With an increasing number of return-to-office mandates, Rachel Hill explains why more businesses should be taking employees outside of the office, rather than keeping them in.
With a number of employers, including the likes of Amazon, Zoom and Citigroup, mandating a return to the office full-time, HR teams are scrambling to find innovative ways to boost morale.
The transition back to office life has been met with resistance, with employees feeling disconnected and unmotivated.
For example, senior leaders at Apple fought back and issued a petition shortly after the company announced that staff needed to return to the office three days a week.
Learning strategies
At Disney, over 2,300 employees signed a petition asking CEO Bob Iger to reconsider his four-days-a-week office mandate.
In this year’s Burnout report, Mental Health UK found that 42% of workers who experienced burnout stated that “feeling isolated at work” had played a part.
Clearly, bringing teams together is increasingly important if a return to the office is going to have the necessary impact on productivity that company bosses want. This alarming figure only magnifies the issue that all businesses seem to be experiencing at the moment.
Alternative approaches
Team building activities have long been used to bring teams together in efforts to increase employee motivation and engagement as well as camaraderie amongst workers.
As it’s no secret that budgets are tight at the moment, particularly for HR departments, any investment into team building needs to be carefully considered to ensure it offers value for money when it comes to creating a happier, well-bonded workforce.
While traditional team building such as classroom-style training or a one-off social activity might be the most common option for many businesses, alternative team-building events that provide an experiential experience are becoming increasingly popular.
These types of experiences often involve employees solving problems together and working towards a common goal.
Compared to traditional activities, experiential team building can deliver meaningful outcomes such as improved culture, collaboration and communication.
In the world of experiential team building, activities that take place outdoors and that are based on adventure and survival can provide a refreshing break from the traditional office setting, helping employees to reconnect and re-energise.
These activities can be a powerful tool for HR to improve morale and reduce resistance to office returns.
By investing in getting employees out of the office and into a scenario that is designed to support teamwork, productivity and other skills such as leadership, HR teams can demonstrate a clear commitment to making the transition back to the office smoother and more positive overall.
Authentic teamwork
Research from Public Health England shows that 70% of people feel physically and mentally healthier when spending time outdoors.
The benefits of nature are well documented: reduced stress levels, improved mood and increased physical activities, ultimately leading to a happier, and more productive workforce.
Additionally, outdoor team building creates new dynamics between coworkers. At the Bear Grylls Survival Academy (BGSA), for example, instructors like to encourage role reversal and get junior members of staff or quieter members of a team giving orders to company directors.
In an outdoor setting, employees have more chance to build authentic connections and lasting memories with one another.”
This helps improve confidence when back at work, enabling them to be more vocal with innovative ideas and/or feel more comfortable when challenging senior colleagues.
In an outdoor setting, employees have more chance to build authentic connections and lasting memories with one another, particularly when you take them away from the ‘forced fun’ activities of years gone by.
Shared experiences
Whether it’s solving a problem during a scavenger hunt or working together to survive in a stranded scenario, these challenges promote teamwork and camaraderie.
Shared experiences create a sense of belonging and loyalty among employees, something that businesses will definitely be looking to promote in this time of employee unrest.
As businesses navigate the complexities of the post-pandemic workplace, investing in outdoor team-building activities could be a strategic solution to improve employee wellbeing and happiness.
By prioritising it, HR departments can demonstrate a genuine commitment to their workforce’s health and happiness, ultimately leading to a more cohesive and motivated team ready to tackle the challenges of the modern work landscape.
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