team building group activities

Empowered employees are the key differentiator for business owners seeking strategies to make their business increasingly lucrative and profitable. But how can you keep your employees motivated?

Novalease CEO Hayes Thomas suggests group activities such as corporate team building for the workplace to maximise your team’s performance. According to him, “Fun team building activities are an effective approach to help your employees to collaborate and perform at their best. Unfortunately, many organisations ignore great bonding activities given the cost or time commitment. However, the most successful organisations appreciate the value of it and love the long benefits.”

Any company or organisation will thrive if they value their employees and encourage competence development and teamwork. Towards that end, here are some of the advantages of team building group activities for the workplace and how they can maximise teams’ performance.

Improves Physical Health

Giving your employees a day off when they are not seated at a computer all day is a superb method to encourage them to improve their physical wellbeing. Team building group activities on offer in Melbourne are much more vigorous than sending emails and answering calls all day!

Businesses cannot operate if employees miss days due to illness, so encouraging good physical health through team building is crucial.

Improves Mental Health

Problem-solving activities and recreational activities are both beneficial to people’s mental wellbeing. You will earn a marked improvement in self-esteem and confidence by showing that you are responsible and accountable for accomplishing tasks.

Getting out and participating in fun team building group activities is also an excellent way to clear one’s mind and feel much happier, both of which positively affect one’s mental health.

Outdoor team building group activities are also helpful in relieving stress and anxiety, which will help employees perform best at work.

Help In Putting Together The Right Team

Getting the best employees is the first step in forming a successful team. Competent teammates perform well in groups, are adaptable to the work styles of others, and know how to collaborate successfully. In addition, team building activities encourage employees to be competent in their jobs and have no professional or personal disputes with other teammates, reducing productivity. It’s also good to note that a work atmosphere where colleagues are friendly has the power to maximise work performance.

Provides Positive Reinforcement 

Employee recognition may also be presented through different group team building activities for the workplaces. You can do this by playing games and recognising the teams’ efforts and the behaviours that have led to them getting the recognition. On top of that, you may convey a positive message to participants about your corporate values or even how they contribute to the company’s success.

Encourage Better Communication

group activities boost collaboration

Improved communication among workers is perhaps an essential advantage of a well-planned team building activity. Through group activities, employees may get to know one another better, get a deeper understanding of their coworkers, and break down barriers of distrust. In such a way, better communication is achieved by actively encouraging them to concentrate on what they have in common instead of their differences with enjoyable, exciting activities.

Aid in Delivering Appropriate Guidance

A workgroup must receive sound project guidance from its superiors to be successful and maximise performance. Managers and supervisors can practise and implement such skills through different team building group activities in the workplace. For example, a skilled manager provides precise instructions on team tasks, including objectives, metrics, and deadlines. Likewise, a team leader may choose to give specific tasks to particular team members to win a team-building game. Again, of course, taking into account the team members’ specific capabilities and performance.

Bucks Up Productivity Improvements

Employee engagement in fun group activities improves communication and teamwork, which has a favourable impact on production. Moreover, collaborating on a shared purpose reduces duplication of effort, reduces friction and pushback, and enhances employee productivity.

This is among the most sought-after objectives of companies why they invest in team-building activities.

Boost Employees’ Morale

Improved workplace morale is also one of the foremost advantages of group team building activities for the workplace. A motivated and upbeat staff that feels cared for will spread that vibe across the company, making it a pleasant and enjoyable workplace.

Morale-boosting team activities and games may help workers break through barriers and provide supervisors with ideas on developing and maintaining a positive work environment.

Accelerates Workflow

Within a company, cohesion is a crucial result of collaboration. Thus, challenging tasks as a group, enhanced chemistry, and trust all result in improved cohesiveness. Also, employee engagement in fun group activities and those who work together are less likely to act aggressively and more receptive to one another’s views. Thus teamwork achieved through consistent fun team building activities may considerably boost a company’s workflow speed by fostering cohesiveness.

