The words ‘team building exercise’ often fill people with dread. They begin thinking of uncomfortable icebreakers and seemingly purposeless activities.
It won’t surprise you to know that here at Big Blue Adventures we think team building is a lot more exciting than this. In fact, team building activities can do a lot of different things, all of which serve a greater purpose to improve the work environment of your business. And an improved work environment leads to an improved business on the whole.
Still not convinced? Well here are the main reasons we believe team building is important for all businesses!
Networking, Socialising, and Getting to Know Your Colleagues
When your colleagues make time to get to know one another and make friends with each other, you’ll find they work better together. It sounds pretty basic but sometimes people find it hard to come out of their shell or socialise when they only interact with people in a work environment. This is where team building activities can help. There are many activities that, rather than putting the spotlight on individuals, simply get people to enjoy their time together. And when people begin to have fun the walls start to come down.
Communication and Teamwork
This point links nicely with getting to know your colleagues because you’ll find when you know people better, you are better at communicating with them. And when you can communicate clearly you can work better as a team. Better teamwork leads to better results and better results are what all businesses are looking for at the end of the day. It’s win win win! Organising activities that foster communication and teamwork are an excellent way to develop these aspects amongst the people you work with or the people who work for you.
Collaboration Leads to Innovation and Creativity
Have you ever found that when you are having a group discussion someone will say something you had never thought of? It happens a lot when you get a diverse group of people together – everyone’s lived experiences lead them to perceive and understand things a little bit differently. Getting these different ways of thinking together can lead to unexpected and often brilliant results. There’s a good chance your workforce is a diverse group of people so organising activities that encourage individuals from different backgrounds to collaborate can lead to some really fresh ways of thinking. And new ideas are what energetic businesses thrive on!
Competition Boosts Productivity
Not everyone is a fan of competition. Sometimes competition can be stressful. But numerous studies have shown that a competitive element leads to a boost in productivity. So, if you treat it in the right way, competition can be a really valuable part of your work life. Organising fun, low-stakes, competitive tasks in a team building context can really add some energy to your work team. And if you are pitting team against team then that competitive element will have each team working together and communicating like a dream!
Celebration and Motivation
This is perhaps the most important reason for organising team building activities for your workforce. Businesses should use team building retreats and activities as a chance to celebrate the people that work with them. People love knowing that their work is appreciated and when they feel that celebration they are motivated to keep working well. Throw in some fun activities and a bit of competition and you’ll find your team comes back to work fresh, focused, and ready to bring their A-game.
Regroup and Reorganise After Lockdown
If, like many businesses, you have had a team working remotely under lockdown conditions then team building activities can serve another purpose. When lockdown lifts and people begin to go back to the office, there is bound to be a certain element of novelty to the situation, and relationships between co-workers may have changed. Taking your team on a team building retreat is a great way to not only welcome them back to work, but to re-establish their bonds and their team spirit.
Hopefully we’ve convinced you that team building activities can help your business flourish. But what are fun team building activities really? They certainly aren’t activities in a draughty conference room of some corporate building! Taking your team on a retreat and getting them to try new activities – especially outdoor activities – is a great way to encourage bonding in a low-stakes scenario. Big Blue Adventures organises tailor-made team building activities and retreats in Wales, and team building activities in Portugal.
Taking your team away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives is a great way to encourage them to approach these activities and their co-workers with an open mind. And hopefully your team will begin building happy memories they’ll never forget! If our retreats have piqued your interest then don’t hesitate to get in touch. A new adventure awaits!