Cropped close-up of hands elegant classy chic stylish trendy proIf you own a business with multiple employees, you’re a team leader whether you like it or not. In this role, it’s crucial you keep everyone engaged and focused on common goals. After all, the more successful you are at building camaraderie, the less likely you are to lose valuable members of your crew.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made team-building even more important. Now that the majority of American workers are clocking in from home, it can be challenging to keep everyone on the same page. Routine meetings via Zoom or phone calls present opportunities to check in, but too many of them can get tedious. What’s more, when all of these appointments are focused on work, it’s easy for team members to feel burnt out or drained.

Depending on where your business is located, a return to the office may not be in the cards. Still, there are ways to keep everyone happy and content. Enter the team-building activity.

What is a team-building activity?

Team-building activities use games, puzzles and other exercises to encourage collaboration between participants. They teach your employees how to focus on mutual goals and work in harmony to achieve them. Nowadays, teamwork is more important than ever. Considering the number of people working remotely, keeping the lines of communication open is critical to your business’s success.

Pro tips for hosting a team-building activity

1.) Host the event during normal business hours. Many people value their personal time. If you ask your team members to participate in a collaborative activity outside of the workday, it can lead to resentment. Instead, set aside a few hours once every quarter, where everyone can get together and touch base.

2.) Set a goal that will benefit your business. Some team-building activities are just for fun, but most should offer some type of tangible professional benefit. Think about areas where your team could improve, like communication, hitting deadlines or product quality. Once you select a topic, come up with a fun way to educate others on it. For example, if your team displays poor communication skills, you could host an icebreaker during which everyone could present something others might not know about them. This might sound silly, but it’s an effective way to break down walls and get to know each other.

3.) Set a time limit. Not everyone enjoys team-building activities. To avoid wasting people’s time, let everyone know you’ve allotted a set number of hours. That way, when the team-building activity ends, your employees can get back to work.

Would you add any other tips to our list? If so, please visit our Facebook page and leave a comment. In the meantime, happy team-building!