Team-building ideas for welcoming your staff back to the office
The past couple of years have been about constant readjustments: having to turn our homes into offices, classrooms and gyms overnight, constantly changing rules and, let’s not forget, worrying about a global pandemic and the health of our loved ones.
Coming back to work on a regular basis is another major readjustment for each one of your employees individually and for the company as a whole. With the length of time it’s been, it’s essentially everyone’s first day on the job again. The re-acclimation process requires even more time, patience, and understanding.
Organizing team-building events can help ease everyone back into work mode while building morale and getting your staff used to working with each other again. These ideas can help re-create team spirit while also showing your employees a little love.
Go All Out on an Employee Appreciation Dinner
For your employees who toughed it out and did whatever it took to ensure the work kept flowing, renting out a popular restaurant, rolling out the red carpet, hiring a luxury valet parking company and setting up an awards-style dinner or a night of dancing is a great way to celebrate your team and get them re-acquainted with one another.
Spa Day at Work
Everyone’s mental health has been through the ringer over the course of the pandemic and the emotional roller-coaster will likely continue for some time to come. This means placing more focus on policies and strategies aimed at mental wellness moving forward.
An idea for a back-to-work icebreaker that also shows your team you prioritize their mental health, is to host an office spa day. You can hire a yoga instructor or a meditation coach for a group class, bring in a registered massage therapist to give neck and back massages and include aromatherapy sessions with take-home essential oils to remind your team to take some time out for themselves as they re-adjust to office life.
Give back to the Community
As a team-building exercise, volunteering checks a lot of boxes:
- Getting the team out of the office for a change of scenery.
- Reinforcing your company’s core values and beliefs.
- Getting your company engaged and visible in the community.
Even the act of choosing a charity to volunteer with is a team-building exercise that helps your staff get to know one another on a deeper level.
Check out the Canada Helps website for a massive list of local and national charities if your company doesn’t have one it already partners with.
A Day at the Park
Sometimes all it takes is some fresh air, sunshine, a barbeque to boost morale. Adding in classic picnic games like volleyball, an obstacle course relay or a scavenger hunt elevates a fun day into one that also strengthens team relationships.
