5 Team Builders That Don’t Include Alcohol

Teambuilding activities can benefit your business in multiple ways. The more time managers spend with employees (experts say it should be about six hours per week), the more engagement and morale will rise. You’ll learn more about your team and how to motivate them, and the team will be cohesive. 

But it can be tough to brainstorm teambuilding activities that don’t include alcohol. The standard get-together for teams in many companies is the venerable happy hour. Yet not every employee likes or can tolerate alcohol, and many see it as contrary to the healthy lifestyle they would prefer to have. 

There are plenty of team builders that don’t involve alcohol, though. Read on. 

 

Get outdoors

It’s summer, so there’s no better time to get outdoors for a group activity. Take your team to a state park to hike, for example. Hikes are low stress, healthy and don’t require special equipment (other than sturdy shoes and a pack of some sort). 

Be sure to choose a hike that can suit all fitness levels. Level is good, and just a few miles. Throw in some options for those that want to do less (stop by the lake to feed ducks) or more (yonder is a view!). Take a first aid kit and plenty of water. 

Take a cooking class

Everyone has to eat, right? A cooking class can be a terrific team builder, as it fosters camaraderie and is just plain fun. Choose a cuisine, like Indian or Chinese, or a type of course (dessert, anyone?).  

Survey your group to see what the most popular cooking course would be. If there are several different kinds, this could become a yearly event, talked of fondly by everyone. 

Throw a potluck

Invite everyone over to share their cooking class results in a potluck. Potlucks, where everyone brings a course to share, are a nice way to appreciate everyone’s efforts and throw a party at the same time. They are also an inexpensive way to get together, easier on everyone’s wallet than going to a restaurant. 

Circulate a sign-up list so everyone doesn’t end up bringing the same thing or just one course. (Hint: If the cooking class was on one course, enlist some folks to bring other needed dishes.) 

Go to an escape room event  

Escape rooms are wildly popular as business events. In them, a group is locked in a room and must escape – by solving a series of puzzles. One puzzle leads to another, each one drawing the team closer to the opening of the door. They are very involve and stimulate both problem-solving abilities and teamwork.  

Specific organizations and venues put together escape rooms on specific days and times. Be sure to book well in advance! 

Go to a museum

Museums are also low-key and inexpensive, and offer both an interesting day out and plenty of time to talk. Museums come in all flavors: some exhibit art; some focus on history, like maritime or local history; and some have a specific theme, such as a famous person’s life. 

Here, too, do a quick survey of your team to find out what the most popular site would be. 

 

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