The team is important for any workplace. Working as a close-knit team can be the difference between success and failure, and it is crucial that you work on your team spirit in the office. One of the ways to build the trust and bond within your team is to perform team building exercises. You may think of team building as cheesy trust exercises and telling people about yourself in front of the whole office, but this isn’t the only way to bond.

The aim of team building is exactly that, and there are plenty of other ways to get to know each other and build that bond outside the office. Here are some of the unique ways you could team build this year.

A Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts aren’t just for kids, and even if they were, why can’t we let out our inner child once in a while? To make an effective team building exercise with a scavenger hunt you can split your office up into pairs and send them off competing against each other. You can have a series of fun clues around the office and the premises, and a prize at the end for free drinks at the local pub for the winners. It is a way to bring your team together, make them bond with others and think on their feet.

Orienteering

If you were never in the scouts as a child you may not have experienced the joy of being abandoned in a field and told to find your own way home. Now that you are adults, the health and safety aspect of this isn’t as bad so it is something you can reasonably do. The challenge for your team will be to find their way home using the compass and map you provide, and when they get back you can all have lunch to celebrate. This is another way to force your employees to work together and find that team spirit they need to succeed, it will likely bring your team new flare afterwards.

An Escape Room

One of the trends which have been sweeping across the world in recent years is visiting an Escape Room. An escape room is essentially a puzzle game, where a small group of people are locked in a room, given a scenario, and have one hour to unlock the door. You could be part of a nuclear apocalypse, be the subject of a possible murder, and even be looking for clues to a crime. It can be a way to pull your team together in a totally new way, and due to the new environment, it can bring out skills you didn’t know your team had. Plus, if you do make it out on time you will be put on the wall of fame!

A Charity Fundraiser

Team building can sometimes be about something else entirely, and you can build an effective team by working on a big project together. You may as well use your working for good and work towards a charity event which will be catered to a specific audience. You have an excuse to plan an event for a charity while also learning how to work as a team to build something amazing. You’ll have the benefit of helping people who deserve it and bonding as a team too.