Participating in activities outside of regular work can help coworkers understand each other better. When a team spends time together in a relaxed environment, barriers break down. People get to know each other personally. Trust builds.
Here are some popular team-building options companies use:
Cooking Class Adventure
Cooking requires cooperation – chopping, stirring, tasting. Making a meal with others breaks the ice. New friendships form over shared laughs in the kitchen. Not everyone wants cooking duty after a long workday. Preparing multiple dishes takes hours, and some teams don’t have time to spare. A good place to start getting ideas is from the team building Milano experts, a company that has years of experience putting together fun cooking classes for team building.
Escape Room Challenge
An escape room gives teams a tricky puzzle to solve, promoting creativity. There’s excitement around working against the clock to crack codes and find clues. People bond while brainstorming under pressure. The time limit can overwhelm some participants. And the space constraints mean large teams have to split up, possibly dampening team spirit.
Volunteer Group Project
Volunteering together makes colleagues feel they’re impacting community in a meaningful way. The shared experience of helping a cause sparks a sense of fulfillment. Finding a volunteer project for a large team takes effort. And committing to a full workday away from the office doesn’t fit every schedule.
Amazing Race Adventure
Patterned after the popular TV show, an Amazing Race themed outing takes groups on an interactive scavenger hunt across town. There’s collaboration in navigating checkpoints and solving puzzles. It’s a huge time requirement. And the physical demands rule out some participants.
As we can see, all team-building exercises have tradeoffs. To choose the right activity, assess employee skills, interests, schedules, and fitness levels. When an event fits the team’s needs, it brings people together.
