Photo Source: Adobe Stock Summer is here. The temperatures are climbing, the sun is shining, and the days are longer, which gives your company a chance to put together some incredibly fun and unique bonding activities. There are many reasons to prioritize company and team bonding within your organization. Specifically, it can promote collaboration, lead to stronger problem-solving, and make people feel more comfortable contributing to the team in their roles.
However, constantly coming up with new ideas to bring the company team members together can be hard. To help spark your imagination, look through the list of 10 different summer activities you could implement into your organization's team-bonding schedule.
As Jeff Murphy writes, “Believe it or not, fun team-building activities for work are critically important to the success of your business. In fact, the personal bonds formed between team members actually give your company a competitive edge.”
To start the list, we have a fun little sport that can be as easygoing or intense as the individual likes. Kayaking is a wonderful sport that helps get people out of the office and into nature. This is a great thing in and of itself because so many professionals are stuck behind a desk all day long. The chance to get some fresh air and sunshine — all on the company dime — is a perfect way to unite the team and promote company bonding.
Matt Masiello, Chief Marketing Officer of BabyBuddha believes, “Kayaking is an awesome way to bring people together and to get out of the office for a day or a weekend, no matter how the outing is set up. It’s fun, easygoing, and definitely better than being stuck in the office all day.”
Not only is it a mood booster to spend some time outdoors, but it’s also good exercise that is more fun than work.
Escape rooms started becoming more and more popular in the last decade or so. The fundamental concept behind an escape room is that it’s essentially a puzzle. Many of them have themes, either from horror films or other pieces of media, and they require a lot of problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration — all necessary skills in the workplace!
Justin Soleimani, Co-Founder of Tumble states, “Escape rooms are great because they really promote team dialogue and collaboration. Learning how people think in a creative situation like an escape room can help the team's synergy when it comes to collaborating on a project for work.”
Working together like this is a fun way to bring people together, and the atmosphere of the escape room turns the whole thing into a game that the whole team can contribute to and enjoy.
In the winter, cocktail hours are typically limited to conference rooms, local bars, or even a nearby hotel bar. However, this all changes with just a little bit of sunlight and an increase in the temperatures. When summer comes around, rooftop bars open in swaths. A cocktail hour at a rooftop bar is a wonderful way to blow off steam and bond with the team while enjoying a view.
Patricio Paucar, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Navi remarks, “Cocktail hours are a fun way to unite the team. Even if you have team members who don’t drink, there are ways to include them in a cocktail hour. Just make sure there are plenty of snacks, too!”
As a manager or decision-maker, it’s important to realize that cocktail hours should be planned to start during the last official hour of the business day. This way, you’re not asking employees to stay after business hours without compensation.
Baseball, also known as America’s favorite pastime, got that nickname for a reason. Namely, no one can go to a live ballgame and not have a good time. Even non-sports fans have fun at a live baseball game because there’s so much to experience, and the sport is only a small piece.
Trina Johnson, CEO of Blue Forest Farms suggests, “Everyone should experience a live ballgame at least once in their lives. It’s an entertaining time and beats spending a sunny day behind your desk.”
From the ballpark food to the beers, the cheers, and the crisp breeze complimented perfectly by the beaming sunshine — there’s nothing like it in the world.
Who doesn’t love a vacation? Nothing shows employees how much an organization cares as an all-expenses-paid vacation somewhere tropical does. This may be the pinnacle of team bonding ideas on our list.
Alia Bedi, General Manager of L'Evate You mentioned, “Employees light up when they have the opportunity to vacation put in front of them. Especially when they’re told it’s a company vacation they don’t have to spend their PTO on.”
If the company meets certain annual goals, continues to perform well, and has discretionary spending, reward the employees with a vacation. They’ll be extremely responsive, and this will absolutely promote team bonding.
Photo Source: Adobe StockWorking together towards a common goal that helps others is a special feeling that can really bring people together in a special way. This is why charity 5Ks and other charity races are such popular activities for companies to schedule and plan.
Amr Adawi, Co-Founder of MetaWealth shares, “Charity 5Ks are awesome. They bring people together, they’re motivating, and the proceeds go to a good cause. It’s a win-win-win.”
They also can inspire employees to tend to their physical health and get into a regular exercise program if they choose. Others can plan to walk the 5K and still feel good about contributing to a helpful cause. This makes the charity 5K an inclusive activity that team members can really enjoy.
Camping trips are another group bonding activity that teams can embark on together. Camping is a strong team-bonding activity because it requires everyone to pitch in. Some people need to bring the food, while others need to bring the equipment, and everyone must work together.
Morgan Rogers, Director of Marketing at Luna Grill stated, “Getting the whole team out camping in nature is a great way to bring us all together. Some of the best ideas are generated after we clear our minds and commune with nature.”
On top of the teamwork involved, it’s healthy and beneficial to spend time in nature, and sitting around the campfire late at night can inspire conversation.
Let your employees shine by planning a company talent show. This is an opportunity for employees to learn more about one another, get a glimpse into one another's personal lives, and show off their individuality and special talents they might be hiding.
Shideh Kaviani, President of Naked Wardrobe has this to say about talent shows: “It’s so cool to see an accountant take the stage and belt a ballad or to have someone from marketing come out and shred on guitar. You just don’t see that side of your coworkers that often.”
From undercover rockstars to secret hip-hop dancers and even stand-up comics, you never know what talents your team may be hiding if you don’t give them the chance to show off a little.
Food is quite possibly the universal uniter. Everyone loves a hot meal, and of course, we must be considerate of allergies and dietary restrictions, but cooking for one another is an ultimate expression of love.
Soji James, Lead Expert Certified personal trainer at 1AND1 says, “There’s nothing like coming together as a team and having a wonderful meal that we all worked on in some capacity or another. It’s just really fun.”
Put together a potluck dinner, and make sure everyone who participates will bring a dish. Now, you can discover just how many talented cooks you’re employing! Potluck dinners are a fun and delicious way to bring people together for an evening of bonding.
The final suggestion for team bonding on this list is to put together a company office Olympics. There are several ways to do this, but the main principle is to make it fun and enjoyable for everyone while throwing some competitiveness in the mix.
Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO of OSDB advises, “If you want to make a company Olympics, get the employee buy-in first. Make sure it’s something people will have fun with, and get their ideas on what sort of events should be included. That will make it all a lot smoother.”
When you get your employees’ input on what they want to be included in the event, you can ensure that everyone will enjoy and feel comfortable participating.
Team bonding is a crucial part of building successful groups within any organization. The list above is not exhaustive, but it should still give you plenty of ideas. Head of Operations at N2N Digital, Janki Sharma, points out, “Bond is something that can make your employees happy, productive, and energetic. Thus, managers and HRs should spend time on team bonding activities to create a positive company culture.”
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