32 Company Outing Ideas To Strengthen The Bond Within Your Team
When was the last time you organized a team outing for your company? Was it one that encouraged everyone's participation and involvement? Did it do well to build your team and improve the company culture?
The answers to those questions may vary from company to company, but you cannot ignore the importance of greatteam building activities and outings.
You may be the CEO of a big company or an entry-level employee at a small company. Either way, you will be bored if there are no fun and creative ways to build the company culture.
Team outings are fun ways to facilitate team bonding and reduce workplace stress. They are great at encouraging employee engagement and participation. They help create a better workplace environment and a closely-knit workforce.
Many employers worldwide are organizing team outings to create greater unity and solidarity among their team members.
So, if you’re interested in reaping the benefits of company outings, here are 32 fun and creative ways to start.
1. Cooking Class
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A great way to have fun and learn at the same time is to try a cooking class. A group cooking class will be a magnificent way for interaction among your employees. New ideas will also spring up for annual parties and potluck lunches.
Who knows, you might even find a hidden master chef in one of your employees.
2. Painting Class
Trying out a group painting class will allow your employees to relax a bit and get creative. Many local artists and painting schools host classes that you can join. After the class is over, your employees will have a delightful memory and a souvenir to take home.
3. Outdoor Sports
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Outdoor sports are great team-building activities that can benefit your employees in ways more than one.
A game of football or basketball will get everyone motivated and enthusiastic. It will require your employees to be physically active and need them to work together as a team.
Create teams and them out to a local field for a game or two. You can create a tournament or play friendly matches. The losing teams get to buy lunch for everyone.
4. Scavenger Hunt
Get your team together and break them into groups, and send them out on a scavenger hunt across the city. Your employees will have a great time and get some fresh air as well.
Make it enjoyable by making the things related to your company with clues only your employees will understand. Make clues in such a way that would require your team to work together. Also, choose a prize for the winners that everyone will want, for example, paid leaves or a vacation.
5. Watching a Sports Event
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There is no better way to ignite your team's spirit than go out and watch a game of sports. There are probably many sports games being played every week around your city. Get your team together and head out to a local sports game to combine competition and companionship.
If you are low on budget, you can go watch a college or university game. Such games are mostly free to watch and are filled with enthusiastic audiences. Witnessing such passion and enthusiasm can inspire your employees to play a game of their own.
6. Karaoke
Take your team out for a night of karaoke for an ultimate fun time. You can even do it in your office if you want. SInging some karaoke is a fantastic way for your employees to break out of their daily lives and have a refreshing experience.
Give your employees lists of different genres and artists to choose from, preferably songs that everyone knows. To make the event competitive, you can give out prizes after.
7. Bowling
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Bowling is an all-time favorite team activity which is always fun. It is also a great opportunity for your employees to applaud each other’s skills or have a laugh at each other’s mistakes. While waiting for turns, your employees can have conversations with each other and build camaraderie.
Divide your employees into teams and just sit back and watch your employees have a splendid time trying to hit a perfect score.
8. Go Kart Racing
If your city has a go-kart track, take your team out for some races on it. Your team will learn something new and have fun at the same time.
Go-kart races are adrenaline-pumping events and will get everyone pumped up. They are a friendly form of competition and a great way of bonding team members together.
You can even hold a competition and give out prizes to the winners. Just make sure everyone learns and follows the safety rules.
9. Angling
Angling is a fun and rewarding activity which requires patience and determination. It brings one closer to himself and is an immensely satisfying experience.
Find a pond or lake nearby to fish and take your team there for a beautiful time. There are many resorts as well which have ponds to fish on for an hourly charge.
You can even create a competition where the employee with the biggest catch gets a paid day off or something similar.
10. Volunteering
A volunteer event is a great idea to make your next company outing a success. By volunteering, your employees will help the community and also bond with each other. It is a perfect way to create a sense of closeness in your company.
Take your team out to a homeless shelter, an orphanage, retirement home, or a children's hospital. Your employees will have a great time and use their skills to give back to the community.
