Team Building Activities for the Workplace

Team building activities for the workplace can either be a complete success or a complete failure. There is no middle ground as far as these group activities are concerned, and the whole purpose of such activities is to build the comfort level of the employees at a workplace with each other. Such activities for the workplace help everyone get to know each other, and just have some old-fashioned fun, while also building up a rapport between different people.

Employee motivation is closely related to the ability of the employees to work together in tandem with each other, and some fun events, functions, games and other activities for the workplace can really work as effective icebreakers and energizers and also help employees improve their team building skills as well. These activities can take the form of excursions, puzzles, quizzes and other games and they are very popular as warm-ups for meetings, workshops and seminars as well.

The idea of all such events and activities that focus on team building at the workplace is to ultimately ensure that the participants have fun and interact with each other. Getting to know each other beyond a mere superficial level is something that is not possible during working hours, so all major and successful companies regularly undertake these activities to build employee morale and teamwork.

Examples of Team Building Activities for the Workplace

Here are some popular team building games that many companies use in order to build employee compatibility.

The Egg Drop
The entire group is divided into smaller teams of about 5 people, and each team is given an egg, a cardboard box, a handkerchief and some other tools like a pair of scissors, tape and some paper mache. The objective is for each team to devise a method of dropping the egg from a height without breaking it, while making use of all the tools given. This lets the members of each team interact and brainstorm with each other. Ultimately, each team must try out their invention in the grand showdown between all the teams.

Mine Field
This is a great exercise for teams of 2 people each. You need to set up an obstacle course of sorts using a variety of commonly found objects. One member of each team will be blindfolded and asked to clear the obstacle course, while the other member shouts out instructions from outside the course. The team that completes the course the fastest and without disrupting any items will be the winner.

Treasure Hunt
This is another classic outdoor team building game, and can be modified to be considered one of the most effective team building activities for work. The number of people in each team can be anything between 2-6 people, and the objective is to find all the items on a list that is given to them. The organizers have to conceal the items effectively, and leave a lot of confusing and perplexing clues in order to aid the participants. Obviously, the team that can find all the items first will win.

Create a Masterpiece
This is one of the most effective team building activities that can be incorporated at the workplace. Each team should be given some random pieces of stationery, and some general instructions about what to do with them. The items given to each team will be different, and this is where the fun begins. Within 30 minutes, each team is supposed to make something original and creative using the items they are given. This task will really bring everyone closer to each other.

Tug of War
This is a classic team building exercise, and involves a lot of brute strength from each side. A tug of war rope is pulled from both sides by two teams of about 10 people, and the team that manages to pull the other team over the center line is the winner. This activity is popularly used as the finale for many team building activities and events that occur from time to time at the workplace.

Apart from these popular games that are used for team building, here are some other options that can be incorporated by organizations for the same purpose.

• Celebrating Birthdays: This is an activity that will bring people closer together. The individual whose birthday it is will also appreciate the gesture and harbor good feelings about others.
• Open Houses: This is something that every major organization undertakes. It is simply an official gathering of employees and they are then encouraged to bring up any issues that they may have. This can be carried out on an inter-departmental or intra-departmental level.
• Official Trips: Many companies organize day trips, overnight trips or company retreats for their employees on a working day. This gives people a healthy break from the monotony, and it also allows them to recharge their batteries and interact well with one another.

The Need for Team Building Activities

No one really doubts the fact that such team building activities are very important for the workplace. There are several advantages to be gained from undertaking such team building tasks, and all major business organizations recognize the advantages that such activities bring to the table. The underlying aim is to improve the productivity and the profitability of the organization, and this is achieved by ensuring that the various employees get to know each other better, and at a more personal level. Moreover, by conducting such activities, the organization ensures that the employees develop a strong sense of camaraderie with each other and learn how to function in tandem with each other at any given moment. Some of the most widely recognized benefits of such activities are as follows.

• They lighten up the mood of all the employees.
• They make the employees more comfortable around each other.
• They help the employees know some people with whom they may not have interacted before.
• They improve the morale and the enthusiasm of the employees.
• They make employees feel happy about their achievements, and this motivates them to work harder.
• Appreciating well performing employees also motivates others to work harder, so that they can receive the same recognition.
• They improve the problem solving skills and leadership skills of many employees.

The objective of all such activities that focus on team building at the workplace is to have fun, and the management should always remember this. The activities should not be humiliating and demeaning, and should require a healthy contribution from each team member. Keeping these pointers in mind, you can even come up with your own ideas for team building games and activities that will bring harmony and happiness to the workplace.