A new lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson will shut England down until at least Dec. 2. That means your favorite non-essential indoor activities will be banned for the time being, including your favorite restaurant or pub.
For many, the lockdown also means an extended time away from colleagues and the typical work-from-office employment arrangement.
Without in-person communication, team building activities have been forced online in virtual video conferences. Bosses and human resource managers have had to be innovative when planning team building activities not happening in the flesh.
It can result in lower-than-average engagement and a variety of distractions in headsets and on monitors.
When life goes back to normal, and offices are back into full swing, these team building activities are sure to delight:
Escape room
Few things tell you more about your team or bring your team together like an escape room. With a mix of fun but challenging obstacles, and the adrenaline rush to beat the clock, your team will find out a lot about each other during an escape room adventure. That’s for sure.
Your team will need to effectively communicate and put their heads together to find clues, solve puzzles, and ultimately complete the mission at hand in 60 minutes or less. Themes include murder mysteries, spy operative missions, scary government medical research laboratories, and much more!
Bring the whole department or small team and enjoy your night out on the town – together.
Brewery tour
Are you feeling risky? Take a brewery tour with the team and watch as tongues loosen up.
You’ll get to see who can handle their beer, find out who the best dancer is, and even learn what your colleagues or employees think of you.
Head to the big city and create your own map of breweries, or sign up for a guided tour that often gives its customers deals on beer.
After this lockdown, you and your team will deserve a night out on the town.
Pro tip: Make sure you alternate beers with water or a snack to make it until the end of the night.
Football match
Remember football?
The best sport in the world with a history dating so far back even our grandparents are fans? Me too.
It’s always fun to see which squad employees or colleagues will root for. Outside of the office, the jokes and competitiveness can shine through, allowing your team to see a more personal side of each other.
Team-building activities like going to a football match will make a great story to tell for years. It will bring the team closer together, no matter which side of the pitch you’re rooting for.
Night in the forest
Find a beautiful nature reserve or an outdoor recreational area close to your office and book a cabin or a house for a night or weekend. The chances are that the place will be quite big if it can fit your entire team, adding to the intrigue.
Bring some drinks, a few board games, some cards, and take a hike through nature with your colleagues.
It’s incredible how much you can find out about one another when you spend a night out in nature. Who will take the lead on organization, bedroom selection, and activities? Who is content just chilling playing Scrabble? And how do those insights affect the team?
An office slumber party can increase tolerance amongst one another, build camaraderie, and bolster a passion for positive interoffice professional relationships.
Scavenger hunt
Some people are better at giving instructions than other people, and some people are better at getting instructions than other people. A scavenger hunt will show you both relatively quickly.
To succeed at a scavenger hunt, the quality and quantity of communication must be spot on. If it’s not, your team will certainly not find the prize first.
A team-building scavenger hunt works to bring every person on the team into the equation while a select few delegate tasks in order to use time efficiently.
Scavenger hunts can help boost communication throughout your organization, from emails to in-person meetings.
Paintballing
Feel like there are passive-aggressive tendencies in the office? Maybe there are grievances within departments or between managers and employees?
There’s nothing passive-aggressive about shooting someone with a paintball gun from close range.
Paintballing allows an adrenaline-laced activity to take center stage. Some team members can show off their athleticism while others can use their cunning and wit to play the tactician’s role. Paintballing can show the team who likes to take charge, who is reckless, and who is a silent assassin.
It’s also a great way to let off a little steam.
Let the office clerks, secretaries, or entry-level employees pick the teams. Put on your helmet and maybe an extra layer for padding, and let the paintball war begin!
Board game tournament
Turn off the phones and enjoy a country’s pastime.
Whether you’re playing Chess, Guess Who, Battleship, Monopoly, or Scrabble, a board game tournament is a great way to bolster non-work conversation while getting a different part of your brain working.
Make different tournament brackets for each game before you get started and dole out prizes to the winners. This enhances competition and brings the team closer together. And it’s fun!
Two truths and a lie
This game can be played virtually or in-person, but it’s better in real life because you can look in the person’s eye when they tell a lie.
The object is to make three statements, two that are true and one that is not.
You can often tell when someone is lying based on the way they talk. Some people have apparent tells, which makes the game a bit easier.
Two truths and a lie allows you to find out what is important to certain people within your company or department.
It’s great for getting to know people deeper than their job titles.
