Creating a Successful Team Building Event
Everyone needs a good team that’s motivated, focused, and driven. Sometimes though, moral isn’t always at it’s best and things can feel a little sluggish. Every day might feel like Monday and things around the office just are not as exciting as they used to be. In times like this, it’s time for a team-building event. Fun team-building events help boost morale and get everyone feeling good. It’s a great way to get some fresh air and take a break from the usual 9 to 5. Planning one of these events is not easy. There are plenty of aspects of a team-building event that need to be considered, but hopefully, we can help you out a little.
Get Out of the Office
This event needs to feel different than just a glorified business meeting. There needs to be good food and fun. Your employees need to get their minds off of work, and it can be difficult to do that when they are in the place that they get all of their work done in. Having a team-building event outside of the office lets people know that this is already something entirely different than just an office pizza party. This makes everyone feel excited and more relaxed because a new location helps set the tone for the rest of the day. A fun theme park or arcade is naturally, going to feel much more exciting and energetic, while a quiet restaurant is going to feel calm and relaxing.
Schedule it During Work Hours
No one wants to go to a mandatory work event outside of office hours. If anything is worth doing, then it is worth doing on the clock. Having a mandatory team-building event after hours makes it seem like you care about the work more than your actual employees, which is the opposite of what a team-building activity should be. Part of this is to show appreciation to your employees for all the hard work that they do. If you must plan this event during work hours, have it during lunch and provide lots of food.
Make it Accessible for Everyone
Not everyone likes to participate in the same activities, so that needs to be taken into consideration when planning a big event like this. This is the last place where anyone should feel left out. Team-building is supposed to build a team, not exclude members of said team. It is also extremely important to consider anyone in the group who has any handicaps or disabilities. There might be things that they can or cannot do that absolutely need to be taken into account. Every member of the team is important and deserves to be and feel included. Take transportation into account. Is everyone meeting there, or at the office? Are they carpooling? How far is it from the office or everyone’s respective homes? It definitely isn’t easy to please everyone, but it is important that you at least try to. After all, it is the thought that counts even if everyone isn’t completely happy with the end result.
Get Feedback & Take Suggestions
These things are definitely difficult to organize, so let the people attending give you some ideas to get some of the hard brainstorming off of your plate. Ask them what they would like to do and hopefully, that will narrow things down. They spend the most time with one another, so they can probably come up with a fun idea even faster than you can. Don’t be too prideful to think that you know best in this situation. After the event, get some feedback as to how it went. Nothing is perfect, and there are always improvements to be made. Ask everyone if they genuinely had a good time and what they would like to do next time.
Create a Detailed Budget
Everything costs money and paying for the entire office’s food and fun can cost a lot of it. Create a detailed budget to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. You would hate it if not many people could participate or if some people were left behind due to budget constraints. As for food, having an abundance is better than not having enough. You don’t want to have some people giving up their meals or everyone eating very tiny portions. Always plan for everyone getting seconds, even if there are leftovers. Chances are, many of the employees would like to take some home or save it for lunch the next day, just as long as nothing goes to waste.
Set a Clear Goal
What do you want from this meeting? It’s a tough question, but definitely, one that needs to be asked. Think about what you want your employees to gain from this and what you would like to learn from this. Help set the tone for the day. Setting a clear goal will help you determine what kind of activity is best to do, and it keeps things from getting too hectic.
We here at Bob-O’s Family Fun Center can help you with your corporate team-building activity. We have both indoor and outdoor activities as well as lots of delicious food for everyone. Call us and check our availability.
