Team-building activities: engage your team with our tips
Team building is an essential part of taking care of the atmosphere in the organization. As research shows, companies, and startups that regularly conduct team-building meetings have seen an increase in employees' productivity. But not every subordinate wants to participate in that kind of integration activity.
Find out why team-building exercises are so important and choose the best way to encourage your employees to play with others. Check how much your organization can gain from good communication between team members.
In our last article, we introduced the top 19 team-building games for remote employees, thanks to which your subordinates can stay in touch with coworkers and get to know them better. This time we are explaining why participating in integration games is essential, and we will introduce 5 useful tips that will help you motivate your subordinates to take part in team-building games.
In this article, you will learn how to effectively encourage employees to participate in team-building activities without pressure or resistance. You will find out why picking the right team-building game, creating inclusive environments, and leading by example can significantly increase engagement. You will also discover practical tips that help team members connect, build trust, and strengthen collaboration within your team.
Why is it worth taking care of employees' well-being through team-building games and exercises?
According to the research published on Social Science Research Network, a happy employee is a productive employee. A high level of satisfaction and the possibility to take a good rest raise morale and allow them to be more engaged in work projects.
According to organizational research, teams that invest in team-building and related interventions tend to have higher overall effectiveness, improved collaboration, and better organizational outcomes. [Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10978621/, April 2024, “Team building and its influence on team effectiveness”]
When people feel good in their work environment, it is easier for them to focus on their responsibilities, their trust in the employer rises, and for that reason, they work better even if not longer, even for an hour (or maybe even less than usual). The same thing happens for remote employees too.
Organizing integration activities and games for remote workers is important due to the feeling of loneliness that they can experience when they work in their homes without real contact with coworkers. The coronavirus pandemic caused the mass transition to remote work among employees around the world. This sudden change in difficult circumstances raises the stress level, and limited contact with other people makes employees feel even more alienated, and they can experience a lack of engagement and productivity.
Thanks to team-building video conferences, workers have an opportunity to hang out with their colleagues and feel like a part of the organization. Make your employees happy to raise their happiness and make them more engaged in their projects. A quarter of an hour from a 40-hour workweek is not a high price for happiness and productivity!
5 tips on how to encourage employees to take part in team-building activities
Choosing the right integration game is only a part of success. Employees need to actively participate in a team-building activity with a positive attitude so they can be successful. Otherwise, integration exercises will not succeed because of the lack of a friendly atmosphere to open up among other workers.
According to reviews of empirical research, team-building interventions have been shown to improve team cohesion, interpersonal relations, and problem-solving capabilities across many organizational contexts. [Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10978621/, March 2024, “Analyzing the impact of team-building interventions on team cohesion”].
So how do you motivate employees to take part in team-building games and achieve real results? Here are five practical tips to make the process easier—and if you truly want to boost engagement among your team members, start a free Calamari trial to streamline coordination and participation.
1. Include the introverts
In office conditions it is easy to overlook employees who do not really participate in integration games. They pretend to play, but in reality, they focus on their thoughts or work they have to do. It is even easier to miss those people when you conduct an online team-building game.
So how do you make sure that people really take part in the game? For the starter, ask quick, simple questions and ask every employee for their response. This way all of your workers will have to stay alert because they never know when you will want them to answer a question. In the case of larger groups, you should divide people into smaller teams to be able to play the whole game in a predetermined time.
2. Follow the 2.5x rule
Rule 2.5x says that if you give 2.5 units of something to others, we will have to pay for it by giving our recipients something they want. That will make them more engaged and focused on what we have to show them.
When creating the team-building schedule for an online or in-office game, you should use this rule. If the first 5 minutes of the meeting will be a short integration game, the part connected to working over a given project should take 12.5 minutes (2.5 × 5 minutes).
3. Make a team-building game a part of every meeting
Team building for employees helps people to get to know each other and feel better in their work environment. But to make those activities successful, you should conduct them regularly. Organizing team-building exercises once a year is not enough to improve the atmosphere in your organization. Not all the companies and startups can organize team-building meetings very often, so they have to think about other solutions.
