7 Top Team-Building Outing Ideas to Boost Morale
Employees who are burnt out are 30% less engaged at the workplace, and are 36% more likely to have lower morale. Even worse is that they’re 25% more likely to leave the company.
You’ve spent so much time and effort hiring the best workers possible, so you should also do your best to keep them. One of the best ways to do so is to boost morale through engaging and fun team outings!
Are you now searching for team-building outing ideas? Then read on. Here’s a list that’ll inspire you and make planning easier.
7 Fun Company Outing Ideas
1. Obstacle or Ropes Course
An obstacle or ropes course gets people to literally step out of their comfort zones. Not only that, but they have to rely on each other and problem-solve to get from point A to point B in a high-energy environment.
While on these courses, participants will be tested on their communication, leadership, and adaptability. When they come out the other side, they’ll feel like a brand new person.
You can choose either a local outdoor adventure park or a facility that specializes in corporate team-building courses. Or you can whisk your company away on an international trip to Mexico for an outstanding staff retreat. Either way, you can divide everyone into small groups and assign them different physical or mental challenges.
Make sure to debrief afterward, though. That way, people can share the lessons learned and how they apply to workplace challenges.
2. Escape Room
For work outing ideas, you can’t go wrong with escape rooms. There’s bound to be many in your local area, and the themes are far and wide.
What’s key about escape rooms is that they require teams to collaborate under pressure, analyzing clues and making decisions based on what they see and deduce. It’ll enhance critical thinking, time management, and teamwork.
Before you book one, determine what themes fit your workers’ interests (such as mystery, horror, or adventure). You can then have them break out into smaller groups to maximize engagement, and encourage them to assign roles; for example, one person can be the strategist while another is the clue finder.
Set a post-escape debrief to discuss teamwork strategies. Understand what worked well and what can use improvement.
If you don’t want to miss out on what escape rooms offer, but don’t really have the time to send your employees off-site, then consider mobile escape rooms. Some companies can come and set one up in your office so you can go seamlessly from work, to an escape room, and then back to work.
3. Volunteering or Charity Work
Giving back team-building can be extremely rewarding, as helping others can foster a sense of purpose and unity. Also, many workers love it when their employers show that they care about the local community, as it proves that they’re not only in it for the money. So when you schedule volunteering or charity work for your office, you can bet that you’ll see higher employee satisfaction and therefore, higher retention.
The best thing to do is to partner with a local charity, food bank, or environmental organization. Set aside a team day for activities related to these organizations; for instance, you can do meal packing, park cleanups, or mentorship programs.
To encourage some friendly competition and to motivate your workforce to do more, consider setting team goals. When teams have a set number to aim for donating hours or raising funds, they’ll feel the fire inside come alive.
You can even organize an annual company-wide volunteer day to build a lasting tradition. Your business will be well-known in the community!
4. Cooking Class
For fun company outing ideas that also teach you useful skills, add cooking classes to the list. A survey found that 54% of Americans say they’re not proficient in the kitchen, and 75% have failed miserably at cooking a meal. So trust us when we say that your employees will appreciate a lesson here!
What’s great is that there are several options here, including:
- Culinary schools
- Restaurants
- Private chefs
Choosing a theme can make the outing more exciting too. Whatever you choose, you can give each team a different dish to encourage group participation. To get things even more heated, have a friendly competition for things like best presentation or most creative dish.
Once you’re done slaving away in the kitchen, you can then enjoy the fruits of your labor by sitting down and enjoying the meal together.
5. Bowling or Mini Golf
Sometimes, the best way to boost morale is to leave the high stakes out. Bowling or mini golf for company outing ideas is perfect since these activities are low-pressure, yet still have a degree of friendly competition attached to them.
Either reserve lanes at a bowling alley or book a mini-golf course for your workplace. Combine it with delicious food and drinks to turn it into a relaxed social event.
Create a leaderboard for the varying teams and see the scores dance up and down throughout the day. You can give prizes to the top-performing teams, but also offer small prizes for categories like “Most Improved Player” or “Best Trick Shot” for better inclusion.
6. Virtual Reality Gaming
Tech-savvy workers will love this outing idea since they’ll get to utilize groundbreaking technology. It’s also an excellent way to involve remote employees, as they can join as long as they have an internet connection.
If there are remote workers participating, then the best option is to rent VR headsets to use in-office. Otherwise, you can visit a VR gaming center with your crew.
Ensure that you choose cooperative games that require teamwork. There are various puzzle-solving adventures and VR escape rooms, so choose your pick!
Before everyone gets started, set team-based challenges with enticing rewards. Give out small prizes for those who display things like best teamwork, fastest completion, or most creative solutions.
7. Company Retreat
If you’ve got the budget, then spoil your workers with a company retreat. It’ll allow you to step away from daily tasks and solely focus on team dynamics, strategic planning, and personal growth in a new and interesting place.
Choose a destination and include a mix of team-building exercises, workshops, and recreational activities. Don’t forget to leave room for personal free time too, as people will want to wander and do their own thing. This also gives them time to recharge after taking in all the information from the day.
Boost Morale With these Team-Building Outing Ideas
Engagement and high morale are vital if you want to retain quality employees. Otherwise, they won’t be invested in your company, and they’ll end up leaving if they’re unhappy.
Don’t let that happen; before they’re disengaged, schedule an exciting team-building outing. Not only will it improve workplace satisfaction, but they’ll also learn some essential skills that’ll help them grow as a professional.
Are you ready to have unforgettable corporate outings? Then request your quote from Grupo Events now. We’re experts at creating motivational fun for groups of all sizes.