Team Building Exercises To Have Fun Improving Employee Camaraderie

One of the challenges that most businesses face is getting their employees to work well among one another. A business brings people together from all different kinds of backgrounds and talents, and it needs them to be able to work together in order to be prosperous. A great way to build camaraderie among your employees, and help everyone learn to work together, is through organized team building exercises. Below are just a few ideas for events that you can throw, with the goal being for your employees to have fun and to get to know one another better.

Volunteer Work

A popular option among many business leaders is to work with local charities who need assistance. Together with your team of employees you can spend the day out of the office and volunteer for a specific organization. For example, Habitat for Humanity builds homes all across the country, and is continuously looking for volunteers to assist them in building houses. By going with this option not only do you allow your employees to spend time together in another kind of environment, but you get to help out those in need as well.

Sporting Event

For something a little more relaxed and fun, consider taking your employees out to see a sporting event. Football, baseball, basketball and hockey games happen year-round, and most organizations will be able to provide you with some sort of group discount. A setting like this will allow your employees to relax, be themselves and have some fun outside of work with their peers. This may be one of the easiest business decisions you ever have to make.

Stereotype Party

If you have a large group of diverse personality types, this is one of the best team building exercises to try. Hosting a stereotype party is fun and enlightening. Write all different personality types on index cards. Then when the party starts, pin one on each employees back. Make sure no one sees their own card. Have the employees mingle and enjoy the party as they regularly would, asking questions to help one another correctly guess their personality type. Make it a little more challenging by only allowing yes or no answers. This is a fun team building game to break down barriers, build comfort among colleagues and discourage stereotyping or generalizations of any kind. It is also a great idea for you if you are a corporate event planner.

Escape The Room Challenge

One of the more popular options for team building exercises recently is an activity known as Escape The Room challenges. How it works is a small group of people – usually less than 10 – are “locked” inside a room, and the only way to get out is by solving the puzzles and riddles hidden inside. The challenges usually last up to an hour, and are a great way to force people to work together to meet a common goal. Escape The Room attractions are springing up everywhere, so see if there is one in your area.

Board Game Tournament

Who doesn’t love a good board game night? For a simple team building activity, grab a bunch of board games, set up some tables, and let your team go. You can also pick one specific board game, grab several copies of it, and play tournament style. Try to pick a board game that is simple enough to understand, and that everyone in your office can enjoy. There are thousands of board games out there, so you have plenty to choose from

Host A Cook-Off

A cook-off is a great way to have not only a fun event, but to provide delicious food for your employees as well. For this type of event you can either allow everyone to cook their favorite dish, with judges picking their favorites at the end, or change it up and provide everyone with the same ingredients, and see who can come up with the best dish. If you don’t have enough space or the right amenities for this type of event, consider renting a banquet hall to accommodate everyone.

Laser-Tag

Lastly, if you want something that is a little more action-packed, consider taking your team to play laser-tag. You may think that this is only a game for kids, but once you grab your laser gun and enter the arena, everyone will start having a good time. Laser tag is the perfect game because you don’t need to be particularly athletic to still have a good time. For some added competitiveness, you can separate the teams based on their section at work – for example, The Marketing Department VS The Accounting Department.

Fun And Cooperation Are Key

The most important aspect to any team building event is that everyone involved has a good time, and that they learn to work better with their peers. Sometimes this means giving them new business challenges that they need to solve, while other times it means just getting them out of the office for something fun. There are plenty of ways that you can build camaraderie among your employees, with the result being a happier and more productive office.

Image from http://incedogroup.com/how-to-get-your-team-to-work-together-despite-their-differences/