13 team building activity ideas for all budgets
7 de July, 2023
Team building activities are a good way to strengthen bonds. They generally allow people to get to know each other better, communicate and share interests and opinions. In addition, they help to reinforce camaraderie and trust, two essential aspects for the success of teams and, therefore, companies.
When people communicate and relate effectively and harmoniously, work becomes more efficient, more productive and more successful. But also more enjoyable and fun!
According to Indeed, team building initiatives bring numerous advantages: they encourage creativity, develop trust and collaboration, increase motivation, promote well-being and a better working environment, promote interactions with other departments, among others.
So if you’re looking for team building activities for your company, here are some ideas to suit all budgets.
1 – Discover and share your personality type
Companies are invariably made up of very diverse people. A good way to get to know each other better can be to find out what they have in common and what they are different in.
Understanding some of your personality traits, and those of your colleagues, can bring teams closer together and help people identify their strengths and weaknesses.
There are several popular personality tests, such as the MBTI or others, which can be carried out and discussed within teams if employees are comfortable with it.
2 – Two truths, one lie
This game is widely known and can be a light and fun way for people to get to know each other better. All you have to do is get a group of people together and then each of them has to tell three facts about themselves, one of which has to be a lie. The aim is for the other people to find out which one isn’t true.
In the end, there are no winners or losers. The aim is for people to get to know each other, deconstruct any prejudices and foster communication.
3 – Trivia game
A trivia game about the company, the workplace and the employees themselves is another fun and easy-to-implement activity.
Collect a set of questions related to the company and its people and write them on cards along with the answers. For example, “how many people make up the IT department?”, “what month is the company’s birthday?” or “how many desks are there in the office?”.
Then divide the teams into groups and test their knowledge. The group that gets the most answers right wins.
This initiative will also promote cohesion and proximity between people.
4 – Board games
From Pictionary to Party&Co to Cluedo… there are so many options. The truth is that we can all recognize that board games have the ability to bring people together.
You can buy some of these games for your company’s office and informally organize a few moments for people to gather around the table and start playing. Add some snacks and drinks and you’ve got the ingredients for a friendly and fun competition.
As simple as it sounds, you may be surprised at how these moments can strengthen bonds and stimulate creativity.
5 – Egg drop game
This game is a classic when it comes to team building activities. The aim is for the teams, using certain materials provided, to build a structure that prevents an egg from breaking when thrown from a certain height.
Start by providing these materials and indicate how much time the groups have to finish building the structure. When the time is up, it’s time to test the structures one by one by throwing the eggs. The team or teams that manage to keep the egg intact (or with as little damage as possible) wins.
This activity will stimulate creativity and innovation, but also communication and teamwork.
6 – Organize a lunch
Organizing a team lunch may seem like a simple and common initiative, but the truth is that it’s always an effective way of strengthening relationships outside the work context.
7 – Mystery dinner
Mystery dinners are an excellent way of reinforcing the closeness between people, especially from different teams.
The idea is that the company chooses a few members of each team to attend a dinner and sends out invitations indicating the time and place of the dinner. These invitations should remain anonymous, i.e. the employees who receive them should not share them with anyone. It’s only when they arrive at the restaurant that they realize who they’ll be dining with.
This allows people to get out of their comfort zone a little and, above all, to meet and interact with people they don’t relate to so directly – or on a regular basis – in their day-to-day work.
8 – After work
Who doesn’t like to unwind after a week’s work? Promoting a weekly or monthly happy hour is also a good way for people to connect more informally and socialize without the pressure of work.
9 – Escape room
There are already numerous escape rooms in Portugal and the purpose is simple: a group of people are locked inside a room, with a certain theme, and have to solve various puzzles in order to escape within the time limit.
These activities have become popular in recent years and are also an effective way of boosting team spirit and mutual support. They also stimulate creativity and problem-solving skills.
You can promote healthy internal competition between teams and find out, after everyone has played, which team managed to escape in the shortest time.
10 – Laser tag
Laser tag is an activity similar to paintball, but which may be more suitable as the risk of someone getting hurt is typically lower. Players divide into teams and are equipped with a “gun” and a sensor. The aim is to point the guns at the opposing team’s players and try to “kill” them by hitting their sensor.
Getting your company’s employees to practise laser tag can be an excellent way of getting out of the routine, taking a few hours off work and strengthening bonds with colleagues.
11 – Bubble football
If you think that promoting a traditional soccer tournament might not be an idea that everyone in the company likes, how about a more fun alternative?
In bubble football, the players are inside giant inflatable bubbles, which can make the competition hilarious!
It could be an idea to consider to increase the good mood within your company’s teams.
12 – Cooking classes
Giving employees the opportunity to develop new skills or interests is a way of demonstrating that the company values them. In this sense, cooking workshops can be a good option.
Look for companies or venues that offer this service, put together groups of people from different teams and voila!
Cooking a dish or a meal involves carrying out various tasks that will require organization and mutual help.
13 – Volunteering
What better way to strengthen connections than to spend a day or a few hours making a positive impact on society in some way? Involving employees in volunteering activities will not only strengthen relationships, but also foster a feeling that they are making a difference to a cause or someone’s life.
There’s no shortage of volunteering projects and many associations will certainly be grateful for the help made available. So find an activity or an area that is in some way linked to your company’s values and purpose and then get to work.
Any of these team building activities can be easy to implement in your company. Most of them require very little investment and the results for the cohesion of your teams can be very positive!
People will enjoy getting out of the routine and interacting with colleagues in other contexts, while your company will benefit from all this involvement.
See also: 10 tips to increase employee motivation and satisfaction