15 Company Outings Ideas for Team Building and Bonding

Benefits of team outings

Team outings offer numerous benefits for employees and employers alike. By participating in team outings, employees can develop stronger relationships with their colleagues, improve communication skills, and enhance their problem-solving abilities. These activities provide a relaxed environment where team members can interact outside the usual work setting, fostering a sense of camaraderie and trust.

Moreover, team outings can have a significant impact on employee engagement and retention. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to be motivated and committed to their work. A well-planned team outing can demonstrate that the company cares about its employees’ well-being, leading to increased job satisfaction and loyalty.

Team outings also provide opportunities for employees to develop new skills and interests. For instance, a cooking class can help team members discover their culinary talents, while a painting workshop can unleash their creative potential. These experiences can boost confidence and encourage employees to bring their newfound skills back to the workplace.

In addition, team outings can reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Taking a break from the daily grind and engaging in fun activities can help employees recharge and return to work with renewed energy and focus. This, in turn, can lead to improved productivity and a more positive work environment.

Overall, team outings are an essential part of building a positive and productive work culture. By investing in team outings, employers can demonstrate their commitment to their employees’ well-being and success.

Outings are a wonderful way to bring people together, but every outing you plan should meet three essential criteria. The first is accessibility: make sure everyone is physically able to participate. This means choosing company outing ideas that don’t require too much physical activity, or for everyone to confirm that they are able to do the activity.

The second is budget. Make sure everyone can afford the outing, even if travel is the only paid feature. Lastly, double-check to make sure you’re hitting your overall inclusivity requirements including culture, distance, and scheduling. Consider incorporating team building activities into the next team outing to enhance employee engagement and collaboration.

Take your team to a brightly lit workshop and give them a seemingly random collection of supplies: Toothpicks, marshmallows, masking tape, popsicle sticks, and so on, along with a single egg. Those who have never played an egg drop challenge before won’t know what to think until the rules are explained: Build a structure that will keep the egg safe when dropped from three feet above the ground. They can build bridges, baskets, or padded cages, so long as the egg survives.

This challenge of teamwork, healthy competition, and ingenuity is a great way to bring people together for team-building and unlock their mechanical creativity. Colleagues will discover each other’s strengths and potential in a way they’ve never seen before and a good time will be had by all.

Local festivals are a great team outing opportunity to enjoy a day out together where every team member can find something to enjoy. Some people go to festivals for the food, some for the local art, and some for the parking lot carnival rides. Give everyone a ticket and meet up at key points like lunchtime and scheduled shows to enjoy one of your local community’s most enjoyable events.

Depending on your brand, you might even book a booth and let your employees brainstorm, plan, and implement your own fun contribution. Take turns manning the booth and wandering the carnival having a wonderful time.

Every city has a rich history, and some more than most. A guided historic tour is a great addition to any company trip or something you can do as a single fun company outing in the historical district of your own home city. You can take your employees on a late-night ghost walk, discussing the various urban legends surrounding older buildings in the city, or explore interesting landmarks regarding time periods that were significant while the city was growing.

A historical tour is even better if the story of the city somehow closely relates to your business or industry, inspiring each team member to share their own lifelong interests in the field and relate to one another over the shared history.

Looking for team-building activities with a little excitement and child-like joy? Take your team members to an entertainment complex that includes activities like go kart racing, laser tag, and a flashing arcade. Don’t pick just one -everyone has unique preferences for this type of entertainment, and accessibility may be an unspoken issue for physical activities. Instead, invite everyone on a company outing to enjoy a bucket of activity tokens to spend as they please. Organise laser tag teams to play with and against each other in round after round of blacklight-enhanced fun, encourage wild antics on the go kart track and hand-out prizes for arcade high-scores.

And if some just want to hold down the pizza bar while their friends frolic go kart racing and playing laser tag, they will become the hubs of delighted and exhausted conversation. There are always a few in every group.

Healthy competition fosters teamwork and camaraderie during these activities, making the outing not just fun but also a great way to enhance social interaction and collaboration among team members.

Sometimes, team bonding is about helping your whole team work together more smoothly. One of the best types of company outings for encouraging fearless collaboration is improvisation theater workshops, or Improv for short.

Improv workshops are all about playing games where each team member works off the creative ideas of the player before. “Yes, and” and the “Suddenly” game both build stories and teamwork skills by agreeing with and changing the last player’s contribution. Pantomime games challenge colleagues to build scenes together and visualize invisible objects. The Machine game is about building a pretend machine with body movements, adding one person and movement at a time.

Each game brings people closer together, evaporating awkwardness and learning to innovate through agreement.

Every list of company outing ideas needs a rainy-day alternative. If you planned to go on a group hike or a ropes course but the event gets rained out, this is the perfect time for a board game tournament instead. Crack open the board game cabinet and lay out table after table of childhood classics.

Each team member plays a crucial role in the board game tournament, whether it's a competitive tournament of the same game or just encouraging everyone to complete different games in different groups until the rain lets up. Board game and trivia night let us get to know each other through a blend of conversation and strategy. You quickly learn who is clever, who distracts their opponents, and who is too helpful for their own good, and it brings people together to play games in a special way humans have enjoyed for centuries.

Creative and cultural outing Ideas

If you’re looking for creative and cultural outing ideas, consider the following options:

• Visit a Local Art Museum or Gallery: Explore the latest exhibits and learn about different art styles and techniques. This can spark creativity and provide a fresh perspective.

• Attend a Concert or Music Festival: Enjoy live music and discover new artists. Music has a way of bringing people together and creating lasting memories.

• Take a Cooking Class: Learn about different cuisines and cooking techniques. This hands-on experience can be both fun and educational, fostering teamwork in the kitchen.

• Go on a Wine Tasting Tour: Discover different types of wine and how they’re made. This can be a relaxing and enjoyable way to bond with colleagues.

• Visit a Local Theater or Comedy Club: Enjoy live performances and laugh with your colleagues. Shared laughter can strengthen bonds and create a positive atmosphere.

• Take a Dance Class: Learn new moves and get some exercise. Dancing can be a fun way to break the ice and encourage team members to step out of their comfort zones.

• Go on a Photography Walk: Explore your city and capture its beauty. This can be a great way to encourage creativity and teamwork.

• Visit a Local Market or Festival: Try new foods and drinks and learn about different cultures. This can be a fun and enriching experience for the entire team.

These outing ideas can help to foster creativity, cultural awareness, and teamwork among employees. They can also provide opportunities for employees to develop new skills and interests and build relationships with their colleagues.