Team building is an important part of any successful business.

70% of Americans say they are not engaged at their workplace. But, it’s important employees continue to be engaged, even if you’re pretty sure they are, there’s nothing better than to get away from the office and re-energize your crew.

After all, if you’re employees are engaged, it’s likely your business has twice the net income compared with those with unhappy employees, and your staff will also be 87% less likely to leave.

There are, however, a few challenges when considering a team building event. First of all, you want to ensure that any of the activities you plan are fun for everyone. As much as you love rock climbing, it’s possible not everyone you work with is going to feel the same.

Pick something that everyone is going to be comfortable doing and will enjoy participating in, otherwise you may not be helping the team bond at all.

Ice Breakers

If you’re looking for some team building icebreakers, here are a few quick ideas to get the day started.

Seating Plan:

Ask your crew to arrange themselves into their seats according to name, and then birth month. It’s a quick way to get people communicating and organizing, setting the tone for the day. It also helps introduce those who may not know each other.

First Job/Worst Job:

This is a great one for your guests to realize how lucky they are in their current position. Have each of your attendees write down their first job or their worst job. The rest of the team then has to match the position to the person.

Food Related Activities

There’s no better way to get people involved in a team building activity than doing something that revolves around food and eating… Of course, the best part is you then get to eat it.

Sushi or Salsa Making:

This is an absolute favorite. It combines everything you want in a team building challenge: it’s not as easy as it seems and requires co-operation, especially if you make different team-members responsible for different elements of the sushi/salsa. And participants can add creative touches as they please, so all the bases are covered. And best of all, everyone loves tasty bites.

Cupcake Decorating:

Again, you’ll tick all the boxes with this one. Make it a competition, where you’ll encourage creativity. And everyone is guaranteed to love the results.

Problem Solving

One of the most important things teams can do in the workplace is solve problems. No matter what industry you’re in, the ability for staff to work together to find solutions to problems is a fundamental ingredient for the success of any business.

Scavenger Hunt:

This is a tried and tested team building exercise. It’s effective and fun. Even the most cynical employee can’t help but contribute to a scavenger hunt and helping their team win.

Lost At Sea:

This is a great one to play while you’re on the water. In this activity, the crew will be divided into groups that have been stranded aboard a boat with a list of items and a box of matches. The teams have to decide which they need most in order to survive. They’ll then be tested against the official list of the U.S. Coast Guard. You can find everything you need for this problem solving challenge here.

At The End of The Day

Karaoke. It’s possibly the most amusing way to end a day of team bonding. We recommend a few drinks to go with this as a reward for a day’s hard work problem solving.

Visit our Pinterest board and pin some ideas for your next team building event.