Sam Matthews
The workplace relies on teamwork everyday, with different team members, often across disciplines, having to work together to achieve a common goal. As the work landscape becomes increasingly complex, working as a team can throw up many challenges and make communication more difficult.
Work outings are crucial not only for boosting staff morale, but for bringing team members together and giving them a common goal. They encourage teamwork, collaboration and facilitate good relationships between staff members that can ease communication in the future.
What are some of the main benefits of work outings?
Work outings have many different benefits for any team, whether the company in question is a cybersecurity PR agency, a high street retailer or something else. Helping teams bond is important for any business. Benefits of work outings with your team can include:
Breaks the ice
Work outings are often a chance for staff members to meet for the first time, especially if they have been working remotely or coming into the office on different days. Having a team day out is a great way for people to meet the people they have been working with and can also serve as a great ice breaker between new team members and those who have been in the company for a while
Boosts morale
Hosting a work outing provides a change of scenery and a break from the routine. It’s a great way for work colleagues to see each other in a more informal setting and boost company moral (source: Topgolf). By doing this, employees can unwind and destress, returning to work feeling renewed, motivated and more productive.
Facilitates understanding
When you host a work outing, it puts colleagues in new situations and presents different tasks and challenges. Working as a team can help employees learn how others work and understand their potential strengths and weaknesses. When they return to the office, they will have a better understanding about how different coworkers work including their unique viewpoints, thought processes and communication style. All of this will improve future performance as it will help coworkers know how to communicate with each other and facilitate better efficiency between staff members.
Strong company culture
Hosting work outings for your team helps to establish a strong company culture. When an employer invests in work outings, it shows the employees that their happiness is valued and that connection with other staff members is a company priority.
Creative bonding
When you host a work outing, especially one that includes a team building activity, it is a way for team members to learn something new outside of the typical office environment. Team activities typically require more creative thinking – away from the pressures of the workplace, team members tend to feel more comfortable thinking outside the box and coming up with new and innovative ideas. This is something that they can take back to the office and can encourage better innovation and creativity in the workplace. Not only that, team members are encouraged to listen to each other’s ideas – this not only facilitates better communication but also could inspire new ideas.
Boosts confidence
Events away from the office environment allow equal opportunities for each team member to participate in activities without the pressure of the workplace. Facilitating these equal opportunities can help to boost confidence of individual staff members as it gives them a platform to share their ideas in a new setting – this will translate to their work when they get back to the office space. Creating a safe, comfortable and non-stressful environment can give staff members the freedom and confidence to communicate. By giving recognition to each member’s ideas in this setting, it can also help them improve their sense of ownership.
Builds trust
Stepping out of the office to go on a work outing is crucial for coworkers to get to know the people they work with. Good relationships are formed on trust and bringing people together helps them develop trust. Work outings are a great opportunity to break the ice and get to know everyone in a more informal setting. This facilitates greater trust and understanding which will lead to better conflict resolution and improved communication in the workplace.
