Fun Things to Do in the Summer With Co-Workers for Team Building

Summer activities let you show employees that you're on their side.

Teamwork plays a key role in an organization, regardless of size or industry. As an employer, it's in your best interest to improve and encourage teamwork among your employees. The summer presents a variety of opportunities for co-workers to meet and hone their teamwork skills in a relaxed, friendly environment. Not only does this help with efficiency, but you can also gain a greater understanding about your workplace's group dynamic.

Cooking

The warm summer weather offers an opportunity for outdoor eating events. Arrange a basic potluck, with employee responsible for a certain meal item. Some of these categories can include side dishes, salads, desserts and main courses. Add an element of unpredictability and assign these tasks at random. In turn, employees collaborate to create a vast meal for everyone to remember. If you wish to include more of a challenge, arrange the group into two teams. Have each team elect a head chef who must then guide her group to create a simple feast with a provided set of ingredients and a barbecue.

Sports

Warm weather creates an opportunity for outdoor sports. These sports can range from conventional team activities to unorthodox competitions. Arrange sports matches, such as soccer, baseball or basketball. If you wish to opt for something less conventional, set up a gaming event consisting of activities such as sack races, team relays, wheelbarrow races or scavenger hunts.

Outdoor Adventures

If your employees have some extra time, arranging a long summer outing can help them get to know and trust each other. Camping, for example, requires your employees to live together and collaborate as a team to handle various duties, such as cooking, cleaning and setting up tents. You can also add activities such as whitewater rafting or canoeing to your camping trip, as both of these sports require cooperation.

Communication

Communication is critical for a team-based work environment to flourish. With this in mind, create scenarios about common issues, such as conflict resolution, and ask the group to resolve them. Once completed, offer feedback to help them understand what they did right and what--if anything--needs improvement. Practice communication through simple discourse. After a day of games, eating or camping, get together and allow an open discussion. Let your employees tell you and the group about their experiences in the workplace. Allot time to answer questions and address concerns. Your employees will emerge from the event feeling valued, respected and motivated to work together.

References

• Canadian Outback: Company Picnic Ideas
• Canadian Outdback: Iron Chef Challenge Culinary Team Building
• Accolade Corporate Events: School Sports Day Team Building
• Get Outdoor Fit: Consider Corporate Team Building Activities for the Summer Months
• Canadian Outback: White Water Rafting Adventures
• Camp Magruder: Team Building