Simple Ways To Boost Morale and Employee Engagement in 2018
Why not set your team some fun challenges in 2018? They’ll motivate, increase productivity and help individual team members to work as a team.
44% of HR directors in the UK consider employee engagement to be their biggest challenge of 2018. There are multiple problems that this issue causes, including a lack of productivity, an increase in staff turnover and lower employee retention rates. In order for employees to feel more engaged and want to succeed at a company, they need to feel part of a team. But how can this be achieved? By participating in team building activities, your employees will quickly feel more motivated, gain a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and even discover new skillsets of their own. Here are five examples of team building activities that leadership can use to get the most out of their staff.
Untangling The Knot
To get your team members communicating better, have everyone stand shoulder to shoulder in a tight circle. One by one, everyone needs to put their right hand out and grab another hand at random within the circle. Next, the instruction is repeated with everyone finding another left hand to hold. Once the arms are all jumbled up, the group must untangle themselves, without anyone letting go of any of the hands. Excellent teamwork and verbal skills are essential in this activity. It’s a lot of fun too.
Dropping The Egg
You risk a little mess when you get involved in the egg dropping game, but it’s an eggscellent way for your team to improve their problem-solving. Divide your department into small teams of four or five people, who are all given a generous amount of office supplies such as tape, biros, rubber bands, paper, and packaging material. They should also be given a single egg. Each group has twenty minutes to design a contraption that will safeguard the egg and prevent it from breaking when it is dropped from a height. Be prepared to do some cleaning at the end of this game!
Smoothie Does It
Productivity begins with employees who are in good health and a smoothie activity is a great way to inspire your teams to enjoy a diet that is jam-packed with nutrition. Divide your employees into teams, give them access to a wide range of fruit, some spices and a blender. They should design a new blend of smoothie, brand it and promote it to the rest of the office, as if they were pitching to investors. This activity allows each of your team members to shine, either in creativity, marketing or public speaking roles.
Ipad Filming
Get your employees to star and produce their very own video, by letting them loose with an ipad, a tripod and a music library. Some of your team members will enjoy performing, while others will excel in production. The activity should last about two or three hours in total, giving them time to edit the video, which can then be projected onto the big screen in your office conference room.
Scavenger Hunt
Getting your employees out of the office, even during the winter, can be a great way to boost morale. Break your group into teams and give each a list of unusual tasks to be completed while on their walkabout around town. These might be to collect a number of objects, take a photo with a stranger, or visit a certain landmark, each to be accomplished by a set deadline.
The new year is a great chance to start afresh and motivate your staff. If you’ve been concerned about a lack of employee engagement in 2017, then participating in team building activities is the best way to improve morale this year.