Why Corporate Team Building Activities Really Do Matter

by James Waite Digital Marketing Executive

Corporate team building activities can help prevent problems with employee turnover, not to mention low efficiency scores. Workers need creative challenges and they need to trust the people they work with, from their co-workers to management. Outsourcing this need to a team building company may be a wise option.

It is about time companies realise team building is actually a necessary part of company’s growth and employee retention. Whereas companies with poor employee morale tend to manifest problems in efficiency, companies where employees are happy and enjoy trust and positive camaraderie, perform better.

Corporate team building activities do provide enjoyment and a sense of belonging to the team but that’s the secondary and long-term benefit. Even in the short-term we see enhanced communication skills, superior group dynamics, and even a bond facilitated between management and employees that promote employee retention.

Enhanced productivity and motivation are the rewards of deliberate team building strategy. It’s easy to see that in offices where there is no influx of fun interaction, personal barriers develop. The dynamics is instead based on fear and political minded pettiness. Employees that want to reach out may be viewed as ambitious. Management may be viewed as cold or insensitive to the needs of workers. Distractions are bound to happen because there is no internal joy that comes from doing the work.

What if the Company Involves a “Boring Product"?

In theory there is no such thing as a boring product—only boring people and poor marketing! The challenge would be for management, the leadership of the company both local and executive, to develop a protocol that would make company culture appear fun and interesting, as well as give the workers a reason to feel genuine enthusiasm. Even if the product and the services they perform is routine, they can be taught to look forward to team building experiences.

Team building identifies the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and could actually serve as a very subtle form of employee evaluation. Without the intense pressure of an “inspection", workers can be themselves and showcase their own personalities, which can be studied for potential growth.

Corporate team building activities can tap into the hidden potential of each individual employee, indicating future growth, as well as areas for improvement. Future managers and team leaders can be first discovered here; it’s not their daily interactions that matter, but the way they handle interpersonal relationships. A company that fails to produce an excited and motivated team is simply not doing the planning and is facing a future risk of employee burn out, sooner or later.

Developing the “Right" Ideas

Developing new ideas depends partly on the industry one is in as well as specifics of the team itself. However, other corporations have found it efficient to outsource these needs to team building companies that specialise in developing experiences for workers and management. They not only come up with ideas but also create full programs with specific goals and custom activities for large corporate teams. These tasks are created with the intent to motivate people to work together and discover their talents individually and as a whole.

The truth is that in the corporate world, employee turnover is at an all time high because many workers feel unsatisfied in their individual roles, as well as unmotivated and unappreciated. It’s time for companies to aggressively tackle the problem by hiring professionals to intervene.