How to Hold a Holiday Team Building and Strengthen the Team
The holidays are a great time to connect, reflect, and enjoy time with colleagues. Here's how to organize a holiday team building session and some unique ideas to boost team spirit.
Who Needs Team Building and Why
Team building means creating a cohesive team. Engaging in activities outside the usual work environment can relieve tension, motivate employees, and improve their performance.
Holiday team building is beneficial for companies if:
- the year has been challenging, and employees feel burnout;
- there’s a merger or leadership change upcoming;
- there are many conflicts within the team;
- a new project launch is on the horizon;
- employees have done an excellent job throughout the year and have significantly boosted company revenue.
Team building helps all team members recharge, manage stress better, and establish open communication, enabling them to understand each other and solve key tasks more quickly. It's also a great opportunity for newcomers to grasp the company's mission and learn about its future goals.
Formats of Holiday Team Building
There are many team building formats, let's discuss the main ones:
- Creative — workshops on pottery, drawing, joint photo sessions, office theater performances, and musical concerts. Any art-related activity is considered creative team building;
- Intellectual — quizzes, challenges, and strategy sessions, often themed around the holidays, with prizes for winners and consolation gifts;
- Adventure — even a day trip can be a thrilling experience, especially with skiing excursions or a pre-holiday picnic;
- Sporting — soccer matches, tennis tournaments, paintball, or any other sports-related activities;
- Community Service — activities focused on helping others, such as volunteering at shelters or community cleanups;
- Psychological — host a group session with a corporate psychologist for joint training or workshops;
- Extreme — perfect for a young team, including go-kart racing, rock climbing, or skydiving. You can even organize an office "Survivor" or "Amazing Race" challenge.
Don’t forget about online team building. Even remote teams can bond and have fun with activities like virtual auctions, playing games like Codenames or Bunker, script readings, or relaxed video calls.
How to Organize Team Building for the Holidays
Organizing team building for medium to large teams may seem daunting, but breaking the task into smaller parts can make it manageable.
Define the Goal and Choose the Right Format
First, determine what team building is needed for and the issues it's meant to address. To relieve team tension and escape routine work, consider sports, intellectual, or extreme activities. For resolving serious conflicts or major changes, psychological team building might be best. And if the goal is to inspire and delight employees, creative activities like concerts or culinary workshops are ideal.
Secure Support from Management and the Team
Ensure alignment with management and gather employee preferences before planning. Avoiding conflicts and time-consuming chat discussions can be achieved by conducting an anonymous survey using Google Forms. It helps determine preferred activities and comfort levels, essential for planning an effective team building.
Develop a Team Building Script
Depending on the format, you might need a basic schedule or detailed script with prepared presentations or quiz questions.
Choose a Location
If the event is offsite, consider transportation needs. Booking transport or covering taxi costs for participants might be necessary.
Hold the Team Building Event
If it's the first team building event, ensure each stage is well-managed to prevent chaos. Always have a backup plan in case of unexpected issues like weather changes or delays.
Wrap Up
Gathering feedback post-event is crucial. Discover what employees liked, how they felt, and if they would be interested in similar experiences again. Observe any behavioral changes within the team and evaluate if previous issues have improved.
Ideas for Holiday Team Building
Here are some ideas to add unique touches to your holiday team building.
- Host a cooking class focusing on holiday recipes.
- Organize group sledding.
- Set up a "Name That Holiday Tune" game.
- Decorate a large Christmas tree at the office.
- Go on a winter hiking trip.
- Host a group "Harry Potter" movie night.
- Organize a trivia game themed around holiday figures.
- Paint a holiday mural in the office.
- Go off-road driving through snowy trails.
- Stage a holiday play for employees' children.
How to Enhance Any Team Building
No matter the format, Secret Santa is a fantastic way to exchange gifts without breaking the bank. It's fun for both large and small teams, whether you're in the office or working remotely. Easily set up the game in just minutes with mysanta.co, our friendly Secret Santa platform, to create a joyful experience.
