Many people dream of becoming entrepreneurs, and often the biggest...
Letting technology do the heavy lifting for certain monotonous tasks...
Financial reporting often appears to be a routine...
Financial operations encompass the systems and processes that...
November 5, 2018
For many employees, just hearing the words, “team building” and “ice breaker,” are enough to send them on an extended vacation.
While they understand your intentions, traditional team building activities can be a source of stress for some of your employees.
Yet, team building activities are good for your staff and your company, so how do you encourage happy participation?
Let’s look at five team building activities for startups that are exciting, fun, and less emotionally painful for your team members.
One of the best and most fulfilling team building activities is to volunteer together. It’s a great bonding experience, and time your employees will appreciate.
The United Health Group found that volunteering together makes employees feel better emotionally and physically.
Make volunteering as a team an out of the office outing. For example, some teams have volunteered working at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food banks, wrapping gifts for children in need, delivering school supplies or taken part in a Habitat for Humanity project.
By working together, you provide your staff an opportunity to do something meaningful with co-workers outside of the typical daily routine.
You can always let your team decide as a group on the type of volunteer activity. Take suggestions and let everyone vote. This helps you see what causes your team cares about.
Try to do this at least once or twice a year.
Another offsite team building activity is the field trip.
You’ll find that with this type of experience, your team is free to interact, mingle and bond in unique ways, all while getting out of the office.
Here are some field trip ideas:
Another fun team building activity, especially if your startup team is active and outdoorsy is to hold a scavenger hunt.
This can be a fun and out-of-the-box idea for your employees.
Consider a traditional scavenger hunt complete with clues for the items to find. Or, take it a step further and hide your items using geocaching.
Either way, your staff will enjoy the slightly wild nature of the scavenger hunt. When you’re done, meet for pizza.
For those times when you don’t have a large block of time to spare, try playing a game during the lunch break.
Get everyone together, provide lunch, and play the office trivia game. Have prizes on hand for your winners. Check out these ideas:
Get creative and come up with some great questions, and you’ll soon have a break room full of laughing employees.
Take a cue from your younger self. Consider having a fun day at work where you break up the normal routine.
Here are a few ideas:
These activities are relatively inexpensive and foster bonding.
It’s integral to your team building success to find the right activities so you don’t cause your staff undue anxiety.
These five team building activities for startups are low pressure, low anxiety events, and your staff will enjoy getting out of the office.
You’ll find these activities energize your team and give them a morale boost, so they come back to work more productive than before.
Escalon has helped thousands of startups alleviate the burden and bring in lasting value with our back-office solutions for HR, payroll, insurance, accounting and recruiting. Talk to an expert today.
Our team is made up of seasoned professionals who bring years of industry experience to the table. You gain a trusted advisor who understands your business inside out.
Say goodbye to the hassles of hiring, training and managing in-house finance teams. You will never have to worry about unexpected leave of absence or retraining new employees.
Whether you’re a small business or a global powerhouse, our solutions scale with your needs. We eliminate inefficiencies, reduce costs and help you focus on growing your business.
Financial reporting often appears to be a routine exercise, but for small businesses, it can be the difference between reactive...
Financial operations encompass the systems and processes that govern every monetary aspect of a business—from managing payables and receivables to...
For many small business owners, running payroll is a time-intensive chore that requires meticulous calculation, familiarity with tax codes, and...
Managing your business’s finances can often feel like juggling too many tasks at once, especially when you’re trying to keep...
Small business owners often grapple with tax obligations that can swallow a large portion of their profits if not managed...
Human Resources (HR) might feel like an afterthought for many small business owners juggling day-to-day demands, yet it has a...
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just for tech giants anymore—it’s increasingly accessible to small and mid-sized businesses seeking a competitive edge...
Setting up a payroll system is an essential step that helps small business owners pay their employees accurately and on...
While small businesses must handle day-to-day tasks—like managing payroll or closing monthly books—long-term planning is the compass that keeps them...