Having your employees collaborate and embrace teamwork can be hard if they are like strangers to each other. If you want your staff to be friendly with each other, bonding activities can help. Misha Peleg has successfully managed teams since the 1990’s, and these are some of the activities he uses to build comradery in the workplace.
1. Ice Breakers
Ice breakers are a great way to get to know people in an unfamiliar group. Often, employees who are more shy dislike ice breakers if they are put on the spot in front of a room full of people. There are many ways to make ice breakers approachable and fun for everyone! Misha Peleg suggests trying a speed round. Break your group into pairs, give them an ice breaker question, and set a timer for each pair. After the timer goes off, rotate so everyone is in a new pair, and give them a new question to answer. Each conversation will be unique, and your employees may feel more comfortable opening up in a one-on-one discussion.
2. Happy Hour
Your employees may be friendly with the people they work with day-to-day, but what about those they don’t often interact with? Try setting up a monthly happy hour to get everyone together in a more casual, conversational setting. Even virtual happy hours can be a great way for your employees to learn more about each other. Some employees may not drink, or time zones may mean it is too early for them to take part. Nevertheless, encourage your employees to sip a drink, even if it is sparkling water, iced tea, or lemonade. As a happy hour ice breaker question that is suitable for all, you can try asking your employees to share their go-to non-alcoholic drink recipe, or mocktail.
3. Game Session
Games are a great bonding activity for coworkers. Try splitting your team into groups and giving them puzzles or brain teasers to work on together. If you meet up in person, escape rooms are also a great collaborative activity. Some escape room clues are numerical, while others may involve objects around the room, so people’s different strengths and areas of knowledge will be helpful in escaping and winning the game. Misha Peleg says that a diverse team is a versatile team. Try putting your team to the test with some fun games!
4. Learning Activities
Who says learning should be boring? Even in a work-related activity, your employees can bond and have fun. If your staff enjoyed playing games for fun, try using games as a teaching tool. Break your team into groups to play a work-themed quiz or game of Jeopardy. Lunch-and-learn sessions can be a more casual setting where your team comes together to learn while also cracking jokes and eating together. Much like happy hour, your employees can chat and share their lunch recipes, while also taking part in an educational informational session.
If you want your employees to grow as a team and work together, these bonding activities can help. Try making it a regular occurrence so employees can check in and remain friendly with each other.
Misha Peleg is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist. Having founded several highly successful companies since the early 1990s, he uses his business success to support a wide range of non-profit organizations throughout the world. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.