Encourage Learning From Team Members

Employees learn from each other when they interact as a team inside a company. This knowledge isn’t restricted to colleagues’ personal experiences; colleagues from various departments may share information about their departments’ constraints and opportunities. For instance, if the marketing team makes unreasonable demands involving unrealistic expectations towards one another consistently, the marketing people may recognise why its expectations are unreasonable with teamwork.

Drives Motivation

Participating in anything new and exciting, such as team building activities in Melbourne, boosts employee motivation since they know they are valued and rewarded accordingly.

This boost in motivation should enable boost production, morale, and trust in one another’s abilities.

Leadership Qualities Identified And Intensified

group activities boost leadership qualities

Executives and managers can discover leaders in the workplace when participating in team building group activities. Leaders take charge of problem-solving assigned tasks effectively and support other teammates.

Leaders can communicate well with everyone else and discover opportunities to obtain the proper answers while playing a team game like the “Blindfold Shape Game.”

Ensures Individual Accountability

An approach in which every person is held personally responsible for the group is just one of the finest strategies to boost work performance. Establishing an internal system of laws, just like in team building activities, will guarantee that everyone in the team is doing their part, contributing evenly to the task, and meeting all timelines.

Furthermore, employee engagement in fun group activities will help reduce under-contribution and inability to finish tasks on time, which may impair the whole team’s work performance.

Two Together Beats One

Indeed, when two individuals work on the same task, the project receives more labour hours. As a result, it costs more than if just one man works on it. Such virtues and skills are what’s honed when employees participate in team building group activities. 

However, experts have shown that each individual’s performance rises compared to when they started working alone in such situations. In essence, the performance of the less productive worker rose by 10% on average when working with someone or in a group.

Creativity Is Encouraged

Team building activities in Melbourne, such as Urban Quest, urge employees to think and be creative through a “Creative Challenge” activity. In this activity, teams are presented with a series of imaginative and artistic challenges that require them to think outside the box and express their creativity. Supporting your employees to be imaginative and creative can impact a company because employees will feel comfortable thinking creatively and solving challenges.

Innovative ideas may keep a business ahead of the competition and offer endless possibilities.

Increase In Employees’ Confidence Levels

Fun team building activities can boost employees’ self-confidence and confidence in their coworkers’ abilities. Increased confidence from employee engagement in fun group activities will give them the intrinsic courage to share innovative thoughts and rely on other team members to achieve job duties that are vital for a business to succeed.

Amplifies Sense Of Responsibility 

Employee engagement in fun group activities amplifies a sense of responsibility. That is because every member or participant must play a part in a team building game, or else they’re pulling the team down. Thus, team games amplify everyone’s responsibilities, which should hopefully translate to the workplace.

Open Doors For Trust

It is understanding your coworkers on a more personal level that aids in establishing trust. This is a significant advantage of fun team building activities because employees will learn about each other’s strengths and interests, resulting in improved task collaboration and higher performance.

Chirks Up Respect

Employees gain more respect when working together on problem-solving activities and fun team building activities. They can see that their teammates are always there to support them and that they can also rely on the skills and qualities that each other possesses.

Lots Of Fun!

fun group activities melbourne

Creating an enjoyable atmosphere among coworkers and teammates can benefit employees in various ways, from reducing employee turnover and sick leave to increasing efficiency and performance. Team building is a great deal of fun, and it’s an incredible opportunity for employees to see a different side of their coworkers than they would see at work.

However, team building group activities are more than just a fun day out of the office – they’re an essential aspect of the business and are effective strategies to motivate your employees.

More Ways to Improve Team Performance With The Help Of Urban Quest

A team’s performance and productivity are like making a cake; the right ingredients (team members) must be gathered and combined. A well-mixed batter of varied components is required to empower your employees to perform at their best.

Ultimately, there is no one best strategy to empower your people to become more productive; however, you may set the basis for a productive atmosphere by doing things in a fun and creative way. Likewise, you’ll see a significant increase in performance if you provide constant support and constructive feedback and engage your staff with exciting yet valuable activities. 

