5 Reasons Team Building is the Best Way to Invest in Your Employees
It’s no secret that employees are the number one asset of any company, which is why it’s so important to make sure that you are investing in them in the right ways. If you’re looking for a way to help your employees become closer as a team, grow and develop key skills, or if you want to attract and keep top talent, invest in your team through team building.
According to one Forbes article, “team building is the most important investment you can make for your people. It builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration.”
Team building comes in many forms, ranging from team lunch breaks to strategic activities to help develop key skills. Sometimes, it’s the out-of-office experiences that have the most real-world impacts on company success. Here are five reasons that team building is the best way to invest in employees and the success of any business.
Improves Relationships
Spending time together outside of the office creates stronger bonds among employees as they see each other in a fresh, new setting. Simply getting to know one another in a different environment can help employees feel more connected and comfortable with one another.
“When you form a personal connection with your colleagues, there’s less tension and friction and more feelings of camaraderie and support.”
-Forbes, 4 Ways To Build Stronger Workplace Relationships
>Suggested Activity: Pontoon Cruise
Getting your team out of the office and onto the lake is a great way to get employees relaxed and engaging with one another in a comfortable, low-stress environment.
Boosts Engagement & Morale
Organizing regular team building activities is a great way to give employees a little break from their normal routine, allowing them to reconnect refreshed. This is especially important as more and more employees work from home and may start to feel disconnected from their job and other employees.
> Suggested Activity: Trap Shooting
If you’re looking for a quick outing that will challenge your team to try something new, trap shooting is the perfect option. Madden’s trap shooting range is equipped with everything needed, and a trained instructor will direct the group through the activity–beginners are more than welcome!
Develops Problem Skills
Specific outcome-based team building activities are designed with a set of goals in mind. Some of the most common are problem solving, trust, communication, leadership, creativity, and cooperation–all essential skills to effectively work as a team. These activities will challenge a team to work together to come up with creative solutions to solve the task at hand.
>Suggested Activity: Missile Launch
Teams must design and build a target and two devices that can launch a “missile”. The devices are required to launch the missile over the target which will be set 10 meters away from the launch point. 30 minutes into the activity you will be allowed to take two practice shots using a golf ball. The final shot will be made using an egg.
Improves Communication
It’s no surprise that communication is one of the most important aspects of an efficient and productive team. But taking it a step further than a weekly in-office meeting can make all the difference. A study on the effects of team communication featured in Harvard Business Review found “communication to be the most important predictor of a team’s success ” and discovered that “the best predictors of productivity were a team’s energy and engagement outside formal meetings.”
>Suggested Activity: Blind Shapes
Team members are blindfolded and tasked with forming several geometric shapes defined by the facilitator using a length of rope. Participants must put their hands in front of them and then place the length of rope in their hands. They are given a shape to create with the rope and must communicate with each other to form the shape without removing their blindfolds.
Helps Attract & Retain Top Talent
Organizing regular outings and events is a great way to illustrate that your company values employee wellbeing. Finding activities that align with your values as a brand can help establish your company as a leader in employee culture and satisfaction, helping you attract and keep the best of the best.
>Suggested Activity: Fitness Experience
If health and wellness are key values to your company and your employees, fitness related activities are a great way to align your team outings with your brand. Madden’s offers a variety of active team building options including beach boot camp, yoga, fun runs, and kayak or canoe outings.
Want to explore team building options for your team? Reach out to a planner here.
