Many years ago, for many companies and businesses their idea of teambuilding was restricted to a pot of tea in the office kitchen. Or if you were lucky and part of a "new-age" office perhaps organising a Secret Santa when the festive period rolled around once a year.
It's all very different now though and with the ethos and environment of a workplace becoming just as high-profile and just as important as the actual sales figures themselves - team building has never been so important. Put it this way - if your employees get along outside of the office walls and have a strong team-relationships, you'll probably find these positive relationships encourage better work in the office and better results in work stuff too.
But, yes - it takes a bit of imagination to organise something truly interesting and exciting. After all - you don't want your employees to see the team building as a chore and as something they can back out of. You want it to be something they're excited about and excited to participate in.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
-Organise a treasure hunt in London.
The excitement of visiting the big smoke will be enough to get your team excited about this team building exercise - but if you're already based in London they treasure hunt side should be another ploy to get them excited too. The company Hunt the Goose, do corporate treasure hunts and are masters in this and they'll organise everything for you - so all you need to do is turn up and enjoy the fun. They even have different types of treasure hunts - such as their vintage bus treasure hunt - perfect for getting into the London frame of mind!
-Go wine tasting.
Wine tasting is something that's sure to get your employees happy - and perhaps a little tipsy. You could book a coach to take you all up to the designated destination (there are some absolutely beautiful vineyards in the UK - so you won't be short of inspiration) and then you can all enjoy the experience without worrying about designated drivers and units.
-Host a sports day.
If you have an office big enough - why not organise something like an office sports day? You can be as inventive as you like with this! Instead of 100m sprint - have an office chair race across the room. Team up different departments together and watch new friendships form and the overall office atmosphere improve. Make sure you've got prizes too - everyone loves prizes (even if they're just silly ones).
-Go Paintballing!
If you want to really push the boat out on the madness - then get everyone together for a paintballing session. There are loads of great companies around the major cities offering paintball teambuilding days - and most are reasonably priced. Whilst paintballing is hugely fun and full of laughter, it's always best to make sure people are comfortable with it though - as it can be painful, especially the next day when you wake up with bruises!
-Organise an "office quiz"
We've all been to pub quiz's - so why not bring the fun into your office too? Assign someone the job of host (it's their job to write the quiz) and them get them to create a great quiz based on members of the office, office trivia, general knowledge... whatever takes your fancy. A bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone and this is a sure fire way to get people laughing and enjoying themselves.