Urban Quest, as the champions in team building group activities in Melbourne, helped companies and organisations become happier, more collaborative, and highly productive workplaces through team building activities. So, don’t waste time and take advantage of the benefits you’ll gain from group activities. Talk to our representative, and let’s plan your next team building session. 

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  • Previous Post

    Team Building
    June 15, 2021

    Bringing The Workforce Back To CBD: How To Spread Positivity With Team Building Activities

    About over a year ago, COVID-19 constrained many businesses to allow work-from-home employees. Now with COVID cases declining and vaccination rates on the rise, the possibility of going back to old office regimens appears to be more realistic.

    Given the situation, the City of Melbourne is increasing its commitment to having employees return to work safely as a significant leap in supporting businesses.

    According to Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Melbourne City employs 1602 people. So their physical move back to work will become a vote of confidence for the city's economy.

    The Lord Mayor says, "The City of Melbourne is ready to return 100% of our working population to on-site work whenever it's reasonably safe to do so. Nevertheless, while health and wellbeing will always come first, we want to send a message to our central business district business owners that we recognise the importance of city workers in keeping our heads above water."

    Rapid Biz CEO Audrey Bergen takes the Lord Mayor's announcement as a silver lining. She seconded the motion saying, "We've looked into a variety of options to help our employees feel more secure when they come back to work. For example, we searched for team building activities in Melbourne to help with our employee's physical and mental health. Also, in open workspaces, we installed partitions, and directional signs were placed on the floor to regulate traffic. In addition, our air filtration systems are upgraded, and sanitisation facilities with hands-free sanitisers to maintain cleanliness and sanitary conditions are in place."

    Under these circumstances, plus the uncertainties facing employees, the challenge is high for employers to spread positivity, incorporate fun team building activities for the workplace, and encourage and support their staff as they report back to the office. 

    If you're like a cat on hot bricks wondering how to do that, be at peace, for Urban Quest will show you how. The key is engaging, positivity-filled, safe, and, more importantly, fun workplace team building activities.

    But Why Workplace Team Building Activities?

    According to the State of the Australian Workplace report, businesses with highly engaged employees are more successful. In essence, the upper 25% of successful companies around Australia have substantially higher production efficiency, profitability, client satisfaction ratings, and lower employee absenteeism and turnover. 

    Yet, how will you boost employee engagement if 70% of the Australian workforce says they're feeling "actively disengaged"?

    Worthwhile activities for team building in Melbourne provide opportunities for your employees to be engaged, optimistic, and trust each other. In addition, it can remove the cold air and foster strong bonds between employees.

    Besides, the State of the Australian Workplace report further emphasised that having a supportive colleague at work increases engagement by 50%. On top of that, someone with best friends as workmates is seven times extra engaged in what they're doing.

    Furthermore, suitable office group activities can also help:

    • Improve your employees' communication skills.
    • Encourage collaboration.
    • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your team.
    • Boost employees creativity
    • Instil trust and a sense of belongingness in your employees.

    We've compiled some of the best and most effective DIY team building activities you can try to spread positivity and encourage and support your employees as they get back to the office post-COVID.

    If DIYing is not your thing then reach out to us to learn about how Urban Quest can assist and run one of its established experiences for your team.

    DIY Team Building Activities And Game Ideas For Work

    Office Makeover

    Since the office has been left empty for quite a long time. Why not let your employees give their workspace a make-over but with a team-building spirit?  Allow team members to work on the office makeover in groups. Ask each team to think about how they'll accomplish the project, but don't expect everyone to spend a lot of money. Remind them to maintain a budget-friendly office revamp. Team members should include small items such as greenery, wall art, photographs, or anything creative and positive. The group with the most innovative, work-conducive, and safe workspace will be declared the winner.  

