4 Team-Building Activities Your Employees Will Love

Many companies have embraced the team-building methods for the sole purpose of increasing the productivity and efficiency of their teams. Looking at this activity as a mere investment is what makes it, right from the start, a complete fail and something all employees understand just like any other work-related obligation.

Yes, the purpose of team building is to raise morale, improve collaboration, build a team spirit and in the end increase productivity and efficiency, but if you want to get it right you really need to drop the legacy team building mindset and change it for one that is more open to new opportunities and experimentation.

People are constantly changing and what used to be fun 10 years ago is not necessarily fun today. This is why I’ve put together this list of activities your employees will adore.

Go on a Concert

Concerts present an excellent opportunity for your team members to unwind and raise their spirits after a busy week. It can boost all the positive emotions and shed a new light on how your employees perceive one another. Also when you compare this team building activity with traditional ones it is quite cost-effective. Look for the cheap concert tickets online and you might stumble upon a perfect deal.

All that excitement of preparing for the show, meeting with colleagues and traveling to a concert provide numerous opportunities for your employees to chat and to exchange something personal that was otherwise impossible to do. Sharing this new and positive experience will bring the team members close to each other.

Go Camping

Corporate and team building retreats are usually planned so that employees participate in team building activities somewhere else then their hometown or workplace. But why not make the whole trip a team building activity, right from the start and all the way to end. This type of team building endeavor will be happily embraced by employees with a more adventurous spirit.

Camping, for instance, is a great opportunity to involve all team members into all steps of organizing an activity, from planning to execution. This is a unique chance to put team collaboration to test and identify any hidden issues. You can provide them with a budget and several locations and let them do all the work.

Experience the Thrills of Whitewater Rafting

This is also an excellent opportunity for team building. Spending time in nature is a good way to disconnect from the city life and to forget about everyday obligations. On top of that, rafting has several health benefits. The fun and adrenaline will make this activity a memory everyone will talk about days after it is finished. You can choose to go standard rafting or decide to spice things up a bit.

For instance, the team can be briefed that they have to build their own raft and use it to get across the water. This type of activity develops teamwork, improves co-ordination and co-operation and above all, foster communication skills.

Volunteer Together

Volunteering is a unique way for your team to work together on something they really care about and it is an opportunity for them to form deeper and stronger bonds. Ask your employees what local non-profit organizations they like so you can plan these activities that usually take place around the holidays. Doing something meaningful for others will provide your employees a much needed break from their typical work routine.

Another idea you might consider when you plan volunteering activities for your team is helping the animal shelters in your vicinity. Your team members get a sense of satisfaction for helping others. Volunteering lowers stress, makes participants feel needed and appreciated and increases happiness. After your team members find out how helping makes them feel they will be ready to be more helpful back at work whenever a colleague is in distress.

As you can see, these activities are not that uncommon, generally speaking. What makes them unique is the complete change of your employees’ everyday setting, which provides them with an opportunity to see each other under a completely different light. If all this sparked up your interest, feel free to go online and expand your knowledge about other “unusual” activities that can be used as a form of team building.

from Feedster http://www.feedster.com/blog/vladzivanovic/4-team-building-activities-your-employees-will-love/