, and team games allow coworkers who may not interact much in the office to work together.
Playing a game also allows people to relax and open up around their teammates in a way they may not be able to while working. And, you may see that employees discover new, creative ways to work together (which they can apply to their work later!).
5. Coworker shout-outs
Everyone loves to be appreciated. That being said, your coworkers may not think to take the time to give a compliment to their teammates while they’re working.
A way to get your employees to open up and bond with each other is by opening the lines of communication through coworker shout-outs. You can create an anonymous system that allows employees to write down something they appreciate about a teammate. Another option is encouraging employees to share compliments or shout-outs at the start of meetings so that your meetings always begin on a positive note.
If your company is virtual, you can also do what my company does: utilize an employee engagement program that allows employees to give virtual high-fives to their coworkers for jobs well done. We give virtual high fives across departments, and my coworkers appreciate seeing the positivity.
6. Puzzles
A great way to get a lot of people involved and thinking outside the box is to solve a puzzle. This could be an actual jigsaw puzzle or a puzzle like a scavenger hunt or escape room. Working remotely? Consider puzzle apps or online puzzles that your team can work on digitally.
Whichever way you go, team members can work together to solve the puzzles while sharing ideas, processes, and decisions. When time is up, bring everyone together to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what everyone learned. It’s a fun way to get people together to problem-solve, and the skill used can also translate to problem-solving and improved collaboration in their roles.
Importance of team-building activities
Team-building activities can help your business beyond building rapport among coworkers. When your employees get the chance to know each other better and work together in ways that differ from their job duties, it has positive benefits for everyone.
Team-building activities help:
- Improve performance
- Connect team members both in-office and remotely
- Motivate employees
- Increase collaboration
Some activities might make you feel a little silly at first. But don’t write off team-building as unnecessary. Try out some of these ideas and enjoy the benefits.
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