Do you want to run screaming from your office when you hear the words “team building” or “ice breaker”? Company activities to improve team bonding don’t have to be boring. They can actually be fun!
While coaching sessions, personality trait sessions and trust exercises can be effective, sometimes the best way for a team to bond is to just have fun and get to know each other better outside of a work setting. However, finding an activity that meets everyone’s needs can be challenging, particularly if you’re opening up the activity to spouses and families. It is also important to be sensitive and not put your employees in an uncomfortable or embarrassing situation, or to exclude anyone either.
Certainly, there are lots of constraints, so what’s a boss to do? Here are a few examples of great activities that are fun for everyone. Now that it’s springtime in Minnesota, what are you waiting for?
Take a Field Trip
Anything that gets everyone out of the office and into the fun is a great option. A field trip to a museum is a wonderful option. Visit one of the many great art museums, like The Walker Center or the Museum of Russian Art. Or, for something different, how about The Mill Museum to learn about how flour is processed. A spring trip to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden would ensure sure-fire fun as well! Any activity that provides a foundation for the whole team to learn something new is a great opportunity for bonding.
Share A Meal
Don’t just reserve group meals for birthdays or retirements, share a meal just to celebrate you team. A “just because” dinner is a really nice gesture and can go a long way towards team building. Have a team lunch or dinner or a spring picnic. It’s a great way for people to unwind and get to know each other better on a social level. Not much time? Have a coffee outing one morning. Again, anything to take people out of the office for a social outing—even a brief one—is a great idea. Try to avoid the typical office potluck dinner. It will feel like you’re trying to squeeze it into the work day and it will end up being the opposite of relaxed and informal, and that’s not what you want.
Take A Cruise
What better day is there than a day spent on the water? Think about taking a day cruise or evening sunset dinner cruise as a private charter with Paradise Charter Cruises. We can host your private charter event on one of our many boats on Lake Minnetonka or on our Minneapolis Queen. Heck, we can even have a casino night for you. This can provide a fun-filled day trip or an elegant evening affair for your workplace.
Volunteer Together
Volunteering for a single cause like a food pantry or Habitat for Humanity or similar activity is an incredible team building experience. Nothing feels quite like giving back to the community, and it’s even better when done as a team. Promote the causes you care about most. Research shows that employees who participate in volunteer activities outside of the office actually recover better and faster from work stress. They come back to work re-energized with a new sense of purpose. Volunteering also improves individual leadership abilities. Employees learn different—but just as valuable—traits than they would in a seminar or training session. Some companies have one or two set annual volunteer days, so everyone knows in advance and can participate.