    Office Makeover played as team building games is very much about collaboration and creative thinking. The team became optimistic, more decisive, and motivated as a result of this activity. Plus, the staff will ideally adapt to the workplace environment and have a more positive vibe.

    Office Trivia Game

    Interesting trivia games aren't limited to students at school.  These fun team-building activities and game ideas for work will put your team's workplace knowledge into action and help to clear the fog for employees when they get back to the office. 

    Start by making a list of workplace trivia questions and see which group gets the most answers correct. Next, try typing the questions into a document but leave an area blank for the participants to fill. It would also be fun if you also push a live quiz in which you read the specific question aloud, and the one who gives the correct answer earns the point. The game is won by the group (or employee) that makes the most points.

    This team building activity improves problem-solving skills, and understanding of your company's culture, and is just downright fun!

    Blind Drawing

    Blind drawing involves two players sitting back to back. One player is given the word or an image on a piece of paper described to the other player. The other player has no idea what the word or image is but will draw the word or image based on the other player's description. The team with the best guesswork will be hailed the winner.

    The goal of blind drawing is to assess how well two people can communicate, interact, imagine, and encourage innovation.

    Scavenger Hunt

    Take your team on a Scavenger Hunt, if possible, at a nearby location such as a park, zoo, or theme park. Provide each group with clues that will eventually lead them to the reward at the end. Scavenger hunts as team building activities and game ideas for work will help you lift everyone's spirits and find more intelligent use of the available time. In addition, it will encourage the participants to get to know one another and have a great time together!

    The goal of a Scavenger Hunt will be to assess your team's problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

    Or better yet hire professionals to do that for your team.

    Barter Puzzle

    Jigsaw puzzles aren't just about entertainment; they also help with problem-solving, alertness, and brainpower. By completing the jigsaw barter puzzle, your employees will be allowed to make intelligent decisions and learn to work together.

    Splitting your team into equal-sized groups is the first step. Each team then receives a unique jigsaw puzzle of comparable difficulty. The extra twist is that some of the puzzle pieces are in the pile of another team's puzzle set.

    Each team's goal is to finish their puzzle before any of the other teams. Moreover, they must persuade the other teams to surrender the missing bits through barter, deal-making, group member exchanges, or donating time to another team.

    Because teamwork is required to complete the task, the barter puzzle encourages discussion and engagement. Furthermore, team building games such as the barter puzzle bring out your employees' best negotiators and strategists. 

    Category Line up

    To get started with one of the best team building games, participants in each team will line up and arrange themselves according to the category given. For example, on birthdays, considering their birth months, members will line up according to whose birthday comes first, then so on and so forth. 

    The twist is that the members of the team should not talk with one another. That means they'll have to figure out each other's birthdays using sign language. Think about fun categories to spice up the activity. Doing this team-building activity will aid in problem-solving, interactions, and teamwork.

    Mannequin Challenge

    If you want something that exudes positivity, the mannequin challenge fits very well into the list of fun team building activities for the workplace. It allows you to include everyone and be creative. 

    Start the challenge by forming groups of 6-7 people. Then, invite each team to create a Mannequin-styled clip telling a story and publishing it on your business's social media sites using the hashtags #Freezeit. or #Mannequinchallenge. The entries that count the most engagements on social media win the contest.

    The significant goals of these team building games, such as the Mannequin challenge, are encouraging positive vibes,  communication, creativity, and team spirit.

    Karaoke

    Did you happen to know that singing is perhaps the best team-building activity available? Karaoke, when done as one fun office group activity allows employees to bond more quickly and more effectively than traditional ice-breakers. So, let your hair down and show the world who you are— a Rock And roll fan!

    To sprite up these fun office group activities, your team should go to a karaoke bar or use karaoke apps to sing in the office. Though there are no hard and fast rules for karaoke, it's highly recommended to choose songs that challenge all age groups. Also, though you should showcase your abilities, try not to brag too much.

    This fun team building activity makes it possible for coworkers to understand and bond with one another.