Making the first few minutes of every meeting a team-building activity will be a great solution for the lack of time for such exercises. The game will not take much time, but employees will gain the opportunity to talk, relax, and have some fun between coworkers. Thanks to this, even those stressful meetings will be easier to get through if you know you are among your people.
4. Send packages
Everyone likes receiving gifts – they make us feel rewarded, accepted, and valuable. Companies and startups know about it; that is why they typically provide employees with t-shirts, mugs, and other gadgets with the organization's logo. It is worth taking care of this also in the case of remote workers.
Due to the limited contact with the office community, teleworkers can feel more alienated from the group. Sending them packages with gadgets occasionally will let them feel like a part of a workers' society, which will have a great impact on their well-being and feelings against the employer. But do not forget about your stationary employees – they also need some love. This is a low-cost initiative that can make your employees smile and feel better.
5. Search for opportunities to meet in real life
Even if everyone in your organization works remotely, it is good to meet face-to-face once in a while. In-person meetings will let your subordinates know each other and understand each other better because body language has great meaning in correctly interpreting ambiguous messages.
If you know the body language of your coworkers, it is easier to find out what it is all really about and react correctly in unclear situations. It will increase communication in your organization daily. That is why you should think of organizing face-to-face meetings for your workers as often as you can.
Summary
Team-building games and exercises are a great way to get employees to better know each other and find a way to better cooperate as a team. Team building affects not only employees' well-being but also their productivity and the overall performance of the company or startup. If you want your team-building meeting to be a success, you have to engage all the workers to achieve the best results.
And how do you engage your employees to take part in team-building activities? We want to hear from you!
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FAQ: Team-building activities: engage your team with our tips
How do you encourage your team to join a team-building activity or team-building games?
A good strategy is to invite your team into a fun team-building activity that encourages team members to think together and increase engagement. This team-building exercise helps team members learn from the rest of the team in a fun and engaging way.
How can employees benefit from a team-building game designed to bring your team together?
Each team-building game is an activity that encourages team bonding and helps team members get to know one another within your team. These activities are designed to boost team morale and improve communication among team members.
What tip helps motivate a remote team to participate in virtual team-building activities?
A helpful tip is to divide your team into smaller groups so each team member feels included, and team members must collaborate closely. This activity encourages team members to engage in creative thinking and helps team members learn new skills within the team.
How can team-building activities increase engagement among employees who are hesitant to join?
Team-building activities help your team by giving each team member a clear role, which encourages team members to get involved with the rest of the team. This fun and engaging way helps team members learn trust and boosts collaboration within your team.
How do you bring your team together using fun team-building activities to boost morale?
These activities are perfect because they divide the team into groups that must work together, which encourages team cohesion. They also help your team members feel supported and create activities that enhance communication among team members.
What team-building activities help break resistance and get your team working more openly?
Quick team-building activities like simple icebreakers challenge your team in a low-pressure activity that encourages team members to think and connect. This team-building exercise helps team members get comfortable and boosts engagement within the team.
How can outdoor team building help employees who avoid indoor team-building activities?
Outdoor team building allows you to split your team into two or into groups of four, which gives each team member a fresh and energizing environment. This activity encourages team members to collaborate with the rest of the team and increases engagement through shared challenges.
How can managers encourage team members to participate without feeling forced?
Managers can help your team by using a team-building game as a fun and engaging way to invite your team to work together. This activity encourages team members to collaborate naturally, and team building helps create trust among team members.
How do team-building activities help new team members feel part of a whole team?
Team-building activities help new team members by allowing them to join smaller groups, where they can interact with the rest of the team. This building activity helps team members learn each other’s strengths and supports team dynamics.
What is an effective way to help employees see value in a team-building exercise?
An effective way is to show how the activity encourages team members to think, improves critical thinking, and supports collaboration within your team. This way to help your team boosts engagement and helps team members get real benefits from the activity.
