Companies love saying it but employees dread hearing it—it’s time for some team-building activities! We’d be lying if we said companies loved them either as the process of organizing and scheduling team activities for work can be quite laborious. However, time and again, organizations are reminded of the benefits of investing in the engagement levels and efficiency of their human resource. Team building exercises refer to the different ways in which companies try to motivate employees to get to know each other and work like a well-oiled machine rather than separate systems that are incompatible.
(Image Credit – Pexels)
Why Do Organizations Encourage Team Building Activities for Work?
It’s quite simple really, team building activities can unite a workforce, either through their enjoyment of the experience or their dislike for it. Encouraging collaboration and team-building activities are a way to bring different departments together and learn to work together without involving actual work. Depending on the intention behind the activities this could involve many different components.
Some team activities for work are done with the intention of breaking the ice between employees who are unfamiliar with each other. By interacting outside of their work responsibilities, employees can thus be encouraged to do it at work as well. Collaboration team building activities have one aim and that is to make employees better at working together regularly. Other group team-building activities are done with the intention of building some specific skill in the employees, such as time management or conflict resolution, and as a result, they can take on many shapes.
Occasionally, team-building activities for work are also aimed at helping colleagues laugh and relax together, hosting a bigger variety of games and events. These may not have any specific learning at the end but are still seen as a fun experience.
Team Building Activities to Try Out in 2023
Employers are constantly trying to innovate and find new team-building activities to energize the workforce and their efforts are often rewarded by a happy team. While the thought of team building activities can be quite tiring for those who have had bad experiences with it or feel forced into it, it is always worth your time to give it a shot. Especially when gamified objectives and new formats are introduced, team-building activities for work can be a lot of fun. Let us look at some examples.
1. Icebreaker Bingo
Duration: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 10+
Format: Can be done in person
For this team-building activity create a collection of 5*5 bingo cards and print them out. These cards can have different statements or questions, and employees will have to find answers to them from around the room. Hand them to the individuals and ask them to move around the room and initiate conversations with people. When they find someone who fits their statements, they can write their names down in the square. Employees should try to fill in a straight line with names, either vertically or horizontally. The first person to fill a row or column can yell BINGO! to win the game. Examples of statements can include:
- Knows four languages
- Has a flower-related name
- Has visited more than three countries
- Is vegan
- Prefer burgers to pizza
- Has never watched Harry Potter
- Enjoys playing video games
- Has a favorite movie that’s the same as yours
- Likes horror movies
- Thinks a movie was better than the books
2. Escape Room Challenge
Duration: 1-2 hours
Number of Players: 4-8
Format: Can be done virtually with various online escape room platforms or in-person
An in-person escape room requires a more elaborate setup where employees are locked in a room with clues around them that should help them escape. Many escape room centers can be found around the city which eliminates the added effort of writing the story and clues and setting it all up.
Alternatively, online escape rooms are available as well, where employees can join as a team and work together to escape. These collaborative team-building activities make everyone put their brain to work and are quite satisfying to finish.
3. Two Truths and a Lie
Duration: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 5-15
Format: Suitable for both in-person and virtual settings.
Employees can go one by one and make three statements, two of which are true, and one a lie. Their colleagues then have to try and figure out which statement is false. If the game is played by a team currently working together, they can frame their sentences around their project or a team. Otherwise, they can make lighthearted statements about their childhood and work and colleagues will find themselves learning at least three new things about each other through this team-building game.
4. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Duration: 45 minutes
Number of Players: 5-20
Format: Exclusively online
Employees can log on to any virtual meeting platform of their choice. Create a list of items that the employees need to find in their homes and share it on the screen once you are ready to begin. Employees can then share their hunt progress through video as they collect all the items. You can set a timer for the game and the one with the most number of items once the game ends wins it. You can also decide that the person who collects all the items first wins.
This team-building activity acts as a way for employees to destress and play a fun game that does not involve too much thinking or collaboration, just movement in the comfort of their homes. For teams that have a largely work-from-home model, this can be a fun beginning to a collection of games and activities.
