5 of the Most Fun Team Building Ideas to Try in 2023
Did you know that around 50.5 million Americans quit their jobs in 2022? This development was part of the Great Resignation, a pandemic-era trend that saw tens of millions of Americans voluntarily leave their jobs for greener pastures.
People resign for various reasons, such as feeling disrespected at work, having no opportunities for career advancement, and being underpaid. So, HR professionals have their work cut out for them in retaining talent.
One way to make workers feel valued is to roll out a team building strategy.
Here are look at five team building ideas to help you retain your employees.
1. Corporate Retreats in the Great Outdoors
Spending time outdoors offers many essential health benefits. It won't only get people out of the office for a while, but it'll also offer things like the following:
- Get better sleep
- Lessen depression symptoms
- Boost immune function
- Improve emotional well-being
If you're planning company trips, ensure that some excursions involve outdoor corporate retreats. Yes, that means camping. It doesn't have to be primitive camping. You can take along some creature comforts.
Teams that work together in the great outdoors will grow closer. They'll set up tents, prepare and cook meals, play games, and get to know each other.
If an overnight corporate retreat isn't in the cards, schedule some time outdoors anyway. You can take your workers for a hike so that they can spend some quality time in nature and with one another.
2. Team Sports
Another way to facilitate team building is to organize team sports. You should consider assembling teams by departments. So, the accounting department can compete against the marketing department, for example.
Another option is to divide one team into two or four smaller teams and have them compete against one another. You don't even have to keep score.
Whether the sport is volleyball, basketball, baseball, or touch football, you can encourage teams to sign up for some friendly competition.
A team competition that might be easier to organize is a table tennis or ping pong tournament. Seek worker suggestions to maximize participation.
3. Cleanup Challenge
Yet another way to engage workers and encourage team building is to arrange a cleanup challenge. You can have teams clean up at a park or even on the worksite. It's a way to have them volunteer toward a common goal.
Set a time limit and have the teams collect as much garbage and recyclable materials as possible within the time limit. Whoever collects the most wins. You can decide what the prize will be.
A cleanup challenge is just the thing to get workers to work towards good environmental practices. If your business takes environmental stewardship seriously, get employees on board. Together, you can all make a difference.
4. Escape Rooms
One of the best options for team building is an escape room. Do you know what an escape room is? It's a room, whether at a third-party facility or set up at your own facility, where people enter to participate in a challenge.
The game requires people to work together to solve a puzzle or get to the bottom of a whodunit mystery. It'll require teams to come together and use their problem-solving skills to resolve the situation.
They'll need to do so within a time limit. But you can bet that everyone on the team will be motivated to crack the riddle or solve the problem in time.
If an escape room seems like the right fit for your company, find a business that offers escape rooms for all ages. You can choose a theme that will challenge your employees and require ingenuity and creativity.
One escape room company offers options under the headings of Poker Night at the President's Bunker and Rob the Mob: Break-In at Bubba's. You can bet your workers will get into the mood to achieve a successful conclusion.
Escape room activities require teamwork, so you can bet employees who take part will get to know their co-workers better. If improving communication is a primary goal, consider how escape room activities can help.
5. Virtual Movie Night
You can also plan a movie night. It doesn't have to be in-person either. Consider streaming a movie via a video conference call. Conduct a poll beforehand to see what types of movies employees want to see.
Provide an instant messaging option so that workers can talk among themselves during the movie. Providing light-hearted opportunities for team members to let their hair down and relax is sure to boost employee happiness.
You may want to have an in-person movie night. You can also arrange that if your team members prefer that option. The goal is to hold an event that everyone can enjoy as they get to know each other better.
Consider These Fun Team Building Ideas
After hiring employees and investing in onboarding, you must do everything you can to retain them. No company wants a revolving door where people leave in short order -- requiring a greater investment to find replacements.
Consider these fun team building ideas to engage your workers, help them know their co-workers better, and get them to feel good about working for your company.
The odds are good that they'll want to stay rather than head for the exit if they feel appreciated and that they belong.
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