Do you hesitate to organize team-building activities with your employees? Allow me to convince you of their usefulness.
According to Forbes, for a company that cares about its employees, team-building activities are an unbeatable investment. Why? Because team building stimulates cooperation and team spirit in addition to helping to improve communication, motivation and employee engagement.
Here are 6 reasons why all companies should do team-building activities with their employees.
1. To Strengthen Team Cohesion
In business, it’s not enough to bring talented people together; team members must also learn to work well together. The fact is that developing strong cohesion is important in order to have an efficient, productive team.
To this end, your employees need to connect and get to know one another better.
Team-building activities that stimulate team cohesion seek to create a positive climate conducive to trust, respect and solidarity—all of which are fundamental to happiness at work.
These activities are especially helpful when you have several new people on your team or when relationships between employees are a bit strained.
Ideas for cohesion activities
There are a wide range of team-building games to promote team cohesion; here are some examples:
- Blind obstacle course: Your employees will have to guide their coworkers through a course littered with obstacles. What better way to build trust?
- Paper plane: In teams, your employees will have to create the best possible aircraft prototype. May the best win!
2. To Develop Greater Team Spirit
A team-building activity is a perfect opportunity to work on team spirit. In addition to being lots of fun, team activities help reinforce a sense of belonging to the group.
Offer games that will challenge the participants’ work methods. Your employees will be able to try out different ways of doing things and see what works best for them. In turn, they will be able to draw on these methods in their everyday work.
This is a great way to spark camaraderie and healthy competition!
Team-building activity ideas
Try out these activities to help your employees develop better team spirit:
- Escape game: Challenge your employees to solve a series of puzzles. Whether you do this activity online or in person, it’s the perfect way to get your team to pull together to achieve a common goal.
- Charades: This classic game is a great opportunity to see how your employees work under pressure in a competitive environment.
- “What would you do if…”: a simple game that will require your employees to react quickly to various situations in order to solve problems such as, “if all the animals at the zoo escaped at the same time, how would you get them back into their cages as quickly as possible?”
- Team Travel: Planning a trip within the company allows employees to get out of the workplace and interact with coworkers in a new setting. This will strengthen the foundation of your team’s relationships long after you return to the workplace.
3. To Improve Team Performance
Ultimately, team-building activities also aim to improve team performance. One way to do this is to develop employees’ skills through games.
Team-building activities are all about developing communication skills and stimulating innovation and creativity in employees.
They’re also a great opportunity to learn more about your team members’ strengths and weaknesses. Teamwork will be more effective when each individual is able to fully tap into their strengths.
Activity ideas to stimulate performance
Pick the activity based on the skill you wish to work on. Don’t forget that it’s also important to have fun!
- Personality tests: To better identify everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, have your employee take a personality test. You can then discuss the results over a meal.
- Hackathon: Offer your employees the opportunity to work on innovative projects, which may or may not be outside the normal scope of their work.
You can even offer a prize for the team with the most interesting project!
4. To Motivate Employees
Motivating employees to give their 100% is without a doubt an essential asset for any company.
Having fun at work is important, especially since we spend most of our time there. Because they help create a relaxed work atmosphere, team-building activities can be a great way to strengthen motivation.
Ideas for motivating activities
Organize activities to allow your employees to relax! Examples include:
- Board games: There’s nothing like a good board game to help your team unwind. You’ll have a chance to see which of your employees has a competitive streak.
- Contests: A friendly contest is always a good idea to have fun and drum up conversation. Many contest ideas can be found online, from cooking contests and sports challenges to treasure hunts and more.
5. To Improve the Corporate Culture
Your corporate culture is what sets you apart and makes you more attractive to employees, future candidates and even your customers.
Organizing team-building activities is a great way to build an attractive corporate culture. Make sure the activities are fun and that they’re things your employees enjoy.
Ask them what kind of activities they would be interested in and use their suggestions to liven up your team-building.
Cultural activity ideas
Do an activity that brings everyone together, such as:
- A classic happy hour: A few times a year, get together with colleagues for drinks and a bite to eat. Your employees will be able to chat with colleagues and get to know one another better outside of work.
- Volunteering: Volunteering is Agendrix tested and approved as a fun and rewarding activity for a company. It’s also an ideal opportunity to support a cause dear to your team.
6. To Show Recognition
Team-building activities can also become a form of recognition for your employees’ good work.
At a previous job, my boss would throw a small party at the end of each busy period. After working so hard to meet the demands of our clients, the employees all appreciated having an evening to relax and chat with colleagues.
Ideas for recognition activities
Let your imagination run wild and organize an activity that will be truly memorable for your employees!
- Memorable Christmas party: Offer your employees a special treat to thank them for all the good work they’ve done during the year. Organize a truly special Christmas party—a gourmet dinner, an evening at a hotel, show tickets, etc. The possibilities are endless.
- The ever-popular pizza dinner: Who doesn’t love a complimentary lunch? Order pizza and take the time to eat with your employees. It’s also a good way to get to know them better.
You Won’t Regret Your Team-Building Activities
Team-building activities can be very simple, and the benefits are substantial.
Let’s stop seeing work as a place reserved exclusively for productivity. Take the time to organize enjoyable activities for your team members.
