Team-building events allow employees to work together outside of a regular office setting. These events provide a chance to collaborate on tasks that lead toward a goal. During the event, they learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses and figure out how to communicate and solve problems as a group. Ideally, the team will be able to take this newly developed teamwork into the workplace.
There are benefits to taking team-building outside of the workplace. Not only does an outdoor setting allow for more activity options, but it can also help reduce stress and give the team a break from the usual daily environment.
These events can be challenging, but they can also have a relaxed atmosphere, with food, decor, and gifts. Branded balloons and yard signs can mark the event area and double as promotional materials for your company. You could reward participation with drink coolers, branded sunglasses, or other outdoor promotional items.
Here is a closer at why the effort needed to create an outdoor team-building event is worthwhile.
More Options for Activities
The space and setting increase the number of available activities. You are not limited to tabletop games or digital activities as you would be inside an office.
For instance, your teams could engage in a scavenger hunt or geocaching challenges. You could also include activities that benefit the wider community, like cleaning up natural areas, planting trees, or building installations that people in a neighborhood could use after the event.
Outdoor spaces give you the option to have multiple activities, allowing team members to use different skills and strengths during the day.
Opportunity for More Health-Focused Activities
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlights the importance of health-focused activities in the workplace. They can increase morale, lower the number of sick days, and attract and retain employees who value employers focused on wellness.
Examples of these physician activities could include a sport or a ropes course that the team must navigate together. Even low-impact physical activities like walking or canoeing can help build a wellness-focused workplace culture.
You can take the wellness focus a step further by offering healthy foods during the event instead of the alcohol, donuts, pizzas, and other stereotypical office foods that often find their way into workplace events.
Possible Improved Ambiance
Employees may appreciate the chance to spend time outside of their usual office setting. They will have a chance to enjoy the outdoor ambiance, fresh air, and sunlight during the time of day when they are typically indoors.
There are also mental benefits to spending time outside. Natural environments can improve mood and increase the ability to focus. One study in Norway even found that regular contact with nature at work lowered the number of sick days.
While employees may appreciate a break from the office, the benefits of outdoor activities at work go beyond enjoying a pleasant natural setting.
Potential Stress Reduction
A Behavioral Sciences article points out that a “growing number of studies have shown that visiting green spaces and being exposed to natural environments can reduce psychological stress.” One such study, published in Public Health Reports, found that increased exposure to nature decreased perceived stress levels at work.
Not only do outdoor team-building activities give employees a chance to work together in a different setting, but it allows them to do so in an inherently less stressful environment. Consider asking for employee feedback to see if regular outdoor team-building exercises lower stress for your team on a more permanent basis.
Development of Connections in a Different Environment
Team members may be able to develop connections better in an unfamiliar setting. A McKinsey and Company article about adventure-based team-building found that people were able to connect on a deeper level when away from stresses, deadlines, and the politics of the office. Participants were able to learn to react to one another instead of resorting to the usual roles, behaviors, and dynamics of the workplace.
According to the McKinsey piece, some groups learned to cut out unnecessary activities and increase productivity. As one participant put it, “The conversations we just had in that field lasted about 45 minutes, but they would have taken over 30 hours of meetings.”
Outdoor environments also provide different settings where people who struggle or take a passive role in the office may thrive. Others may see skills they didn’t know about and gain more trust in co-workers.
Reduction of Burnout
Burnout is a major problem in today’s workplaces. Anecdotal evidence suggests outdoor activities and contact with nature can combat work-related stress and fatigue. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that spending time outdoors could help rehabilitate people suffering from burnout.
The study also found that relationship-building and experiential learning, two features commonly found in team-building activities, also assisted with post-burnout rehab.
More Space for Team Members and Other Invitees
On a practical level, outdoor events provide more space for attendees. In a park or nature preserve, you do not have to worry about capacity or other issues that often limit indoor events.
The increased use of space could even allow you to invite other teams, family members, or outside groups to participate in the team-building program. This could bring additional benefits, such as sharing costs and planning duties for the event.
Opportunities for Adventure
As the McKinsey article illustrated, shared challenges in a natural setting can help create new dynamics in a team. Participants may grow personally during the experience and come away with memories they would otherwise not have had.
Adventure also makes it easy to define necessities and select those best equipped for specific tasks. In many adventure experiences, participants have to rely on each other instead of the usual array of software and applications available to them in the office. This creates a completely different dynamic that still requires collaboration and teamwork.
Outdoor team-building events bring mental and physical health benefits and allow employees to learn to collaborate and communicate outside of the usual workplace setting. These outside activities are a worthwhile addition to your company’s team-building plans.