    Murder Mystery Dinner Party

    A typical murder mystery game starts with one of the guests secretly playing a murderer, and the other guests must figure out who is the perpetrator.

    Have your employees dress up in theme and prepare a dish for the mystery dinner party venue (which could be the company's office).

    Following the directions on your preferred murder mystery scenario,  name tags, waypoints, and suspect case files will be distributed. Allow the staff to collaborate to figure out who the whodunnit criminal is.

    These utterly immersive office group activities improve critical thinking abilities, foster teamwork, and are fun.

    Video Game Tournament

    if you believe video games are only there for fun., I hate to tell you, but you got it wrong. Video games as workplace team building activities are demonstrated to enhance cognitive function, concentration, and efficiency. Even if you aren't a gamer, you can listen to the games' soundtracks, which have been shown to stimulate the brain and keep people fired up at work.

    To get started, get a video game system for the office to show that you're into gaming. Then, make your video game selection, keeping the focus on tasks that require player collaboration, such as Halo,  Just Dance, or Rock Band, for an additional physical exercise bonus.

    Next, try implementing a weekly video gaming break or arranging a video gaming contest after office hours.

    When treated as workplace team building activities, video games have been shown to improve employee morale in adults because they are engaging and stimulating.

    Photo Finish

    Use chalk, sticky tape, or rope to draw a finish line. Group your employees into teams and for the photo finish, have each team arrive at the finish line. They'll plan out what would be the perfect pose to showcase the most picturesque finish line photo.  The challenge will need team members to work together for this activity to be a positive experience.

    Photo finish is one example of pretty good workplace team building activities for improving team planning, collaboration, and positive team spirit.

    The Ultimate Egg Drop

    Another one at the top of the list of team building activities and game ideas for work is The Ultimate Egg Drop. Start playing the game by giving each team raw eggs and a stack of office supplies. Allow each group around 15-30 minutes to use the materials provided to create a contraption that would hold the egg from crashing or breaking. 

    Do you need some supply suggestions? Tape, marker pens, straws, disposable cups, packing material, papers, paper clips, and other items come to mind. When the timer goes off, have the teams drop their egg contraptions off from a height to see which one survives. Workplace team building activities such as The Ultimate Egg Drop's goal is to understand the importance of effective collaboration.

    Follow The Leader

    These are the kind of fun team building activities for the workplace that requires your complete team to function as one. The game works by following a hidden leader who will make basic gestures for the whole group to imitate. Of course, someone else, the guesser, will have to figure out who the hidden leader is.

    The guesser is picked from the group and leaves the scene for a short time. The gang chooses a leader when the guesser is away. This individual will create moves that the followers will imitate  (pat their head, sway their hips, pinch their nose, etc.). Once the guesser returns to the room, he or she will observe the group's actions to determine who the leader is.

    Follow the Leader as one of the fun team building activities for the workplace improves nonverbal communication, collaboration, trust, team cohesiveness, and leadership.

    Fun Team Building Activities To Kick-Start Your Back To Office Day With A Bang

    Mind-blowing fact: The more engaged your staff are, the more successful your business will be.

    Positivity is effective because it improves overall coping skills and strengthens resilience. Sure, there are days when encouraging positivism and a positive outlook seem unattainable, but understand that you can recognise the good in every circumstance. For example, spreading positivity through fun team building activities for the workplace will boost your thinking and help others develop theirs. Remember, employees who are happy and always positive are more creative, imaginative, and devoted than disenchanted. They're also expected to stay around in the long run

    Urban Quest made it a mission to help companies, businesses, and organisations create the happiest and most positive working environment possible for you and your team to flourish in.

    We believe you can improve your team's optimism, engagement, and happiness with a bit of love and a little elbow grease. So contact us, and let's bounce back together. Better days are coming. 

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    July 27, 2021

    Educational & Fun Secondary School Excursions In Melbourne

    In Melbourne, a city brimming with opportunities, there are fantastic options for secondary school excursions that not only engage students but also foster teamwork and experiential learning.
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