By Maximillionโฆ
Here at Maximillion, we know that the workplace can often be a busy and stressful environment. With the fast and demanding pace of the office, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of the importance that staff communication, collaboration and cooperation have on a companyโs overall morale and productivity.
For over 30 years weโve passionately helped staff reach their full potential with a wide range of exciting and immersive team building events across the UK.
An outdoor team building activity is a perfect way to freshen up the work environment, it allows employees to take a break from staring at their screens all day and enables the team to discover new locations within their city and build on existing connections with other staff members.
With this in mind, below weโve rounded up 7 amazing benefits of outdoor team building activities.
An outdoor team building activity is a perfect way to freshen up the work environment, it allows employees to take a break from staring at their screens all day and enables the team to discover new locations within their city and build on existing connections with other staff members.
Strengthens Communications Skills
Outdoor team building activities, such as our Spy School Treasure Hunt, allow colleagues to forge new relationships and gain a greater level of respect for each other. In turn, this will enable a teamโs communication to flow more freely, whereby individual opinions are listened to and decisions are made as a team.
Good communication skills within the workplace is a sign of a high-performance culture and is the key to company success and employee contentment. In fact, a survey from Herd Wisdom revealed that 37% of employees credit โworking with a great teamโ as their primary reason for staying at a job.
A study by the Kenexa Research Institute found that 50% of long-lasting positive changes in workplace communication patterns could be attributed to social interactions from outside the workplace, such as team lunches and other outdoor team building activities.
Reduce Stress
Did you know that 1 in 4 employees regard their job as the number one stressor in their lives? Too much stress in the workplace can lead to fatigue, changes in personality and a withdrawal from interacting with those around us.
For busy office workers, taking a break from the workplace and spending time outdoors can be a stress-relieving and revitalizing experience.
Research from Cornell University found that exposure to nature and outdoor settings can help individuals feel happier and lessen the effects of physical and mental stress. Exposure to the outdoors reduces blood pressureย lowers heart rate and lowers the production of stress hormones.
Looking to reduce workplace stress and increase morale and productivity?
Improves Office Productivity
Harvard Physician, Eva Selhub, notes that being outdoors for as little as 20 minutes can help lower stress levels, increase focus and improve overall staff productivity.
Outdoor team building activities, such as Urban Adventure and The Checkpoint Challenge encourage a light competitiveness and require colleagues to actively engage and communicate with one another to complete tasks and win games.
Employee engagement is crucial for improving office productivity The Workplace Research Foundation discovered that highly engaged employees are 38% more likely to be productive at an above-average level.
Furthermore, a recent study by BreathHR revealed that in the UK, one-third of employees leave their jobs due to poor workplace culture.
Boosts Creativity
Outdoor team building activities, such as The Hunger Gamesย ย option, allow participants to take a well needed break from their computer screens, leave a stressful work environment and unwind in a new, refreshing landscape.
In order to succeed in an outdoor team building activity,ย teams must work together and communicate to solve problems. This type of collaboration helps develop and foster creative thinking.
The refreshing outdoor environment, coupled with the teamโs active communication and problem solving skills will help rejuvenate a workforceโs creativity and inspire future creative thinking in the workplace.
Improves Sleep Quality
Everyone knows the importance of a good nightโs sleep. It can help make you feel alert, stay focused and increase creativity within the office.
A study published by Preventive Medicine revealed that increased exposure to the natural environment can improve your sleep quality.
Studies have shown that that light plays an important role in the production of melatonin, regulating circadian rhythm and the bodyโs sleep cycle.
Excessive exposure to artificial light can cause a personโs sleep cycle to become misaligned, which in turn can increase stress levels, worsen metabolism and even elevate the risk of cancer.
Unfortunately, the modern day office environment requires heavy screens usage and artificial light, which can thwart sleep quality, causing stress in the workplace and reduced productivity. With this in mind, thereโs no surprise that over 36% of UK adults struggle to get to sleep at night on a weekly basis.
Increase your workplacesโ morale and productivity with our expansive range of outdoor team building activities.
Boosts Motivation
Outdoor team building activities, such as our big band drumming extravaganza, Rhythm Rocks, require collaboration and communication in order to successfully complete the activity.
When a team successfully completes a challenging activity, it creates a feeling of momentum, satisfaction and unity, making each team member feel valued and good about themselves.
Together, these factors work to develop trust and a sense of community among team members, whilst also boosting individual motivation because each member now feels they are valued and respected by the group.
Improves Mental Health
Nowadays, workplaces mainly rely on emails and calls as their main source of communication, rather than face to face interaction. The lack of in-person interaction can result in staff feeling isolated and disconnected from the organisation.
A recent study by the Mental Health Foundation found that 1 in 4 adults in the UK have felt lonely because of the pandemic. Additionally, a survey by Oracle revealed 76% of workers believe their company should be doing more to support their staffโs mental health.
With this in mind, we believe itโs vitally important that companies help support a happier, healthier working environment.
Team building activities, such as Country Pursuit and TeamWorks Out are carefully designed for teamwork building, enabling a workforce to forge strong bonds between team members, making employees feel more connected to their colleagues.
