39 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities For Work (“Trust Falls” Not Included)

In this guest post by Jeff Murphy from SnackNation are introduced the best team building ideas top companies use and like.

Believe it or not, team building activities for work are critically important to the success of  business. In fact, the personal bonds formed between team members actually give company a competitive edge. 

How does this work? It’s all about engagement.

There’s a pretty clear link between the personal bonds between your team members and their engagement level. A recent Gallup study found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, while people with a self-described best friend at work are seven times more likely to be fully engaged at work.

Another Gallup study reported that engaged companies consistently outperform the competition when it comes to things like profits, productivity, and turnover. (Pretty important stuff if you ask us.)

And it stands to reason – the closer you are to your co-workers, the happier you’ll be at work, and the more likely you’ll be to sacrifice your discretionary time to help them succeed.

Here’s the best part – team building doesn’t have to be boring and lame!

We asked some of the most engaged, tightly knit companies out there to show us how to do team building right. We’ve broken them down into categories to help you decide which ideas might work for your company.

Here’s what these awesome companies had to say.

1. The Amazing Race

Online HR software make BambooHR takes the competitiveness to the next level.

“During an office retreat, teams—connected by a thin rope— ran around a local sports arena and competed in an Amazing Race-style competition. There were ten activities in total—ranging from a crossword puzzle to speed tic tac toe to a treasure hunt in an ice-filled kiddie pool.

Teams were a mix of different departments so that employees could get to know coworkers they might not usually work with, develop team skills, and laugh … a lot.”

-Bryson Kearl, Creative Copywriter

Read on the rest 38 ideas!