When employees are reminded of team building activities, they are not always excited. Sometimes these activities are considered redundant, forced, and unnecessary for team bonding. There are many factors that differentiate an effective team bonding activity from an ineffective one.
Organizing repetitive activities, no prior planning, or not considering feedback from employees on the activities organized in the past are some factors that hinder effective and engaging activities. One of the most important factors in organizing engaging and impactful activities is to organize unique and out of the box activities that break barriers in teams.
For example, team building games in Singapore have evolved from ice-breakers to ethnic trips and food adventures. Similarly, in the west i.e. team building games in London have evolved from puzzle games to augmented reality scavenger hunts and playing sherlock in a game. There is never a dearth of unique and exciting team building activities if planned well. But here are a few out of the box team bonding ideas for employee engagement that we have compiled:
Virtual scavenger hunts
Scavenger hunts are not only a fun activity for picnics or parties but also for team building. Scavenger hunts can be enjoyed by teams of all sizes and team members of all ages. They improve team skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, etc. They can be organized for both remote and in-office teams. They may not sound like the most creative or out of the box activities, but they can be customized according to the team’s requirements. Scavenger hunts are also great to organize as a last-minute activity as there are many online versions and expert facilitators available.
Virtual escape rooms
If you are looking for an activity that has more than one advantage, escape rooms are your answer. Escape rooms are considered one of the best team bonding activities as they can help in developing many collaborative skills like problem solving, co-ordination, leadership skills, communication, decision making, and critical thinking.
This is an activity that can be conducted in a relatively less amount of time and budget while also being beneficial to the team. This can also be a great activity for remote teams as virtual escape rooms are as much fun as physical ones. To be the most effective, escape rooms need to be organized with the help of a facilitator.
Exploring cultures, ethnicities, or celebrating diversity
Diversity is often considered a barrier to team bonding. But diverse teams thrive when brought together in a collaborative environment. Instead of considering diversity as a barrier, it can be an asset to organize creative and fun team bonding activities. Exploring different cuisines, ethnicities, or cultures can be a fun, memorable, and exciting team bonding activity. These can be organized either virtually or physically. These activities break down the barriers and bring the team together both professionally and personally.
A shark tank pitch night
If you are looking to inspire your team members while making it an exciting activity you can organize a shark tank like pitch night. What is better than igniting the passion in your employees to inspire them? These pitch nights can be a great way to show your commitment towards employee personal growth and well-being along with building a nurturing and intrapreneurial organizational culture. Although it may look like an individual activity, pitch nights can be great for team building too. You can give your teams a problem statement and allow them to work in groups by providing the necessary resources. These types of activities are not only out of the box but also ignite the passion in your teams.
Build and Donate
How about infusing some creativity into philanthropic causes? You can step up your team building events by aligning them with your organization’s values as well as making them creative. You can get your team to build something and donate to the causes your team or your organization is passionate about. These activities not only bring out the creativity but also boost employee morale. Employees are more willing to contribute when they know their work has a purpose and it matters.
There can be many other ways to organize creative and out of the box team bonding activities. Out of the box activities increase employee engagement more than traditional team building activities like ice-breakers. These activities also play a pivotal role in breaking barriers and bringing teams together. However, these need to be organized regularly to be more impactful. Planning in advance, allocating necessary resources, and hiring expert facilitators can make a key difference on the impact of these activities.