3 Fun team building events to help bring out the best in your staff

We all understand the importance of camaraderie and collaboration in the workplace. Employees who know and care about one another are more productive and creative — not to mention more fun to work with!

Likewise, we all recognize the value that effective team building exercises can bring to the table in fostering an atmosphere of encouragement and inclusivity. The hard part is finding activities that elicit earnest engagement and enthusiastic responses from staff rather than rolled eyes and hushed complaints. These fun team building events are sure to get your whole staff on board — and  the good vibes you’ll  feel in the office will be there to stay:

There’s a good reason why “Escape the Room” games have become so strongly associated with office team building in recent years — they’re highly effective in creating lasting bonds between co-workers. Success requires cooperation and collaborative thinking, which tends to carry over into everyday interactions.

Some businesses offer dedicated “Escape the Room”  spaces with elaborate setups, but you don’t have to bring your team off-site to experience the team building benefits — a number of companies now offer do-it-yourself kit that include everything you need to recreate the experience in your conference room.

Laughing together goes a long way towards building trust and rapport between team members. And Heads Up, a mix between Charades and Password that you play using a phone or tablet, is guaranteed to have your staff laughing in no time.

Heads Up doesn’t require much time to enjoy, so you can make a semi-regular part of your office routine. Invite everyone into the conference room to eat lunch together, and then cap things off with 20 minutes of fun. The goal is simply to bring everyone together and get them talking and smiling. Best of all, it only costs 99 cents in the app store!

Encouraging a bit of friendly competition is a great way to bring out the best in your staff — and help them see the best in their teammates. Scavenger hunts are a perfect way to foster cooperation and teamwork, with the added benefit of a change of scenery to spice things up. Several companies offer everything you need to get started, with some even using GPS-enabled smartphones or tablets as a tool.