Team-building activities at work are seriously underestimated. We associate them with “having fun”, but they actually have significant benefits — such as increasing office productivity.
TEAM-BUILDING AND INCREASING OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY
Team-building is closely tied to workplace efficiency. According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace survey, 70% of the American workforce feels disengaged. On the other hand, companies with better employee engagement excel in productivity, profitability, and reducing absenteeism. This is simply because team-building activities strengthen team dynamics essential for productivity. Such a dynamic requires communication, trust, cooperation, and problem-solving abilities.
But how exactly do team-building activities achieve this? Let’s check out some popular examples.
#1 AN ESCAPE ROOM
Team-building activities have a bad rep because the activities are unsuitable for an adult workforce. (Who wants to play broken telephone past the age of 12?) An escape room is perfect because it will genuinely engage your team. It’s low-budget as well! Lock a team of employees in the allocated “game room”, which has been littered with clues and puzzles. Once they’ve solved the riddles, they’re free to go! This process promotes decision-making, adaptability, teamwork, and clear communication. These skills, once brought back into regular work life, help teams work more efficiently.
#2 CORPORATE JENGA
Jenga is an unsuspecting team-building exercise that is plenty of fun! Individuals from a team remove blocks of wood from a tower of said blocks. If the tower topples, the team loses. This game is great because it doesn’t require elaborate props and planning. More importantly, it encourages teams to talk strategy, think creatively and have a good laugh. These are all skills essential to a productive team.
#3 SOME TYPE OF SURVIVAL GAME
I’m sure you know what I mean. Your team is on a deserted island — how will they survive for a week? This activity is great simply because of its customizability. Organizers can shape the narrative around inside jokes, common office items, etc. Besides this, rules can be customized to best suit the desired outcome from the game. Want to improve creative-thinking? Give them random items to work with. Want to challenge their communication skills? Introduce a rule where their only form of communication is drawing. It all depends on what suits your team best, but also what your team needs in order to boost productivity in the real world.
Ultimately, the quest for productivity at work has been endless. We’ve seen communication tools like Slack, time-trackers like Timequbes or eccentric workplace practices (e.g. desk-less offices). Even if these techniques work for your team, it doesn’t hurt to boost your efficiency at work further with a few team-building exercises!
