Fantastic Ideas to Encourage Team Spirit

There is nothing like a team outing to lift the morale of employees and encourage team spirit at the workplace. Great teamwork is one of the key factors associated with a company’s success. Company team outings are a great way to bond the team closer and help break the ice with new employees.

There are many other different reasons why good companies organise corporate team outings. Some of these reasons include:

• Improving communication
• Boosting employees’ morale and motivation
• Ice breakers to help get to know each other better
• Learning and understanding about each other’s strengths and weaknesses

While some companies think it is a waste of resources, time and money for companies to be spending on their employees as they see it as not necessity, there are those decent companies that make regular company outings and events a priority. Such scheduled outings can reap huge payoffs as some valuable lessons can be achieved from employee participation.

Management can build morale by having all employees work on common goals while employees can also use the tools and strategies they acquired from the event and take them back to the office.

Here are seven ideas to encourage team spirit, that companies could use for their company outings to improve employee engagement and build stronger teamwork.

Volunteering

Taking part in volunteering events encourages both the company and employees to give back to the community, while promoting the causes they care about most. Community service projects such as sponsoring a team of employees in a charity walk not only draw your employees together; they also allow your company to give back to your community.

Besides being a good corporate citizen, employers can feel confident knowing that participating in volunteer activities outside of the office can help employees recover from work and come back re-energized. Employees who volunteered their time and energy to the community can improve their own leadership abilities in a way that broaden beyond what they could have learned in a seminar or workshop.

Why not ask the team for suggested charities and events, and make it a group decision? Not only will this help with to encourage team spirit but it also shows how the company seeks out ideas for their employees in decision making and suggestions.

Fitness or sports activities

Management could try planning activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle as part of company team outing ideas in order to encourage team spirit within the company. There are variety of sports activities that could get employees out of their seats and moving. Activities range from bowling to wall climbing or trekking and company-sponsored participation in charity walks or runs.

When a company promotes fitness activities, it shows how companies are committed to employee’s health while cultivating team spirit and employee participation. Management could set aside an hour each week from their work and leave the office to participate in activities including yoga, wall climbing, volleyball or others.

For added fun, create a prize for the best team or individual – it could be something simple like a $10 lunch voucher, or something fun like an engraved trophy.

Photo: See-ming Lee, Flickr

Field trips

Another fantastic idea to encourage team spirit is planning an old time classic field trips once in a while. How often does anyone visit the zoo or the botanical gardens to get away from work and unwind from a tough week in the office?

Leave the confines of the office to visit a museum or local historical places to get employees out of their typical work environment. Recollect the history lessons in high school or learn about the city the employees live and work in.

Determine the goal of the field trip like how to enhance the relationship among the employees. Group outings help employees get to know each other better outside of the office, causing them to bond and become more interdependent at work.

Team social outing

Ideas to encourage team spirit does not have to be serious or having to learn valuable lessons all the time. Outings could be as simple as heading out after work on a Friday evening for drinks and pizza, checking out the new restaurant bar that just recently opened or heading out to catch a new released movie. Visiting local festivals and events are another option for a company team outing.

Heading out together as a team encourages employee engagement in a more relaxed atmosphere and it is also a very good time to bond with colleagues and for them to get to know each other better on a personal level.

Turn Seasons into Celebrations

Encourage employee engagement by taking advantage of the seasonal weather to take the team out on an outing. Consider the weather and the holidays associated with the four seasons when planning company events.

Some company team outing ideas include:

• Celebrating the start of spring by having a company hiking trip at the cliffs
• Having a relaxing day sun-tanning at the beach during summer
• Talk a long walk as a team in autumn at the botanical garden
• Embrace the cold with in winter by going ice-skating

Team Picnic

Sometimes you do not need a fully interactive experience to bring the team together. What a better way to appreciate the nature’s beauty by having a picnic. It may sound boring but it is actually quite fun and enjoyable company outing for employee participation.

Make it a ‘themed’ and potluck picnic where each employee brings a dish related to the theme. Create teams and organise uncomplicated games like Charades or Pictionary; prizes could be as simple as the losing team having to clean up the place after the picnic is over.

Outdoor adventure

Grab a paddle and head down the river for a great spring or summer outing. Companies could bring the team together into a different environment to give them a new perspective on how to work together. This is a great way to encourage team spirit in the company.

Companies can sign up for a camping retreat and plan activities that encourage teamwork and employee participation. Teamwork encourages productivity and building better teams strengthens the business. Plan activities that build personal relationships and create common ground to solve problems and reach goals. Include activities like kayaking or even scavenger hunts with a prize to the winning team.

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi

In Summary

Above are seven unique ideas to encourage team spirit that you can use today with your team. Team-building activities should bolster the work employees complete together or provide an opportunity to relax and unwind. It does not necessarily have to be an adventurous outing, it is more of getting the team together and learning new things about each other outside of the workplace.

Always take into consideration when planning team-building activities, employers should also be sure to offer a variety of options at different times, including some that are during work hours, so that employees with different physical abilities and those with a tight after work hours do not get excluded.

Whatever the activities are, remember to encourage employee participation and most importantly have fun.

Good luck!

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