When it comes to the workplace, there are thousands of people across the country who simply don't know the fun of working as a team. Either they've learned to be distrustful or they simply lack the communication and empathy skills needed to experience true teamwork. Whether your group of employees are in need of some retraining or you simply want them to get to know each other a little better, workplace team building activities are a fun and productive way to encourage teamwork.

What are workplace team building exercises? Essentially, they are physical and mental games that encourage everyone to work together. Usually a team leader begins with a series of ice breakers that help the audience learn one another's names and faces. Once the group has learned a bit about each other, it's time to progress to games that establish trust, communication, group thinking, problem solving, and even creativity.

What are some examples of classic workplace team building games? These can be everything from name memory games to simply telling stories to one another about topics such as favorite childhood memories or your most embarrassing moment ever. Physical activities can get the crowd feeling enthusiastic and eager to play. Games such as tug of war, team races, relay races, human knots, and others encourage friendly competitiveness while also helping the group as a hole to think outside the box and solve problems as a collective whole.

The point of workplace team building isn't just to teach your group how to work together. It's also to teach them to avoid singular activities or exercises that encourage singling any one person out. Instead, they introduce the pleasure of enjoying a success as a group, where no one person is held above or below any other.

A word of caution: while some activities, such as the group catching a person as they fall back, may sound like a great way to help establish trust, such activities aren't for everyone. At the very least, they should be established once the group is very familiar with each other. You should also supervise such activities very closely to ensure the group is capable of such a thing. Not only does this prevent a truly embarrassing situation, but it also prevents people from getting hurt as well.

 

Once your employees have experienced workplace team building, they will feel much more confident about working with each other. Not only will this boost productivity and creativity in your company, but it will make achieving tasks together feel all the more productive and fun. Learn more today about how workplace team building can enhance your team.