We interrupt your regularly scheduled dose of marketing best practices to discuss the seemingly fundamental  but imperative art of team building. It’s hard to ignore the positive effects and backing from Forbes, Inc, etc. but with your team crazy busy working on projects with fast approaching deadlines and summer vacations looming, the last thing you want to think about is team building...right?

Here are a few reasons why you may want to reconsider.

1. Productivity & Efficiency: Team building exercises often reveal skill sets that might not otherwise be recognized in the workplace. It teaches team members to work with individuals with differing skills and personalities to accomplish a common goal. This knowledge can then be used in the workplace as team members understand how to make best use of each other’s skills and interests. Teams that bond together outside of the office typically are more likely to share the workload among team members insuring maximum efficiency.
2. Enhanced Creativity & Idea Generation: A change in surroundings encourages a change in thoughts. Being in a “fun zone” with co-workers produces more creative thoughts than remaining in the mundane, routine environment. Choosing an activity that’s outside of people’s comfort zones can encourage them to come together in new ways and interacting with different team members than you normally do promotes new conversations and ideas.
3. Successful Communication: Team building activities can open a more fun and casual type of communication between team members, which can lead to better communication in the workplace and higher quality of work. Additionally, communicating about personal interests  versus job related topics, can foster better listening skills with co-workers.
4. Increased Problem Solving Skills: Many team building activities involve simulating a problem that must be solved. Practicing problem solving and strategic thinking in this low stress environment allows team members to more easily overcome hurdles and increase confidence in their ability to problem solve at the office.
5. Support: Participating in fun activities with co-workers in a casual environment can go a long way in building camaraderie and trust between team members. This is essential to creating a team that looks out for each other. The more supportive team members are of each other, the more strength there is available for everyone to draw upon. Trusting relationships with colleagues also helps keep a team motivated about their workplace and reduces turnover.
6. Decreased Turnover: According to Total Team Building, 90% of leaders believe having an employee engagement strategy has an impact on business success, yet only 25% actually have a strategy in place; of those employees, highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their companies than their counterparts. In order to truly foster a collaborative team, you must be constantly finding opportunities for connection and collaboration in the office after your offsite team building activities.

There are numerous types to team-building activities to try out and we recommend enlisting a ‘team-building champion’ that plans and manages activities. By prioritizing the need for an engaged team in and out of the office, you will not only improve your employees individually and as a team unit, but will also cultivate a loyal, more productive office.