7 team-building activities to try

One of the most effective ways to bring your employees together and foster personal connections or trust within a team is to introduce a change of environment.

Engaging in team-building activities is beneficial for both new and established teams. Teams can enhance their problem-solving skills and develop a deeper appreciation for the power of collaboration in achieving shared objectives.

For example, Young’s Market, a leading distributor in the beverage industry, enhanced their team dynamics and fostered a collaborative work environment through a tiny campfire. Gary, the vice president of the company, stated that their team chose to bond through a campfire because they missed the good old days of having team dinners and interacting with each other face-to-face.

Whether you want to engage in fun outdoor activities in your local area, or on a trip to the beach or mountain, make sure to learn the must-dos to pull off a successful company retreat.

Basejam helps you bring your ideal company team-building location to life and organize team-building activities that create lasting memories. Browse through our stunning venues as you input your preferred location, accommodation style, and number of people. After choosing a venue, Basejam will get in touch with the property owners to check its availability so you can host an amazing company retreat that your employees will love.

What are team-building activities?

Team-building activities are exercises or events that aim to enhance communication, collaboration, trust, problem-solving, and overall teamwork within a group.

Over 80% of employers and employees believe that creating a sense of community at work is important. Team-building games can help you achieve this. Outdoor team-building activities can range from simple icebreaker games to more complex problem-solving games that promote a positive team dynamic, improve relationships among team members, and enhance the team’s overall performance and productivity.

Why should you conduct team-building activities?

Keeping your employees happy and motivated is one way to increase or maintain their productivity. Let your team take a break from the dreaded hours of sitting in the office all day and go out for some fun and adventure that can improve their teamwork and bond. Team-building activities hold various important benefits, such as:

Better well-being and physical fitness

Hosting team well-being activities is one way of allowing your employees to enjoy and boost their morale. Team-building activities may range from physical activities to mental tests that can boost everyone’s mental and physical wellbeing.

Demonstrate skills and abilities

By encouraging everyone to participate in team-building activities and games, you’ll be surprised to see how many of your employees will stand out using their respective skills.

Enhances communication among team members

Team-building activities allow colleagues to be part of a team with people they’ve never talked to before or formed connections with in the office.

7 Best team-building activities

Outdoor team-building activities consist of games, events, and other activities for groups that require physical and/or mental strength to complete. These interactive activities allow everyone to bond, form teams, and engage with each other in friendly competitions.

Here are some of the company retreat ideas that you might want to include in your upcoming team-building:

1. Organize an outdoor scavenger hunt

An outdoor scavenger hunt challenges your employees to work together, think creatively, and problem-solve as a team. This activity involves creating a list of clues or tasks that teams must complete by exploring the outdoor environment and finding specific items or locations.

In a case study, Amazon organised a scavenger hunt with a team of people who didn’t know each other. The study showed that team-building activities encourage effective communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking. As they navigate through the hunt, teams share ideas and coordinate their efforts.Therefore, the scavenger hunt is a fantastic way to strengthen teamwork and create lasting memories.

2. Join a marathon

Joining a marathon as a team is an exceptional team-building activity that combines physical endurance, camaraderie, and a shared sense of accomplishment. Training and running a marathon as a team creates unity, motivation, and mutual support among participants.

Your team can help raise money by joining a 5K run or walk, and support races with a cause such as breast cancer awareness or children with disabilities.

3. Tree planting

Do your part in saving the environment by planting trees. Tree planting is a powerful team-building activity that combines environmental stewardship, teamwork, and a sense of purpose.

Planting trees together requires coordination, collaboration, and effective communication. As a team, your employees work together to select suitable planting locations, prepare the soil, and carefully plant young trees.

4. Have a team picnic

Organizing a team picnic is a delightful and effective team-building activity that promotes relaxation, socialization, and a sense of community. Gathering outdoors in a serene and picturesque setting, away from the bustling city, allows your team members to connect on a personal level. This helps foster stronger relationships and a positive team dynamic.

To make the picnic more engaging, you can incorporate various team-building games and activities – from friendly sports competitions like touch football to group challenges like trivia quizzes. Furthermore, activities that involve sitting down and facing each other, like coworker bingo and solving puzzles, encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and teamwork.

5. Attend outdoor concerts

Unleash your team’s love for music by attending an outdoor concert together. This team-building activity combines live music and bonding. It offers a unique opportunity for your team to relax and connect outside of the work environment.

Interacting throughout the concert promotes communication, breaks down barriers, and creates a relaxed and enjoyable setting for team members to connect on a personal level.

6. Play classic games

Engaging in classic games is a timeless and effective team-building activity that brings out the spirit of competition, collaboration, and fun.

Classic games include:

• Tug of war
• Relay races
• Sack races
• Tag
• Capture the flag
• Relay race
• Paper boat building

These games promote teamwork, communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills. As teams strategize, plan, and execute their game plans, they learn to work together, trust each other's abilities, and rely on effective communication to achieve victory.

7. Host charity events

Charity events provide your team with an opportunity to come together for a common cause, contributing their time, skills, and resources to make a difference in the lives of others.

This stimulates your employee’s creativity, allowing them to tap into their collective talents and brainstorm innovative solutions to achieve their charitable goals.

Book your team-building venue today!

A culture of teamwork and strong bonding among employees is important. Hosting team-building events is one way to get your employees to take a break from their usual work, bond with each other, and form teamwork and camaraderie. Book the perfect venue to cater to all your team-building activities with us today!