Get Outside and Connect: Outdoor Team Building Activities for Summer

Business owners and managers are looking for ways to help their teams and departments get to know each other to help with collaborative processes. Let’s take a look at some ways you can build strong teams outside of the office.

Team Building Workplace Ideas for a Better Company Culture

When done right, team-building activities can help you improve employee morale and your company culture; while increasing employee productivity and making your workforce more cohesive. Just remember to make sure that your activities are inclusive and that you are mindful of your employees’ abilities and interests.

1. Team-Build with Outdoor Activities

If you have a younger workforce or know that most of your workforce likes to get outside for their physical activity, consider a few outdoor team-building activities, like hiking, kayaking, canoeing, or a scavenger hunt. You could even build a mini-tournament around an outdoor sport, like basketball, badminton, Frisbee, or volleyball. If you have employees that are less active, you could have other types of games that are more laid-back, like croquet, cornhole, shuffleboard, or even cards.

2. Encourage Volunteerism

How often do your company and its employees get out into the community? If it’s not as much as you’d like, you could facilitate teamwork and collaboration while encouraging your employees to donate their time.

Company-sponsored volunteer days encourage employees to then talk about their experiences. This is a great way to build team spirit and give back to your community. Some volunteering ideas might include:

• Helping to build homes for Habitat for Humanity
• Encourage volunteering at a food bank, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter
• Make blankets for nursing homes or assisted living centers
• Cleaning up a park, roadway, or beach
• Volunteer at an animal shelter
• Creating a mentoring program
• Organizing a community event, like a festival or charity

3. Virtual Teambuilding Activities

If you have a fully-remote workforce that’s scattered across the country or globe, consider setting up some virtual activities to encourage team building. A simple version of this might be setting up a virtual coffee break or happy hour to allow coworkers to catch up and chat. Other ideas might include the following:

• Virtual Movie Night – Many streaming apps have a WatchParty feature, including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+. The caveat is that all the participants will need to have a subscription to the service in order to join the WatchParty.
• Online Trivia Night – Host an online trivia night via Zoom or another video chatting app where teams or individuals answer interesting trivia questions. Try something like Kahoot.
• Online Game Night – Virtually play cards, Pictionary, charades or another online game using a platform like Board Game Arena.
• Create an Online Book Club – If you have employees that are interested in reading, create an online book club where members choose books to read for the month and then discuss them.

4. Wellness Activities

Have your employees expressed an interest in getting more physically active? If they have, you might consider organizing various fitness challenges where individuals, teams, or departments get together to meet fitness goals. These activities can be done together in person or virtually.

In-person wellness activities could involve walking around your company’s campus during lunch and breaks or getting together to participate in a yoga, spin class, or another type of aerobic class.  If virtual wellness activities would better suit your team, you could participate in daily step challenges, yoga challenges, or daily exercise minutes challenges.

Avoid making the focus of these activities about weight loss or anything that may make someone feel bad about their body condition. Instead, emphasize the benefits of physical activity, such as stress reduction, improved mood, and overall health and wellness.

5. Cultural Experiences

Are you interested in promoting knowledge and inclusivity? If you are, consider scheduling some cultural activities around the city where your company is based. You could encourage visiting museums and art galleries as a group.

Your company could attend various cultural events where your employees could learn about other cultures and talk to people from those cultures in order to learn more about them. This team-building exercise could help your company better welcome people from other areas of the world.

Benefits of Team Building Exercises

Properly incorporated team-building exercises can help you build a stronger workforce and a better company culture while improving productivity and employee engagement, and collaboration. Just remember to fully communicate all your team-building exercises and encourage participation while keeping in mind your employees’ interests and abilities. Once the activities have been completed, encourage your employees to talk about their experiences and provide feedback.

Streamline Your HR and Payroll Services with Exact Payroll

Exact Payroll can help streamline your HR and payroll processes so you can focus on building a strong, cohesive team. Contact us today to learn more about our HR and payroll services. To learn more about our HR and payroll services, contact us today at or call 866-987-9898.