Inspiring Corporate Team Building Activities to Bring Colleagues Closer

Corporate team building activities are amazing for bringing people together and improving businesses overall. Many people don’t realize that behind the goofy names and silly antics that are sometimes involved, corporate team building activities are backed by science, have an impact that can be measured, and are easy to incorporate into your business no matter what time or budget constraints you may have. Ready to learn more? Let’s dive into these great corporate team building activities and everything you need to know about them.

Corporate team building 101

Team building activities for corporates are both something you can learn and a skill you can acquire. When managing teams of people, whether they’re in one office or all over the world, there are ways you can help them enjoy the relationships they’ve built in this professional setting. Just take a look at the team building statistics : one-third of their lives are spent at work , and studies have proven that team bonding can enhance the experience for everyone.

Why then do most companies put off team building? Or, worse yet, forego it altogether?

Corporate bonding isn’t optional

Corporate culture sets the foundation for a lot of really important things in the business realm. From improved productivity to sales growth to employee retainment, bonding with your colleagues has become the secret ingredient for leading brands like Costco, Google, and T-Mobile . Without it, these multi-billion dollar corporations might not be as successful as they are today.

Corporate team bonding activities might seem like fun ways to pass the time. But they’re actually so much more than that. As Hubspot’s CEO, Brian Halligan, once said, “... modern humans have radically changed the way they work and the way they live. Companies need to change the way they manage and lead to match the ways that modern humans actually work and live.”

In order for businesses to future proof themselves, corporate bonding will need to take center stage in management strategies from here on out.

The benefits & ROI of corporate team building

Corporate team building is kind of hard to measure, which is why up until now it’s been cast aside in most managerial realms. However, accurately gauging and analyzing the success of various team building efforts is now possible thanks to modern data reporting. Baseline performance metrics like weekly or monthly profits, absentee rates, and workplace happiness survey responses can be compared side by side with post-team building stats to reveal changes.

Yes, other factors might affect your findings. But once you get in the habit of leading team building activities and comparing data over time, you may find positive patterns emerging.

Other companies that have implemented corporate team building claim they’ve experienced the following benefits:

To achieve these and many other benefits, you may be wondering how often you should be planning employee bonding activities. Or the best time of year to do them. And should they be a regular practice or only used as needed?

While the answer varies team to team, there are certain telltale signs that your group is overdue for some constructive play.

When is it time to use corporate team building techniques?

Corporate team building events are like a giant reset button, leaving teams more refreshed and on the same page. Done at regular intervals (monthly or quarterly are best), team building activities can help prevent employee burnout, prevent peaks and valleys in year-round job performance, and serve as an effective kickoff before large or complex projects.

If you’re looking to book some bonding events on the calendar, make sure you consider these main dates:

You should also consider hosting a corporate team building event before fast-paced quarters and annual employee reviews – or even build mini-games into weekly meetings and check-ins. No matter when you plan to host group bonding sessions, you have a lot of options for how to actually do them.

3 Main ways to facilitate team bonding

The best approach to solving any problem is to look at the issue from all angles and implement both short and long term tactics. For team building, that means working these philosophies into the fabric of your company through daily, ongoing practices like these:

Once you’ve set up your employees for success through an upgraded office and regular team bonding practices, you’ll need to figure out which of the many team building activities are right for your unique group. Luckily for you, science is here to help answer that question.

The best corporate team building activities, according to psychology

There are lots of terrific resources available for employee bonding inspiration. But the real question is: How are you supposed to choose the right one for your team? Simply put, it all depends on your team and what you’re trying to achieve. As these psychological theories and studies show, there are some easy ways to separate a good team building activity from a great one.

Generally speaking, the best corporate team building activities all tend to:

As you can see, team bonding activities are a lot more complex than they first appear. But if you keep these proven ideas in mind, you’ll be moving in the right direction. In the following section, we’ll cover the next steps for how to plan a corporate team building activity as well as some ideas you’re welcome to try for yourself!

Corporate team building activities

Now that you have a keen eye for effective team bonding games and virtual icebreaker activities , it’s time to start getting specific about how to actually prepare and execute them.

How to choose corporate team building ideas

The reason why there are so many articles online filled with corporate team building ideas is because there’s no silver bullet. Just as every activity is unique, so are the teams that do them. For example, a lunchtime karaoke battle might be a dream come true to some and hell on earth to others. And, for the managers that run them, choosing between thousands of suggestions can get overwhelming very quickly.

So when you’re looking for corporate team building ideas, make sure you start with your budget. As we’ve already explained, there are plenty of options out there regardless of what you’re interested in spending. But you should also take a look at your time budget. A multi-day team camping trip might not be in the cards for your group right now, but you might be able to squeeze in some time this coming Friday after lunch.

Once those details are squared away you should consider the following:

Okay, so now you have your activities list narrowed down to only the best possible options. You’ve set a date and invited the group – now what? Here’s what you’ll need to know in order to pull it all off without a hitch.

How to run corporate team building events

Corporate team building activities involve the same event planning steps as any other gathering. You need to secure a location, figure out transportation, decide on food and/or beverages (for longer events), and get everything ready for the actual activity. You can go alone or assign a team to help you.

Once all the logistics are taken care of, you’ll need to prepare yourself or a volunteer to lead the activity. Sometimes events will take place in venues that provide activity leaders – like rock climbing or escape rooms. But if your event will be entirely DIY, you’ll need to keep the following points in mind:

Advanced planning is key to successfully executing team bonding activities So if you’re looking ahead to fall and winter (or just prefer the comfort of air conditioning), we’ve got some great ideas to share with you.

Indoor corporate team building activities

We’ve already covered some great outdoor corporate team building activities in our article about team building games . But there are plenty of great indoor versions we know you’ll love. Combine the two on nice weather days or use them in your day-to-day work routine to mix things up a little.

So we’ve already talked about team bonding events, but what about team building activities you can do at other types of corporate events? We’re so glad you asked.

Team building activities for corporate events

As we’ve already demonstrated, corporate team building activities can have a life of their own. But are there ways to facilitate bonding and teamwork at other, regularly scheduled events and programming? Of course! Here are some ways to incorporate team building activities into most corporate events.

No matter what you choose to do, the important thing is that you look for activities that everyone can enjoy, require people to work together, and allow teammates to get to know each other more.

The big picture: corporate team building

Corporate team activities are, by far, some of the most fun and effective ways you can get a group of employees to bond. With a little help from the latest research, alongside the ins and outs of corporate team building, you’re well on your way to creating a happier, more productive work culture.