Volunteering as a team is also a great team-building activity.
11. Boating/Canoeing
A great way to work together is to row a boat by paddling together in unison. Grab your team and head out to a nearby pond or lake where you can rent boats or canoes.
Encourage the employees who don’t work together to team up for the task so that they can spend some time together to get to know each other better. You can also make your teams race each other to make it more exciting and competitive.
12. Laser Tag
A fun way to get everyone amped up is a game of laser tag. It requires your employees to use logic, strategy, and teamwork skills to win. A game of laser tag is also a great team-building exercise.
You can take your team out to a resort or a park in the evening for this game. Create teams and reward the winning teams with small prizes. The losing team can go ahead and buy dinner for everyone.
13. Board Game Tournament in a Park
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Playing board games is a great team-building exercise for your employees. You can play board games in the office, but you can take your team to a park and hold a tournament there to spice things up. This way, they will get some much needed fresh air and sunshine.
You can create different teams and choose other games for every team. Games like playing cards, chess, Monopoly, and Jenga are great for competition.
Give out prizes for the top 3 winners. Also, do not forget to have snacks and drinks at hand.
14. Escape Room
A new and exciting activity that is also great for team bonding is a room escape game. Here employees will have to work together to solve riddles and puzzles to escape a room.
They are fast becoming a popular team-building exercise for groups worldwide, and it is pretty easy to find a place where they provide such games. This game requires your employees to use their logic, patience, and teamwork skills.
Make teams and reward the teams with the fastest escape times.
15. Renting a house
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Rent a house, a large one preferably, in a hill station or near a beach for a weekend out with your employees. This is a great way to relax the whole company and allow everyone to bond in a cozy and casual environment.
Everyone can play games, cook food, watch a movie, but most importantly, everyone will get to know each other better. Also, take time to reflect on the good and bad aspects of your company together.
16. Cooking Contest
This activity will draw out the creativity and competitiveness of your employees. It will require your team to work together and put their leadership skills at work.
Break up your employees into small teams and challenge each team to cook something amazing. Provide them options to pick from many food categories such as pizza, ice cream, pasta, cake, etc.
To make things even more interesting, pick an ingredient or two which all the teams must use. Or, you can choose a certain food which all teams must make.
17. BBQ at the Park
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A BBQ outdoors is a great way to get your team out for a great time.
Pick a day when the weather is pleasant, and take your team out to a park where you can cook food on your own (preferably one with BBQ grills). Let your employees grill burgers and hotdogs with the help of each other. Also, do not forget to provide vegetarian options for your vegetarian employees.
Your employees can also take part in games while the food is being prepared.
18. Developmental Workshop
Take your employees out to an off-site workshop or seminar to offer them a shared learning experience. This way, you can encourage your employees to learn something new while bond with each other at the same time.
The workshops can be about the skills your employees’ jobs require. Or, they may even be about universal skills such as leadership, negotiations, etc.
19. Amusement Park
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Find the best amusement park in your city and take your employees there for a day of unparalleled fun. Try to negotiate a discounted rate for the entire team.
Visit all the rides and attractions with your employees. Some parks even have open areas where your team can get together and play games.
Leave all the stress of work at the office and let your inner child out. It is an amusement park, after all. Have fun!
20. Arcade Games
Taking your team out for an afternoon at the arcade calls for a fun time and a great experience. You can up the fun levels by dividing your members into teams to see who can win the most times.
You can reward the winners with prizes to invoke excitement and enthusiasm. After all, no one is ever really too old to play arcade games.
21. Team Picnic
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Planning a team picnic for your company is a great way to foster and promote team building and employee engagement in a group setting.
Team picnics are an ideal way to keep a large group entertained outdoors. They are great for incorporating the entire team and including team-building activities to strengthen employee relationships.
From cooking food to dancing and singing, your employees will have an amazing time which will leave them waiting for the next team picnic.
22. Organic Farm Visit
Take your employees to the nearest organic farm for a day out filled with excitement. Your employees will be able to learn about the benefits of eating healthy organic foods. They might even build a hobby of planting and cultivation.
