Team building events are excellent mechanisms that ensure social cohesion within a company. Without them, it would hard to improve interpersonal relation, which can worsen and affect even productivity and liquidity. That is why you should plan several of them and in coordination with the HR department try to make them as fun and diverse as possible. Perhaps the biggest challenge of a team building event is the fact that you have to make everybody feel comfortable which is fairly hard to achieve. People are different in character and different individuals are ticked off by different things, so it’s hard to please everyone. However, there are certain steps you take towards creating a memorable team building event this year! 

Defining the Goals 

Before the event begins, you need to decide on the exact goals you wish to achieve. These will largely determine what type of event you are going to organize. However, the event should not involve any teaching and passive listening, although it can be educational in character. The accent should be on communication among workers that will create or strengthen a bond that is useful for work. In the end, a party with alcohol or a rafting trip, the choice is up to you, but workers have to feel relaxed and they should learn to work together outside the office. 

Where To? 

Once you determine what the main goals of team building are, you can start preparing for the event and more importantly, choosing the venue. The office space might seem like a logical choice but the whole idea behind team building is to leave the office behind. Of course, if your office has a cafeteria, then you can hold the event there. However, if the weather is favorable, always go for an outdoor location as open space offers endless opportunities for different activities that will be to everybody’s taste. 

When? 

After the location, the second most important thing is timing. The ideal time for a team building event is before a major project or a company reform, so the team will be stronger for changes and challenges. Also, take a look at the weather forecast, as a skiing team building event in the mountains will not go well if there is no snow on the slopes. Since the event is admittedly related to work, it should take place during work hours or at the end of the workday. Employees will be grateful for not taking away their free time. 

Catering and the Music 

Even an outdoor excursion should involve some sort of a party with food and music. The best option for this is hiring catering and a music band that will entertain everyone. You can hire a local band that plays the music of different genres, so all guest can enjoy or order their favorite song. Catering will come in handy as you are definitely not going to around the place offering everyone food. In developed countries like Australia, there are numerous catering companies offering all kinds of delicious food for every occasion. All you have to do is to find the best office catering in Sydney and there is no doubt everyone will be satisfied. 

 

All Workers Are Created Equal…

An important segment of a team building event is trying to usher a spirit of democracy by leaving job titles back in the office. There should only be workers/guests and you as the organizer but event that distinction levels out after a couple of rum punches. There are no bosses and their subordinates at a team building event as all workers become equally important, breaking all the boundaries of office life. 

Feedback 

It might seem odd at first but you really need to get some feedback after the event. This is probably not the first, nor the last company’s team building event, so you need to create a record for the future. Over time, you will learn what each worker likes and dislikes, so each new team building event will be more personalized, and thus better than the previous one. Conduct a survey several weeks after the event to see were the employees satisfied with it. Even a casual chat by the water cooler counts as feedback. 

Finally, you need to know that being prepared and organized is key to creating a successful team building event. Just don’t forget to join in on the fun once the event starts.