Employees often groan just at the mere mention of it, but it is possible to plan a team-building event that everyone will enjoy.
Location
The first thing to do is to get out of the office. An outside venue makes it much harder for people to be distracted by work and easier to shake up the existing hierarchy. This does not necessarily mean travelling miles. If you are not planning overnight stays for your employees, most people will be happier if the chosen location does not require onerous amounts of travelling. Ideally, it should be near a railway station. However, if you are anticipating that people will drive, make sure that there is ample parking and that alcohol does not form a central part of the day.
Establish your goals
This means being clear why you are holding the event and what you want to achieve from it. This is usually more than pure socialising, which often can be undertaken at less effort and expense in a pub or restaurant near the place of employment. However, socialising should be an element of the event. Good employers want their employees to enjoy each other’s company and to feel comfortable doing so. Consequently, making a team-building event highly competitive can be counter-productive. Acas is a great place to start to help you plan an effective event.
Activity
It doesn’t have to be fire-walking or something as mundane as paper exercises around a conference table. There is a happy medium, and with proper thought, an employer can identify an activity its employees will enjoy and benefit from. If problem-solving is on the agenda, this might be raft-building. If team skills are key, it might still be raft-building or perhaps a cricket match. If you are aiming for stamina and fun, riding a rodeo bull, such as those supplied by http://www.gsrodeobulls.com/, might be just the thing. Indeed, there are plenty of rodeo bull manufacturers nationwide that would be delighted to help with your event.
Mix people up
Ensuring good mixtures of differing ages, sexes and seniorities is often key to a successful event. Interactions and challenges ought to be constructive. However, senior employees may be more comfortable with this than their juniors. Successful team-building exercises engender an environment where everyone can flourish and play their part.