Such a visit will help educate your employees about an eco-friendly lifestyle and make them aware of the harmful effects of pesticides. It will bring them close to nature.
23. Paintball Tournament
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Paintball is one of the best games to engage your employees as it requires teamwork and leadership skills. It unveils the character of each employee and creates more possibilities for collaboration among them.
Find out a place where you can play paintball and take your team there. You can create a tournament where the winners are rewarded with prizes.
Make sure that everyone is wearing their safety gear.
24. Visiting a Museum
Get your team together and them out for a good, old-fashioned trip to a museum where they can explore art, historical artifacts, and antiquities. They will indeed have fun while learning a little history at the same time.
Head out to a local museum and take a guided tour of its premises. Many museums also provide activities for large groups, such as art classes that your employees can participate in.
Also, do not forget to visit the gift shop to buy souvenirs to take back home.
25. Going out for Lunch
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This is probably the most obvious option on this list.
Take your team out for lunch at the most happening places in your city. If done right, such an outing can greatly benefit your employees and help them build relationships with each other.
You can take your employees out for lunch once every month or maybe on special occasions. Just remember to not force it upon them or make it boring.
26. Trekking
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Take a short break from city life and go out to the mountains on a pleasant day with your team to get some fresh air. The idea of trekking in the hills will get your employees enthusiastic and excited.
Trekking across challenging paths with your employees will bring out the leadership skills and create opportunities for cooperation among them. Moreover, the clear skies and the beauty of nature will create a memorable experience for everyone, bringing everyone closer.
27. Watching A Movie
Though this will not strengthen the team, watching a movie at the theater is a fun way to spend some time together with your employees and relax.
Take your employees to watch the latest blockbuster, one which everyone is interested in.
Book the seats in the top rows if you have a small company. or go ahead and book the entire theater if you have a large company.
And don't forget, buy popcorn for everyone.
28. Camping
Photo by Tegan Mierle / Unsplash
Find a place where you can camp a night or two and take your team there. Camping brings everyone closer, and it is a great team-building activity.
At night, assemble around a bonfire while having dinner and sharing stories. Toast marshmallows, tell horror stories, or sing familiar songs together with the group. Pitch tents together with each other's cooperation.
After the experience is over, everyone will have fond memories, and spending such quality time will help break many boundaries in the workplace.
29. Taking a Self Defense Class
Find an academy that provides self-defense classes, and enroll your team for one. Your employees will be able to learn how to defend themselves and also have a lot of fun.
Self-defense techniques teach discipline and are great ways to combat stress.
There are many techniques to choose from, and there are many gyms and academies which teach them.
30. Rock Climbing
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Rock climbing requires you to reach the top or a certain height of a wall or a mountain. It is pretty tricky and requires good physical conditioning, but still, anyone can give it a go just for fun.
Don't worry about safety, as the instructor will provide you a safety jacket with a rope tied to it controlled by the authorities. It is an excellent opportunity to build self-confidence and trust in each other as everyone will be cheering for the climbing employee.
There are many places where you can go rock climbing under the supervision of professionals. Just call one up and book a day for your team and have a great time.
31. Ping Pong Tournament
Ping pong is a great way to pass the time while having fun. It requires fast reflexes and excellent hand-eye coordination.
Take your team out to a public indoor stadium where you can play ping pong. Divide your employees into groups of two and create competitions with prizes for the winners.
Your employees will have a great time, and if they like it enough, you can even buy a table for your workplace.
32. Happy Hours
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Take your employees out for a happy hour. A happy hour is excellent at fostering more meaningful relationships among your employees. It allows them to unwind, relax from all the stressors at work and share a laugh or two.
A happy hour is a great team-building activity, and it will do wonders to increase team bonding. Just do not forget to encourage moderation.
So, plan an outing for your company using one of these ideas to relieve some stress and have a great time.
Besides working as a content marketer at Vantage Circle, Shah Alif Ahmed is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist, competitive bodybuilder and a musician. For any queries reach out to editor@vantagecircle.com
