The summer break provides much needed rejuvenation for employees, but once they are back in the workspace, it is important to ensure a smooth transition from the holiday mindset to the professional mindset. This not only helps increase productivity right off the bat, but it also ensures a space for work that does not feel dull.
Instead of jumping straight into the thick of work, the best way to ease employees into the workspace is through group team building activities. But, this is easier said than done.
Most corporate team building activities refer to going outdoors for a fun experience with the team. But, since your team has just returned from a long summer break, having them go outside again is not the best idea. Rather, this is the time to practice certain indoor activities and even organize team building events.
So, here are 10 activities that your team can do inside the office, and it will immensely help them in terms of productivity-boosting and getting into the professional mindset.
1. The Coin Game
This is an ingenious game that is both simple and allows employees to have a fun time in the office. You need to place coins in a hat and have each team member pick one at random.
Make sure that the pennies are minted in different years, and each member needs to tell a story about the year that they picked. It can be a story about them or it can be about something that happened that year in general.
Time required: 20 – 30 minutes
Format: In-person only
2. Show And Tell
While it sounds simple enough, it is one of the most fun and easy post-break activities you can host. Each team member needs to carry one item from their holiday experience and describe a story around it.
A quick game of show and tell will help your team members feel comfortable with each other’s holiday experience, and not make them feel like only work buddies.
Time required: 10-15 minutes
Format: Both offline and online
3. Keep The Balloons Floating
This is more of a real game and fosters some friendly competition. Call your team into a conference room and have a set of balloons floating in the room. Have a lot more balloons than team members so that some are bound to hit the floor. The team’s aim is to keep these balloons floating and not let them hit the floor.
This game will create some noise, and that’s exactly what you need. The office space should not feel like the direct opposite of the fun summer break. So, having some competitive fun in the office will be a great way to bridge the holiday mindset and the office mindset.
Time required: 15-20 minutes
Format: In-person only
4. Office Minefield
Being present in a physical space that promotes work culture helps employees keep a constant mindset of professionalism. Office minefield is a game that helps bring back their presence into the physical space.
Divide your team into two halves, and each half will have a representative who will be blindfolded and guided around the office. Their team members will guide them with voice commands so that they don’t stumble on anything.
This quick game will help everyone subconsciously get into the physical space and feel at home in the office.
Time required: 10-15 minutes
Format: In-person only
5. Trivia Quiz
If your team sees the office as not only a space of professional work, but also a space of learning, it will help improve their productivity. A quick trivia quiz with your team is an amazing way to ensure a school-like feeling, where they learn and work at the same time.
It’s also one of the quickest games that you can play with your team. Simply pick out a number of questions, and you can even play this game by dividing the team into two halves.
Time required: 10 minutes
Format: Online and offline
6. Memory Wall
This is another way to do a show and tell or any other similar corporate team building activities. Ask your team members to write down their favourite holiday or office memory on a piece of paper and stick it on the board.
Ask them at random to describe the memory, and it will create a fun game of finding out who did what on their holidays. New employees can hear older stories of the office and get inspired. This is one of the most popular team building activities in Melbourne.
Tim required: 5 minutes per person
Format: In-person only
7. Virtual Games
Are you someone who manages a virtual team? Then you might be finding it difficult to get your employees motivated after a long work break. You can take the help of professional virtual escape room games, or any other similar online team game for corporate organizations.
These games have become wildly popular as team building activities, and they actually make people feel like a team even if their presence is completely online. You will probably have to take a day to make this happen, but it is totally worth it.
Time required: 1 hour
Format: Virtual only
8. Any Type Of Board Games
Board games are eternal for a reason. They help bring people closer together, while being competitive as well. Keep a number of board games available, and your team members can pick any of them and spend some time having fun in the office.
If you see low levels of involvement, then you can even conduct informal tournaments and get your team pumped up. The aim is to turn your office into a fun space, and board games will do a great job of achieving this.
Time required: 20-30 minutes per game
Format: In-person only
9. Set Up Office Pen Pals
Assign random pen pals to your team members from within the team, and then have them write a quick letter to each other. This is a simple strategy to create individual level bonding between your team. It also helps newcomers grow into the team very easily.
Since this is a post-break exercise, your team members will be able to discuss their holiday experiences through the letter as well.
Time required: 5-10 minutes
Format: Both online and in-person
10. Introductory Games
Sometimes after a long break, people need to re-introduce themselves. So, if nothing else, just gather your team around and have them give a short introduction of themselves.
You’d be surprised how awesome this feels for employees who have been part of the team for many years. It allows them to reconnect to the team, and after a long break, it definitely helps people feel more connected to the professional zone.
Time required: 15 minutes
Format: Both online and in-person
Summing Up
With a little bit of effort, managers can ensure that their team finds returning to the office experience as something that is more than mundane. The different activities mentioned above all work great in the physical and virtual office spaces, but make sure to tune them correctly depending on your team’s needs.
And most importantly, remember to have fun with your team, and a boost in productivity will be inevitable!
