As a PA, part of your duty is to organise executive team-building exercises. While team buildings often get a bad rap for being boring, the right team-building exercises can bring the team closer together and help everyone work more effectively, leading to increased productivity.
So, to help you make this event a success, here are some ideas for PA’s organising executive team-building exercises.
Travel Together
To make your team building more exciting, consider travelling together to some beautiful destinations. Corporate holidays are becoming a popular team-building activity, as more and more organisations realise their benefits, especially those at the executive level. Changing the atmosphere will bring psychological relief to everyone in the team, which makes it easier to identify possible conflicts.
Getting the employees out of the daily office environment and taking them on vacation to some faraway destinations is an ideal way to build stronger connections. When employees bond outside of their daily routines and away from their workplace setting, they create stronger bonds with each other and develop a better understanding of their strengths and abilities.
One of the benefits of group travel is that it teaches time management. It offers a fantastic opportunity to impart collective time management methods and techniques. In addition, travelling as a group is one way to build trust with each other. It’s the perfect opportunity to get to know one another better, vital to building a strong sense of understanding and trust.
When organising a corporate holiday, PAs must first get real input from the team. You will likely receive a mix of preferences and expectations due to cultural, generational, and religious differences, especially if the workforce is diverse. Regardless, do not assume you know what is best for everyone to guarantee a successful team-building exercise.
Organise a Camping Trip
Another team-building exercise that PAs can organise for executives is a camping trip. Spending the night out in the wild with the people you work with may not be something everyone will agree on, but it comes with many benefits. Camping allows you to get to know your colleagues better by seeing a different side you may not have seen before. There are also several campsites around the UK to choose from, so you can pick a site that best suits your team.
Camping is fun and is a great way to bond with your colleagues. But it also comes with health and wellness benefits. Being outdoors and spending time in nature can boost immunity, lighten your mood, reduce mental fatigue, and improve sleep. Being out in nature is better than spending most of your time indoors. PAs can also incorporate outdoorsy activities for a more successful team-building exercise. For instance, you can integrate hiking and cycling into the camping trip. It makes for an even more enjoyable camping trip.
The intimate and private setting of a camping site presents employees with the opportunity to get to know each other better, which fosters an unparalleled level of bonding and empathy. In addition, team camping is one way to encourage company executives to go out of their comfort zone. For those who are used to city living, camping is a new experience that will push them out of their comfort zone without thrusting them to the deep end.
If they are not open to “roughing it up” in the woods, you can introduce a more luxurious way to camp – glamping. With glamping, you will not need to set up a tent and the tents you will be sleeping with come fully furnished, including comfy beds.
Book an Activity-Centred Trip
PAs can organise an activity-centred trip for the team. For instance, you can suggest volunteering for a good cause. Doing so is not only good for the soul – it’s also a fulfilling way for the team members to bond. Some ideas include helping to build a house for Habitat for Humanity, helping at a local soup kitchen, or giving gifts to vulnerable kids on holidays. Skill-based volunteering also helps hone their expertise and skills since they would be tapping into their professional skills when volunteering for some organisations.
Aside from volunteering, another option for an activity-centred team-building activity is kayaking or canoeing. These fun outdoor activities encourage people to work together, teaching them the value of teamwork. You can check with those boat houses in public rivers and ponds to see if they are offering kayaks or canoes for rent. You can rent multi-person boats and encourage everyone to pair up with people they do not usually work with, as it’s also a great way to get to know one another.
You can also organise something touristy and explore beautiful places together. It doesn’t have to be far. Look for a popular tourist destination in your area and visit it as a team. You can also go for a cycling or Segway tour – a more enjoyable way to explore a place, especially in groups.
Stay in a Shared Space
Getting everyone to stay in a shared space, such as spacious Airbnbs and large villas, is a fun team-building exercise that PAs can organise. It’s a more intimate way to get the team to bond and get to know each other better whilst staying in a place outside work.
For the ultimate luxury experience, stay at a spacious property with amenities like a movie theatre, pool, volleyball pitch, or tennis court, allowing for a more enjoyable bonding moment. There are also Airbnb properties with fully-stocked pantries and an option to request a personal chef to prepare your meals. Some have easy access to hiking trails where you can enjoy a scenic hike with the team.
When booking the property for your team-building exercise, find out if such a property can accommodate everyone in your group. Also, be mindful of the noise. If the property is in a residential area, you might not be allowed to make noise, especially at night, so better find out about this before booking the property. Since you will most likely be having some activities, you cannot avoid making noise, which could upset the property owner.