5. Book Club
Duration: Ongoing (monthly meetings)
Number of Participants: 5-15
Format: Virtual or in-person
Reading is a much valued way to pass time and combining it with building a reading community can make it that much more rewarding. Members can pick a book at the beginning of the month and members can take a month to read the book at their own pace. At the end of the month, members can convene and discuss their thoughts about the book. While this is one of the team activities for work that does not necessarily develop a skill, it does however encourage having regular conversations and expressing opinions which are all useful for employees.
6. Outdoor Adventure
Duration: Full day-3 days
Number of Players: 10+
Format: In-person, ideally at a location with outdoor activities
Team retreats can be fun if they do not involve too many business meetings in a new location. This team-building activity can take place at a resort or outdoor adventure center, where employees can play various games that they are suited to and spend some quality time with each other. While a more expensive endeavor, this is a fun way to give workers an additional day off while still giving them a chance to collaborate and get to know each other.
7. Team-building Sports Day
Duration: Full day
Number of Players: 10+
Format: In-person, usually at an offsite location
If you have a medium-sized organization with employees who are relatively into games and sports, then organizing a day of activities and games can be a fun initiative. For bigger organizations with sufficient employees, setting up games like baseball and soccer can be entertaining. For smaller groups, games like tennis or volleyball can be played with fewer members. Having activity-based team-building exercises can help employees forget about their work stress and bring their competitive sides out, while also working on collaborative team-building activities.
8. Speed Networking
Duration: 1-2 hours
Number of Players: 10+
Format: Typically in-person but can be adapted for virtual settings using breakout rooms
Arrange employees in two circles. Provide them with a list of icebreaker questions to allow them to initiate a conversation and learn something new about the person they are facing. Set the timer for a minute and let them converse. When the timer rings, ask the people in the inner circle to move to the seat on their right, and restart the timer. Depending on how much time is available and how many participants you have, let the team-building activity proceed. In the end, your employees should know a few more details about their coworkers.
This can be done online through breakout rooms as well, although moving employees from room to room will require more planning.
9. Volunteer Together
Duration: Half-day to full-day
Number of Participants: 5-20
Format: In-person
Improving teamwork and collaboration while giving back to the community? What’s not to like? Finding a local NGO or community that you want to work with is the first step to this team-building activity. You can then assess ways you can help them and what services your employees may be eligible to provide. Gathering volunteers and making a day out of the experience will be a great bonding experience for everyone involved. It will also leave everyone with a sense of pride regarding their contributions.
10. Lunch Roulette
Duration: 1 hour
Number of Players: 8-12
Format: Virtual or in-person, organized by randomly pairing colleagues for lunch
Lunch Roulette is a team-building activity where participants are randomly paired for shared meals, either in-person or virtually. The purpose is to encourage spontaneous interactions, foster connections among team members, and create a more cohesive work environment. The concept involves using a system to randomly match individuals, providing an opportunity for team members to connect with colleagues they might not interact with regularly. Such team activities for work add an element of surprise and informal networking, contributing to improved communication and camaraderie within the team.
11. Storytelling Circle
Duration: 45 minutes
Number of Players: 5-15
Format: In-person or virtual
In this team-building or communication activity, employees gather in a group to share personal or professional stories. Each participant takes turns telling a story, and the circle format promotes active listening and engagement. This activity is designed to enhance communication skills, foster connections, and create a sense of community within the group.
Participants often share experiences, anecdotes, or insights related to a specific theme or topic. These types of group team-building activities can encourage meaningful interactions and the exchange of diverse perspectives.
12. Blind Drawing
Duration: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 4-10
Format: In-person or virtual, using video conferencing
In such team activities for work, participants work in pairs, and one person is blindfolded while the other provides verbal instructions. The blindfolded participant then attempts to draw or create something based on the verbal guidance. This activity is designed to enhance communication skills, teamwork, and trust among team members. This team-building exercise highlights the importance of clear and effective communication and helps participants understand the challenges of conveying information accurately.
Companies that have team-building activities for work move one step closer to their employees and towards their productivity goals. Before initiating these team-building exercises, organizations can survey their employees to get a sense of what kind of activities they would most enjoy, and plan accordingly. And planning is necessary because haphazard planning of such a task can leave them more disinterested in participating.
Ensure that it is organized at a time convenient for the majority, and help temporarily reduce their immediate tasks so they don’t have half their mind on work as they try to participate. With this in mind, you can start planning team-building activities like a pro.