A Perfect List of Team Building Activities For Work

Making progress is a team effort. It’s far easier — and more enjoyable — to reach your goals as a united front. Do your team members have a connection with one another? Do they trust each other enough to collaborate? Team building exercises for work can go a long way in fostering strong relationships among your employees.

People are wired to desire a sense of community and belonging. We want to feel accepted, supported, and appreciated. Therefore, workplace camaraderie (or lack thereof) can make or break your organization.

The good news is, with a little effort and planning, you can build strong, united teams — and have fun along the way.

Why Team Building Activities Work

Teamwork activities have the power to transform your business by improving collaboration, trust, and engagement.

That’s because team building makes each person feel heard. They are no longer isolated, but an integral part of something bigger. They experience the satisfaction of contributing to a common goal, and they recognize that their fellow team members have their back.

Plus, a united team is a sustainable team, less likely to experience burnout, anxiety, or loneliness. Employees who trust and rely on their colleagues are more likely to reach out when they’re feeling overwhelmed. In turn, they’re willing and eager to help their coworkers — especially when they feel more like friends than work associates.

Top Team Building Activities

The best team building exercises for work are intentionally designed to get your people to open up, rely on one another’s strengths, and collaborate on a solution. They should also spark joy instead of feeling like a chore.

Instead of choosing an activity at random, try to target the needs of your team. Do they need to work on communication? Trust? Thinking outside the box? Teamwork exercises should accomplish a greater goal.

Scavenger Hunts

This childhood favorite can be elevated into the perfect business team building activity. Searching for clues is energizing, and finding them is empowering. I like this activity because you can make it as grand or as casual as you’d like. Stick to the office or head to a new location. Leave actual clues, or hide word clues in your emails. The sky is truly the limit. Organize your people into teams so they have to work together to solve the mystery, which improves collaboration, decision-making skills, and innovative thinking.

Community Service Projects

Not all team building activities for work have to be games. One of the most influential bonding experiences is community service. Volunteer days allow your people to turn their attention to others, forget their workplace stresses, and contribute to society. They also put our daily lives into a bigger perspective. One of the keys to fulfillment is purpose — or seeing the impact of your work. Community service projects give your people a shared purpose.

Escape Rooms

Escape rooms are wildly popular. They’re also the perfect teamwork activity. They offer a change of scenery and an exciting challenge for your employees. Team members must work together to solve puzzles to escape, which boosts communication and collaboration. And, completing the activity leads to a mutual sense of accomplishment, empowerment, and camaraderie.

Creative Assignments

Ask your people to get creative, together. Collaborating involves listening to other perspectives and building upon ideas. It’s synergy embodied — creating something greater than the sum of its parts. Assign creative projects that are not work-related so the stakes are low while your people attempt to bond. For example, ask teams to write and produce a short commercial for your brand. They can only use the people, supplies, and settings available in the office. Or, challenge them to come up with an imaginary “world-changing” product and present it Shark Tank-style.

Compliment Round-Robin

Just like team building doesn’t have to involve games, it also doesn’t have to be an official “activity” at all. A great way to infuse positive camaraderie and trust into your organization is through compliments. Start your meetings with a compliment “round robin,” where each attendee has to compliment the person to their left. This set the right tone for the meeting, building confidence and enticing people to engage.

Presentation Party

It’s hard to connect with your colleagues before you truly know them. Unfortunately, many workplace cultures don’t encourage opening up. Don’t let your organization fall into this trap. A fun, lighthearted way to get people to share is through presentation parties. Ask team members to prepare a short slide deck on a topic that brings them joy. Their favorite snack foods, their pets, their hometown — anything they’d like. As they share, the team will gain a greater understanding of who they are.

Contests

Some business team building activities don’t have to relate to business at all. Contests are a great way to add laughter and joy to the workday. Group costume contests, office floor decorating contests, and more — lighthearted competitions engage and excite workers. They give your people a chance to collaborate outside of work and get to know one another on a deeper level.

Book Clubs

You can also incorporate learning into team building. Book clubs are a fantastic way for your employees to learn about new topics, exchange ideas, and communicate with their coworkers. Whether you choose a leadership book or literary fiction, the team building results are the same. You can even ask people to take turns leading the discussion so everyone gets a chance to contribute.

True Teams Work Together

Everyone has a unique role to play at your company, but a true team isn’t a bunch of isolated individuals contributing separately. Instead, it’s a united group that works together to make progress for a sole purpose.

Harness the above team building activities for work to bring your people together. You’ll notice higher engagement, clearer communication, and greater camaraderie — plus many more benefits. And, your team members will appreciate a chance to let loose and have some fun. All business, all the time directly contradicts work/life integration, after all.

If your workforce is distributed, all the more reason to build communication and trust. Don’t worry: Most of the activities we’ve discussed can be tweaked for virtual teams. And, stay tuned for another upcoming article on team building — this time specific to virtual teams.