Now that many teams are back in the office together, everyone’s ready for some serious bonding! If you need to get your creative groove back with your coworkers, check out our tips for the best team-building activities and events for 2022.
Tips for Team Building Event Planning
Want to plan a day your coworkers will remember? Use our team-building event planning tips to ensure your teammates are happy and your event goes smoothly.
Designate a Team Lead
Just as too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the soup (just ask our cooking challenge team leads!), too many leaders at a team-building event can create chaos.
If you want things to go smoothly, designate team leads for your event. You may want to nominate one person to plan the event itself and designate others to help plan the day’s moving parts.
Designating one person as team lead means you won’t get stuck dealing with squabbling or who forgot to book transportation to and from the event. If you can, make a product manager your team lead — they know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to organization!
Ask for Employee Input
Your employees will probably have too much input when it comes to your team-building event (which is another great reason to designate a team lead). But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for their input at all.
If you fail to ask your team what they want to do, you might end up with a dud of a day.
We recommend either asking your employees what they’d like to do (which may take some of the planning out of your hands!) or giving teammates a list of options to choose from. You can do this either by asking employees directly or taking a poll.
Consider COVID
Yes, it looks like COVID-19 cases are still on the decline. But only a little over half of Americans are vaccinated, and many workers are concerned about breakthrough cases and the immunocompromised (who may not be able to get vaccinated).
If you want your workers to participate, you may need to go the extra mile to ensure they feel safe.
Consider hosting an outdoor team-building event during 2022 (as long as the weather permits).
If it’s just too darn cold outside and you decide on an indoor activity, then consider requiring proof of vaccination for all attendees – or a negative test within 72 hours of the event.
This simple step will alleviate most people’s concerns over safety. And of course, if you have any employees who have safety concerns, please listen to them and don’t force them to attend! People won’t bond with one another if they have health concerns about being in the room!
Hire a Professional
Want to have all the fun without the pressure? Hire a team-building event coordinator (yes, like Feet First Events!).
We kinda know what we’re doing when it comes to team-building event planning. We have over two dozen in-person events that can be tailored to your team’s bonding goals.
Best Team Building Activities and Events for 2022
The best team-building activities and events for 2022 are grouped in seasonal categories. Since many of these events are hosted outdoors, you may want to consider seasonal weather when planning your event.
Winter Team Building Activities
Depending on where your team is located, you may want to opt for an indoor event in the winter. Or — and hear us out on this — you can lean in to the winter weather and plan an event that embraces the snow instead of hiding away from it!
Indoor Team Building Events
If the winter weather is just too unpredictable in your climate, there are plenty of indoor events that will keep you both cozy and get those creative juices flowing.
Game Show
Host your very own game show with your team. Break into smaller teams to compete Family Feud style or test your knowledge of your company culture with Company Jeopardy!
Room Escape
If you’ve ever wanted to escape from the office, now is the time to do so! Room escapes aren’t just for birthday parties anymore. Create an escape challenge in your office (or another event space), and give your team clues to solve their way out.
The team that gets out first also gets a half-day of work one Friday for a month!
Project Funway
If you love the TV show Project Runway, you’ll love Project Funway! Instead of designing Haut couture, your team will repurpose coffee filters, bedsheets and more to create a one-of-a-kind look that works in every office setting.
Cooking Competition
If your team is obsessed with Chopped-style challenges, they’ll love getting to participate in one themselves.
Participants will be broken up into teams before following instructions on how to turn the ingredients of a mystery basket into a full meal.
Outdoor Team Building Events
If your team is adventurous (and there’s snow nearby), you may want to schedule a snow day. Make a list of all the activities you used to love doing on snow days (sledding, snow angels, snowmen, hot cocoa, movies, etc.) and build an entire day around them.
Spring Team Building Activities
In the springtime, everybody wants to get outside!
If you want your team to get excited about your event, consider planning an outdoor team-building event in the spring.
Amazing Race
If your team is uber-competitive, you may want to challenge your coworkers to an Amazing Race challenge!
Similar to the TV show, Amazing Race, these challenges will take you across your city or town. At each location, you and your teammates will solve clues and challenges (mental or physical, depending on your group’s comfort level) before advancing to the next location.
This is a great way to get to know your city — all while getting to know your coworkers.
Citywide Scavenger Hunt
If you want to kick it old school, you can simply challenge your coworkers to a scavenger hunt. This is another great way to get to know your own city or town, and it’s a great option for companies that have relocated employees or have out-of-town guests.
Similar to the Amazing Race challenge, your team will be broken into smaller groups. Each group will get clues to different locations (often famous landmarks) where more clues will be waiting.
Field Games
If your team is just itching to get out into the sun, host an old-fashioned day of field games! Similar to field day in elementary school, your coworkers will compete in potato sack races, relay races cornhole, badminton and other lawn games.
Or, your teammates can simply play other types of games outdoors if you don’t want to organize physical challenges. Outdoor games can easily be moved indoors due to rainy or cold weather.
Summer Team Building Activities
Summer poses the same challenges as winter does. The weather may get in the way of an outdoor event. But if the weather cooperates? Your event is sure to be a success!
You may want to consider both indoor and outdoor team building events in the summer, just as you would in the winter.
Outdoor Team Building Events
Depending on where your office is located, it may simply be too hot in the summer for outdoor team-building events. If this is the case for your company, you may want to keep things indoors with the A/C on high.
Community & Social Responsibility Events
If your team feels like getting outside during the summer, this is the perfect time for a community and social responsibility event.
These events task your team to find a shady spot on the grass and do something kind for their community.
Build bikes or create sock puppets for local kids, or play games to win prizes for local charity organizations.
Flutag
One of our most popular outdoor team-building activities, flutag challenges your team to build their own miniature airplanes; show off your creations at your very own airshow, and award prizes to the best in show.
Mission Impossible
Yes, your team’s mission (should they choose to accept it) will be to get over their creative humps and bond with their coworkers!
Mission Impossible brings all the fun of espionage and spies to your company’s next big team-building event. Your coworkers will need to solve their very own mission, racing through your city’s or town’s local landmarks.
Indoor/Outdoor Team Building Events
If you want to head outdoors for your team-building event without worrying about the weather, you may want to plan an event that can easily take place indoors or outdoors.
Some events that are easy to organize both inside and outside include game shows, escape rooms (yes, you can even escape outdoors!) and movie trailer and music video production events.
Fall Team Building Activities
In the fall, you get all the benefits of enjoying mild weather outdoors! All of our ideas for spring team-building events will work just as effectively in the autumn.
Though, if you want to embrace the season, you may want to organize a fall-themed event. Host a beer tasting (as long as all of your employees drink alcohol) or harvest day (hayrides, corn mazes and apple picking). These types of events work particularly well for team celebrations.
