At The Acquisition Group, we know that fostering happiness in the workplace is the key to great company culture, and one of our favourite ways to bring some joy to the job is by organizing team building activities!
The holidays are the perfect opportunity to plan something fun for the whole team. It’s a time to celebrate successes, recognize achievements and make everyone feel appreciated for their contributions throughout the year.
The first rule of planning a team building activity? Don’t call it a team building activity! It makes it sound like work, when really, it’s supposed to be a break from work. People just want to hang out with other people without having to label it “team bonding” or “engagement”.
The second rule of planning a team building activity is it doesn’t have to be complicated to be a lot of fun. In fact, we find that the simplest activities are often the most popular!
Here are five of our go-to activities to try with your team this holiday season:
1. FESTIVE COFFEE BAR
Who doesn’t love a peppermint mocha in a festive red cup? Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you probably do like coffee or some form of caffeinated beverage. Create a festive coffee bar in the lunchroom, complete with sprinkles and whipped cream, and invite the team to take their mid-morning coffee (or alternative beverage!) break together.
2. BOARD GAME NIGHT
We all have a little gamer in us… Going analogue and hosting a board game evening is a great way to get the team together and have some fun. Board games are an inexpensive form of entertainment, and work well for big and small groups. Supply some snacks and beverages, and let the fun commence!
3. SECRET SANTA GIFT DRIVE
The best way to get in the holiday spirit is to give back. A fun way to do this with your team is to hold a secret Santa gift drive. For this activity, everybody on the team picks a name, and purchases a gift that the person they picked would’ve loved as a child. Then, everybody unwraps their presents together, has a good laugh and all the toys get donated to a holiday gift bank!
4. HOLIDAY CARDS & STOCKINGS
Stockings aren’t just for kids. Get some stockings for your team and decorate them over lunch together! Then, put out some blank holiday cards, and encourage everybody to write a card for everyone on their team, and place them in each other’s stockings. This way, everybody gets to feel the love over the holidays.
5. GINGERBREAD COOKIE DECORATING & DONATING
Did you know you can donate cookies to hospitals, fire houses and family shelters? Hold a gingerbread cookie decorating competition at work, and then donate the results to a center in need! This is another great way to give back during the holidays, and the team will have a blast creating fun designs and comparing their artwork!
Do you have a favourite holiday team building activity? We would love to know what it is! Share with us on social @theacquisitiongroup.
