Is going to a dentist worth it? Or going to see a car mechanic worth it?
If you answered yes, then Team Building activities are worth it too.
See you don’t just go to the dentist once and all of a sudden, your teeth and gums are good for life, and you don’t just go to the mechanics once and expect your car to purr forever. No, these services are ongoing.
Value Of Team Building
Let’s take a look at the world of team building – You see we work in a team of people and people all have unique and different personalities which come together in one place. These unique employees must get along to get the job done. Making sure projects are getting done on time, productivity and workflow is amazing and everyone is just getting the job done.
However, during that time, these employees sometimes grow tired, things can be misheard or miscommunicated, employees let the wrong thing go for a while and then gossip happens, and people put up walls. The great communication you once had has declined and now your workplace is turning toxic. Now HR is involved and instead of getting their job done, they have to work on people, put out fires. Productivity is down and the teamwork in plummeting.
At this point the manager scratches their head and wonders:
“where did it all go wrong?”
Usually, this is when we get called onto the scene. The workplace has turned ugly, and they need someone on the outside of the company, that can fix it. Sometimes it feels like we are the Ghost Busters, we grab our proton packs, then we move in and get to work to rid the negativity that is floating around. As much as we love these events, as we get to see the toxic vibes melt away when team’s are pushed to support each other through a mud challenge like Raw Survivor or come together to build a whole city out of LEGO®, while sometimes blindfolded.
But in reality, we could be called before all that happens, (sure we don’t bust in with our proton pack on and suck out the negative vibes), when your team is happy and productive, this is the time to reward them in a way. Happy Employees = High Productivity. It’s easier to maintain excellence then to create it.
Team Building offers so much before the negativity starts, first, you are rewarding yourself and your employees with something different to what they do day to day. Also, you’re offering more than a pub or pizza feed. Don’t get us wrong a good chicken snitty at the pub is AMAZING, however, it should be backed up with a team building activity. No snitty is going to solve personal issues within your team.
Think about it, when you sit down to eat, you’re usually sitting with the people you get along with at work, you’re probably not talking about how to improve your work surroundings and you’re definitely not talking about how to grow the team’s dynamics.
Recently we had the honour of running a team building event for an IT company. Now we had to be secret squirrel in all of this as we didn’t want to give it away, but we knew they were going to have dinner together and of course, they all sat with the people they usually work with and socialise with. Then surprise! They were told that they were actually building a life-sized mouse trap, where cause and effect come into play.
So, we set the scene, we split the groups in the only way Premier Team Building does, lead you into a fault sense of security and then totally split it up again. We saw that people were put into groups with co-workers they barely knew and some they didn’t really like, but “just” got along with. Now they had to talk to each other, and get the job done. They oversaw building a dominos track to the other side of the venue, to trigger a marble track run that had to set off a HotWheels track to the end where they catch a mouse (Mousetrap). Now the thing about our team building events, is we like to challenge you. The group always try to get us to give them the answers, but we always keep it professional and focus on their development.
The team hit a rough patch, we saw the negativity bubble creeping in. But one member sparked an idea, igniting a chain reaction. Laughter replaced tension as they collaborated. They understood the job brief: one failure meant all failed. They broke free from individual bubbles and soared together, setting aside personal feelings to get the job done. They rallied, fuelled by a collective purpose, turning challenges into triumphs.
At the end, the room was filled with the cheers and applause of nearly 50 people as they job was done. They did catch the mouse in the end.
Now after everything was packed up and we debriefed the team on their performance, we mostly spoke about how communication played an important role in this event, and how the word communication isn’t just a buzz word we throw around. How even if they were in a little group, they still had to help and talk to other groups as their section(department) had to meet with another area and so on. We could see that all the different departments in this company needed work to collaborate between each othyer. However, at least the ball started to roll when they all agreed this needed to be improved upon and began to discuss how to implement this sooner rather than later.
Behind The Scene
Thankfully we were able to speak with one of the team members to get a team member’s perspective leading up to the event. This provided us with key insight into the team from another perspective. We always value when our clients grant us such access, be it with one person or through a 360 review.
Now picture this: This employee was quite happy at work, it was mostly a positive environment, and productivity was pretty good. Her manager was amazing and helped out wherever they could and there weren’t many people problems.
Then she shared some interesting reflections with us. Firstly, she was happy that the manager wasn’t just shouting another dinner as they have done that before and yes it was nice, but it didn’t help with the development and growth of the team.
The Outcome From The Event
Then she admitted that she hadn’t been communicating much with other departments at work, even though some of her tasks relied on their input to get completed. However, after the team building event, things took a turn……………for the better.
During the team event, she had an epiphany. This revelation struck her when she learned the importance of checking in with both the team ahead of you and the team behind you in a workflow.
The following week at work, she decided to put this newfound insight into action. When she passed her work on to the next department, she made sure to touch base with them to see how things were shaping up. To her surprise, they pointed out several areas where she could make improvements to streamline the process and make their job easier.
She was taken aback by the realisation that, unknowingly, she had been creating more work for others instead of facilitating a smooth workflow. This experience served as a valuable lesson for her, highlighting the significance of collaboration and communication in achieving efficiency and success in the workplace.
So, Are Team Building Events Worth It?
Without a doubt! They’re not just about ticking a box or going through the motions. They’re powerful demonstrations of your commitment to your team’s growth, happiness, and effectiveness. When you invest in team building, you’re sending a clear message: you value your employees as individuals and as part of a greater whole.
These events aren’t just about boosting morale or having a fun day out (although those are important too!). They’re about fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and mutual support. They’re about forging bonds that transcend departmental divides and personal differences.
So, the next time you’re on the fence about investing in a team building event, remember this: it’s not just an expense, it’s an investment in your team’s success. It’s a catalyst for positive change, a spark that ignites creativity, and a glue that binds your team together. So go ahead, embrace the laughter, unleash your creativity, and watch as your team rises to new heights of collaboration and achievement. After all, a united team is an unstoppable force.