
Here is our list of the best team social ideas.
Team social ideas are activities and special gatherings that help employees interact with coworkers. These activities focus on team building and give a break from office work. Examples include movie-making, fundraising events, and camping. The purpose of these events is to develop professional relationships among employees.
These ideas are in-person versions of online team celebrations and online team building events.
This list includes:
- work social ideas
- work team social ideas
- ideas for team hangouts
- ideas for team get-togethers
Here we go!
List of team social ideas
Taking a break from work to socialize is a great idea for team building. A relaxed environment is occasionally necessary to boost employee focus and performance. Here is our list of the best work team social ideas.
1. Color Run
A Color Run is a joyful event where folks run or walk while getting splashed with vibrant colors. Participants wear white clothes, and at different points along the route, volunteers throw colored powders on them. This run is not a race but a celebration of fun and fitness. The aim is to finish covered in a beautiful mix of colors, creating a lively and memorable experience for the whole team involved.
2. Team Unplugged Day
Team Unplugged Day is when the team takes a break from electronic devices and enjoys activities that do not involve screens. These activities could include face-to-face conversations, board games, or outdoor activities. The goal is to promote real connections and create a relaxed atmosphere. An unplugged day is a day to unwind, bond with colleagues, and appreciate simple pleasures without the distraction of phones and computers.
3. What’s in the Box?
In this challenge, teams take turns touching items inside sealed boxes without seeing what is inside. Then, participants guess the contents based on touch alone. Players earn points for each correct guess, and whoever gets the most correct answers wins!
To make this game exciting, hosts can put unusual items in the box, like cold spaghetti, peeled grapes, or fuzzy coats. This game encourages communication, trust, and problem-solving as team members work together to figure out the mystery items.
4. Dress Like Your Favorite Decade
On Dress Like Your Favorite Decade Day, team members come to work dressed in clothing styles representing their favorite decade. Folks may come dressed in clothes from the decade they were born, or maybe they are historical fashion fans and wear antique pieces.
This activity is a playful way to showcase individual personalities and interests. The day is a colorful journey through time, sparking conversations and laughter as team members share their fashion choices.
5. DIY Team Shadow Puppet Theater
Creating a DIY Team Shadow Puppet Theater is a whimsical team building activity! Folks can make simple puppets from paper or cardstock. Then, teams use a light source to cast shadows on a screen or wall. Each team member can design their own puppet character, and together, the team collaborates to create a short story or play. The magic happens when the puppets come to life in the shadows, and the team enjoys a creative and imaginative performance. This hands-on and visually engaging activity promotes teamwork and storytelling.
6. Culinary Fusion Night
During Culinary Fusion Night, team members explore the exciting world of combining different cuisines. Each participant brings ingredients from different cultures. Then, the team experiments to create unique and delicious dishes. From orange chicken tacos to shepherd’s pie bao buns, cooks can make amazing new combinations. This activity is a fun and collaborative way to celebrate diversity through food. The night becomes a flavorful adventure, fostering teamwork and culinary creativity.
7. Guess the Flavor
Guess the Flavor is a fun game where teams try to figure out different ingredients in a drink just by taste. To play the game, a host prepares some mystery drinks with various flavors. Each drink might be fruity, sweet, or sour. The drinks are usually in solid-colored cups or glasses so you cannot see what is inside. One by one, players take a sip and try to guess what flavor it is. The individual who guesses the most flavors correctly is the winner. This game tickles players’ taste buds and makes them laugh as they try to figure out the yummy secrets in each drink!
Important note: Before playing this game, be sure to ask teams about any food allergies so you can avoid using them in the drinks.
8. Mini TED Talks
You can enhance your employees’ communication skills and boost confidence with Mini TED talks. Ideal for sales teams, these talks help refine persuasion and marketing techniques for closing deals.
Consider hosting TED talk sessions at the office or exploring local debate competitions and theaters. To provide a challenging yet enriching experience for your employees, consider organizing contests and inviting external participants.
Talks can center around inspirational stories related to speakers or your company. For added interest, incorporate personal elements from speakers’ lives outside the office. Employees can showcase creativity and deliver compelling speeches.
9. Escape Rooms
Escape rooms are a popular choice for team bonding because of their captivating puzzles. These challenges are widely regarded as excellent for team building and fostering communication and trust.
Teams collaborate in escape rooms, searching for clues and solving puzzles against the clock. This interactive experience promotes socializing, understanding, and trust building among members. The adrenaline-inducing nature of these games adds excitement to team interactions in a new setting.
You can organize a team social by reserving a local escape room or bringing a mobile one to your office. Alternatively, create your own DIY escape game for a customized experience.
Check out these escape room hacks for teams.
10. Fundraising Events
Fundraising and charity events are great ways to get teams mingling while contributing to the wider community. Organizing charity events is easy and often budget-friendly.
Here are a few examples of fundraising events you can choose:
- Have a seminar to create awareness and ask folks to donate.
- Host a walk, visit businesses and houses, and tell folks about your fundraising campaign.
- Sell food items at a stall and contribute the amount collected for fundraising.
- Conduct charity auctions.
Fundraising is an excellent source of team building and enhancing the communication skills of employees. The employees will have to convince people to donate, which will polish their communication and critical thinking skills. Plus, contributing towards a shared cause and helping others can generate goodwill among the group.
11. Sports Day
Having a sports day and taking the team to a field is a great activity for team building. Playing sports ensures physical health and will take your employees out of their mundane routines.
