Did you ever play the knot game in school? You would stand in a circle and link hands with your peers that stood across or diagonal from you, essentially turning the group into one large human knot. Then you would have to work together to untangle the knot without letting go of each other’s hands. When you finally succeeded as a class, you not only felt accomplished, you felt closer as a group. You worked together to solve a fun problem outside of the classroom. These kinds of team building games and activities aren’t just for kids though! Groups of adults can benefit from them too. More and more companies are sending their employees on team building retreats, and at Hands in 4 Youth, we love seeing people of any age come together.
Team building encourages collaboration and teamwork. By getting outside of the office and breaking the normal daily routine, coworkers can begin to see each other in a new light. They learn more about each other and how they can better work together. The activities they engage in together on a retreat translate back to the office, because the foundation has already been built. When you leave a team bonding retreat, your employees will feel more connected and stronger than ever as a group, and that will show back in the office. There are so many reasons for participating in team building, and here are our top 5 reasons.
Facilitates Communication
Naturally, when your employees engage in team building activities together, they’re going to be working on their communication skills. Things like playing games and doing ropes courses opens up the channels of communication in a friendly and fun environment. Without the pressure of work and being in the office, people are more likely to feel comfortable opening up and working together. It allows your team to build a solid foundation that they can take back to the office with them. Improved communication and working together better is one of the main reasons companies sign their employees up for team building retreats.
Boosts Group Problem Solving
Team building activities involve a lot of teamwork, of course. Improving teamwork outside of the office translates to improved teamwork inside the office. As your employees work together throughout a retreat, they learn how to better understand each other and solve problems together. When your team can efficiently and effectively solve a problem as a group, they’re invincible in the workplace. Team building activities are structured with this in mind and help employees become stronger problem solvers together.
Fosters A Sense of Community
Socializing outside of the workplace strengthens your entire company’s sense of community. As your employees get to know each other better, they’re more likely to feel loyal to each other and value each other as individuals. Team building activities greatly increases morale both inside and outside of the office. Having fun together also improves team spirit as their team bonds deepen in a way they wouldn’t otherwise in the workplace.
Motivates Employees
All of this team bonding and team building does wonders for motivating your employees and increasing productivity. When your employees are happy and feel connected, they will perform better at work. Attending a retreat together not only strengthens your team’s communication, problem solving, and sense of community, it also improves their confidence as individuals. As they take on challenges outside of the office together, they will be more likely to take on new challenges back at work.
Promotes Creativity
Team building activities encourage people to think outside of the box and use their imagination. Breaking up the normal routine of the day by attending a retreat allows your employees to open up their minds and think differently than they normally do at work. As they exercise their creativity on a retreat, they’ll be more likely to tap back into it when they return to the office. Your team will continue to innovate, collaborate, and come up with new and creative ideas even after the retreat is over.