It’s hard to get adults in the workplace enthused to participate in any team-building exercise, but the benefit is substantial because teamwork isn’t already built-in. It takes effort. With better teamwork, productivity and functionality in the workplace improve considerably. You can have both indoor and outdoor activities to get coworkers on their feet and on a better way towards collaboration.
Hold a Contest
One way to team build is to hold a contest at work. Break up employees into an equal number of teams and have them collaborate on a project that will be competed against one another for a prize. The more considerable the prize the better, and the prize should be something that doesn’t bring down morale. For instance, instead of a bonus check, offer tickets to a very coveted show or a trip, or a really nice espresso machine. Whatever it is, make it so that the teams will want the prize but also not create any negativity once the contest is over. This kind of team building will help employees work with one another towards the same goal and problem solve, while also building a healthy sense of competition against another team within the company. It is fun, creative and challenging.
Community Service
Working together to build awareness and connect with our community is a great way to strengthen teamwork. Do some research and find a community center or a charity event in your local area and network and vote to see what community service you can all take part in to give back as a team. This kind of team-building exercise will take place outside of the workplace and it’s a great way to get coworkers to work together in a different setting with different tasks. It’ll enable deeper sharing and connectivity with one another working for something that gives back to the community everyone shares. If taking time off from work is not an option, something as simple as a donation drive or sponsoring a local team are also ideas.
Throw a Party
Hosting a party is always a great way to build better teamwork in your workplace. We spend a lot of our time with coworkers, both at work and after hours. When we spend a lot of time with coworkers, that means there are colleagues we get along with better than others. Having a party can bring down tension and give an opportunity for folks to mingle outside of a work environment that can help people connect better. Hosting a party is a simple activity that can be done within the workplace or outside, and it’s the kind of team-building exercise that will be met with less resistance.
Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct is a short and sweet activity that gives everyone a voice. You can do this with a simple whiteboard or a wall. Have everyone share what is the most meaningful and most pleasant to them on a sticky note. Then paste that on the board. If you’re writing out what each participant says, have it written out in the form of a mind map—essentially mapping out and connecting what each idea is in relation to another. The goal of this team-building exercise is to establish the group’s values as a collective, build trust and respect for one another.
Telephone on Paper
This is a simple game that helps ease tension and builds connections among a new group of people. Have one person draw a topic on a piece of paper. Without speaking, that person hands it to the person next to them. That person looks at the drawing, writes out what they think it then hands it to the person next to them. Then that person looks at the description then draws it out. This pattern continues until in the end until everyone has participated. The passing of the paper back to the person, in the beginning, to reveal what they had drawn. This activity will elicit laughter and bring down tension. It’ll also help members to connect with one another by giving folks something to discuss.
Team building exercises might seem childish at first but it’s important to connect with basic things like games, exercises, and values. In the workplace, we lose sight of human connection and reaching out to get to know a different person in a different department better. These activities will strengthen teams and enable smoother work productivity.