3 Reasons Why Companies Should Invest In Team Building Activities

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” — Steve Jobs

When I think back on the past decade working as an engineer turned engineering manager, I can’t help but notice the strong correlation between teams that I loved working with and teams that had a high impact on the business.

I don’t really remember the exact business metric numbers we achieved as a team, but I vividly remember all the movies we talked about at the beginning of our weekly sprint planning (we named all of our sprints after movies), and I remember every single team building activity we had and how much fun they were (escape rooms, pottery class, woodworking workshop, picnic on Angel Island, ping pong, mini-golf, boardgames + pizza night, sushi-making class, the list goes on…)

Did these great teams work so well together by chance? Maybe a little. But I would be willing to bet that our effective collaboration was a result of the effort we put in to get to know each other beyond the surface level.

Whether you are in tech or manufacturing, or your team is remote or on-site: here are the top 3 reasons why you should invest in team building activities today.

1) It will boost team engagement and productivity

High engagement and productivity is a direct result of spending time and money on team building activities. Why does it matter? In a Gallup research study of 192 organizations including nearly 1.4 million employees, companies with the highest levels of employee engagement outperformed those with low levels of engagement by a margin of 22% in profitability and 21% in productivity!

You might think that it’s a waste of time and money to invest in a teambuilding activity; after all, they can be expensive as compared to something like a normal team lunch. This is really a mistake that may not be obvious until you have a dysfunctional team and have to fix things later on — much more costly and a lot less fun.

This is especially true if your entire team is working remotely due to COVID-19. Low engagement and team morale are much more likely during these times. It is now more critical than ever to bring your team together outside of work-related remote meetings. One way you can do this is through virtual team building activities.

2) It will help you retain top talent

Highly engaged teams have 59% less turnover, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report. When people are excited about their work and excited to collaborate with their co-workers on projects, they are less likely to leave the team or the company. That is not surprising, is it? Team building activties are a great way for people to get to know each other outside of work and build personal relationships.

Instead of feeling anxious about your hiring pipeline, take a step back, and start investing in building a happier, more productive team with the people you already have.

3) It will cultivate a welcoming, open, and inclusive company culture

Nowadays many companies have — or strive for — a diverse workforce. People come from different backgrounds, different countries, different walks of life. It is not uncommon for someone new or someone with a diverse background to feel left out. Especially now, when everyone is staying home due to COVID-19, it is more important to make an effort to build an open, inclusive culture. Team building events are a powerful way to break down those barriers by engaging everyone in fun, creative, non-work-related activities.

Discover unique, high-quality team building activities on Offsyte, from ramen making classes to remote woodworking workshops, mixology, virtual magic shows, Zoom happy hour games, and many more.

Here’s a list of Amazing Virtual Team Building Activities We Love In 2022.