Team building is the process of creating stronger bonds between the members of a group, through different kinds of activities and events, with the final objective of making a cohesive team out of a group of people.

We believe employees are a company’s greatest asset, and focusing on team building aims to have people working better together. It’s not just games, but activities that add value and answer to a purpose, always linked with motivating staff and investing in your teams. After all, happy people will always make a better working environment, right?

Below, we’ll go over the basics and main benefits of team building, how it impacts the company and the workplace, the different types and latest trends for team building, and the pros and cons of virtual team building.

Why is team building so important?

There are many reasons why companies do team-building activities, and we are sure some of them pop into everyone’s mind when thinking about it. We usually group them into 3 main objectives:

1/ To increase employee engagement, by recreating and strengthening the link between employees, and engaging them with the company. In the end, it’s mostly about connecting people.

2/ To improve group dynamics, by building upon employees’ skills through games and activities. Shaking the daily routine up and setting up a playful environment helps to change the usual hierarchy, and people can connect with colleagues with whom they don’t usually interact. By working as a team, trust is built, together with leadership and communications skills.

3/ To thank your team. Team building activities foster empathy and are a great way of doing something fun to celebrate and show appreciation to the employees. What’s nicer than laughing together with your colleagues?

Team building can also help to reach specific objectives, usually related to HR. There are different games and activities to tackle different situations. For example in People First’s Lumber Jack game, the team challenge is to build a bridge, aiming to create truly lasting bonds among the team members.