Employees who see team building activities as less than optimal have likely not participated in one that fostered cooperation and positive outcomes.
To create a fun activity that benefits employees at work and even helps them to relax, management must always focus on the actual needs of their employees as well as on company values. Employees must feel valued, and a good team-building activity will have them feeling as if they are vitally important to the company and as if they can successfully work together with management and peers for the greatest good.
Managers looking for ways to organize a successful team building activity can follow these nine tips for planning, organizing, enjoying and repeating a great exercise.
Get Away from the Office
Employees need to get away from their offices to really feel as if they can let loose and enjoy themselves. For example, choosing corporate cooking classes such as the ones offered by Cozymeal can be a great way to get employees to a new and unique location, which can help them to open up to each other and find new ways to interact.
Keep It during Work Hours
No one wants to feel as though extra work is required for a team building exercise. All of these activities should be scheduled during normal work hours, and employees should be paid for their hours spent at the activity. This can keep employees from feeling upset with management for not understanding their busy lifestyles.
Keep Management Involved
All levels of management should make an effort to join their teams during team building activities. Being able to kick back together in a cooking class can help employees feel that they are on the same level with their managers. In fact, it can be beneficial for some employees to feel that they are integral parts of the cooking team and that it is not just their managers who are always in charge.
Find a Way for Individuals to Work Together
Speaking of cooking teams, employees should always be encouraged to work together as they create delicious hors d’oeuvres or amazing three-course meals. As they chop, dice, saute and roast foods together, they learn how to work together, how to solve problems and how to reduce blame. While these concepts are vital for a great meal, they are also important concepts that should be brought back to the office.
Make It a Competition
Competitions can fuel many people’s desire to succeed and win. Care should be taken to split up employees into teams in a way that no one feels left out or minimized. However, cooking competitions are always fun as teams cook against the clock or are challenged to come up with unique meals or appetizers based on certain ingredients. Cooking competitions are especially good for employees in high-powered careers.
Allow Teams to Enjoy the Fruits of Their Labors
After cooking together, teams can enjoy their work by sitting down to a delicious feast or by enjoying appetizers with a glass of wine and some light music. This helps show employees that what they do is appreciated and worthwhile.
Do Not Make It Too Labor-Intensive
While cooking can be fun, it can be hard work. This is why an expertly planned corporate cooking lesson can be such a great idea. Employees learn new cooking techniques and have fun working together while cooking class leaders and staff take care of some of the heavy lifting, such as serving the food or gathering ingredients. This keeps the class low-key and even relaxing.
End with Feedback
Following any team building activity, management should make a point of gathering oral or written feedback. This will help management know exactly what their employees need to succeed and will help them further enhance their work in the future.
Do It Regularly
One team building activity can be good, but regular team building activities can be even better. Employees will love having a fun team building activity to look forward to every several months.
Takeaway
Because most employees want to keep work at work and want to feel as if their time is valuable, management will have to be sure to keep activities exciting and applicable to their employees. Scheduling cooking lessons as a team can allow team members to find new ways to work together while also allowing them relaxing time away from the office and a chance to enjoy delicious food served to them by event staff.
Overall, the event should be completely fun with just enough structure for good organization but with plenty of flexibility to allow for employees of all personalities to join in and make great memories for a lifetime.