3 fresh activities to engage team in the workplace

Team games – what are they for?

Team-building is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental goals of those responsible for managing people these days. This is because they know that the well-being of individuals and the overall atmosphere (which is significantly influenced by co-workers) determines what results are achieved at work. How can team games in the workplace support the integration of individuals? We can identify several key reasons for their positive effects.

1. They allow people to get to know and understand each other better in circumstances unrelated to daily duties – in this way, an attitude of trust and understanding is built.
2. They improve communication – because they require members of a particular team to talk to each other, get to know each other better and agree on strategies together, which translates into the development of active listening and action skills.
3. Strengthen the competitive spirit – team games enable people to work together toward certain goals while providing healthy competition between teams, which increases motivation and commitment to work.
4. Improve work efficiency – by learning more about individuals’ skills and acquiring new knowledge and abilities, productivity can increase.

Examples of engaging team games

If you offer your employees typical entertainment, you are unlikely to arouse their enthusiasm – as they usually consider them a waste of time, is embarrassing to them or makes them feel worse. For this reason, it is advisable to choose proposals that will suit your employees and be treated as an attractive kind of entertainment, and allow you to achieve the desired results. Here are some suggestions for you that can work perfectly in any workplace.

Two truths, one lie

This team game tests how well employees know each other and to discover common traits or interests. It involves participants having to come up with three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is a lie. The others have to guess which statement is a lie. Such entertainment helps develop listening, perceptive and analytical skills, and is very easy to organize, taking only a few minutes to conduct.

Blind tips

This activity is great for people who don’t work closely together daily. It requires pairing them up and then blindfolding one person. The other person’s task is to “be the eyes” of the first one and guide him or her through the indicated tasks, which could be moving to another room, drawing a picture or performing an exercise. This type of team game, on the one hand, tests communication (the ability to speak instructions and directions clearly) and on the other, builds trust (the person who is blindfolded has to confide in his or her guide).

Hack Day

A typical Hack Day concerns an intensive marathon where programmers, designers and those involved in the technology industry come together to work on projects, develop new ideas and create innovative technology solutions. However, you can also transfer this concept to your company and involve a specific team (or all employees divided into several teams) in a special project to benefit the company. Hack Day requires cooperation, communication and coordination of activities, thus helping to build ties and improve relationships.

Team games – summary

Short or longer team games are an excellent way to take a break from daily duties while providing great team-building effects. Not only do they contribute to an improved atmosphere in the workplace, but they also build trust, help in mutual understanding as well as provide a chance to discover new sides of others, which has a positive impact on employee morale, satisfaction and productivity. If you care about achieving such effects, you should look for activities that appeal to your employees. The games we have outlined are just the basics, but we assure you that they will work great for any company.

Read also: Top 3 online team building games for remote teams

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