A sports day can consist of one match or several small games that can ensure team building.
Good team sports include:
- Cricket
- Football
- Relay races
- Volleyball
- Dodgeball
- Basketball
It is better to ask your employees about the sports they like. If all of them like one game, for example, cricket, you can hold a match by making teams. However, if the response is mixed preferences, then you can host various games and allow employees to choose.
Playing sports will enhance team spirit and fair play in your workforce, and collaborating in teams will boost their confidence and leadership skills.
11. Talent Show
Talent shows can take your employees off the track and let them unveil the hidden superhero in them. These events are great ideas for team hangouts as they are a source of great fun and a break from the routine.
Organizing talent shows can help your team socialize and communicate. One great idea is to arrange the show around a particular theme, for instance, hidden talents, childhood hobbies, celebrity impressions, musicals, movies, improv evenings, or favorite pastimes. Or, you can leave the theme open-ended and simply let your staff show their skills.
This activity will boost confidence, reduce shyness, and remove barriers between employees. Calling for group performances requires coordination and makes at-work collaboration even better.
12. Tourist Party
A tourist party is among the best team hangout ideas where the office workers go on a trip to a new place and enjoy a party. Office trips are great for team building and reinvigoration.
You can select the destination after discussing it with your employees. For example, the destination can be an old museum or a newly opened studio. Your choice will depend on the preferences of your employees.
However, you do not necessarily have to go to another city. You can even visit the unknown or unvisited places in your city. Or, you can create mock destinations in your office and take fun photos while eating on-theme foods.
13. Go-Karting
Go-karting is a fun activity everyone enjoys. If you want to give employees a break from work and an infusion of fun, then go-karting is a great idea. The best thing about this activity is that tracks are available in most areas. Such great work social ideas can build confidence and competition in your employees as they strive to win the race.
However, make sure that you explain the safety instructions to your team. As fun as the activity can get, go-karting can also lead to injuries if you show negligence. Following the safety rules is essential to stay safe while enjoying the ride.
14. Cooking Competition
A great idea for a team hangout is to conduct a cooking competition. If you have employees from different cultures, you can ask them to make their specialty dish. Cooking together in teams is even better for enhancing your employees’ time-management skills.
Another idea is to ask the employees to cook a dish at home and bring it to the office. You can appoint judges among the employees and ask them to share their honest feedback. When the competition is over, the group can enjoy the dishes together.
Cooking and eating foods of different cultures helps you celebrate differences and gives you a broader idea of cultural diversity. This event unites employees from different cultures and uses the unifying power of a shared meal to foster camaraderie.
15. Camping
If your office team is not into mornings, then opt for a nighttime activity like camping. Whether in the forest or at the beach, camping offers a break from city life and a chance to relax in nature.
Camping is an excellent team hangout idea, providing both a physical and mental break from work and fostering group cooperation. Despite preparations, the experience of cooking under the sky and playing games creates a beautiful and enjoyable time for your coworkers.
Pro tip: If your employees are less outdoorsy, then consider renting cabins instead of pitching tents.
16. Mystery Dinner
Mystery dinners are a top-notch team building idea. Teams use critical thinking to solve an imaginary murder, and the playful theme fosters a fun environment.
You can host this activity in the office, a restaurant, or a theatre, and consider hiring actors for added enjoyment. Detectives and game masters provide the backstory, and participants collaborate to find clues and solve the murder. Mystery dinners boost thinking and communication skills while strengthening professional relationships.
17. Movie Making
A unique team social event is making a movie! There is no need for fancy equipment, as a phone camera and basic tools will do. The goal is to showcase employee creativity, and you can choose the movie topic or let them suggest ideas. For ease of participation, stick to short, five-minute films.
After the movies are finished, set up a projector for a festival-style screening. The audience can vote for the best film, rewarding winners with a mock Oscars statue for added fun.
18. Game Night
A game night is among the best ideas for team get-togethers. You can invite your employees to a game night and spend the evening playing different games. You can also combine this activity with a dinner to encourage team building and build a healthy relationships among employees.
The game night will consist of different games, both indoors and outdoors, depending on the space you have.
A great example of an indoor game for team building is Truth or Dare, which has been the best game for team hangouts for decades. A fun outdoor game could be hide-and-seek.
19. Bike Ride
A bike ride around the city is a great idea for maintaining the physical health of your employees. You and your team can rent bicycles and take a guided tour of the city, or bring your own bikes and simply go on a scenic ride. The best time of the day for a ride tends to be morning when the roads are not busy and the sun is not too strong.
You can also choose a safe route with no or less traffic to make it even more enjoyable for the participants.
Another idea is to organize a bike race around the city. However, you will have to explain the route through a map to ensure that nobody gets lost. The participant who crosses the finish line first wins the race and gets a prize.
20. Board Game Tournament
The best thing about board games is that you can play them inside and outside. Board game tournaments are best suited for small teams because a specific number of players, usually two to four, can play at a time.
You can set up a tournament by bringing the tools and equipment required. It is also better to schedule the date and time beforehand so everybody is present.
21. Water Gun Fight
A water gun fight can bring out your employees’ inner children. You can also organize a water gun fight on special events like Holi or company picnics to celebrate the occasions with unbridled joy and a dash of mischievousness. However, water gun fights and hot summer days make a great combination.
A water gun fight is also easy because you will need access to a nearby local park. You can also choose a garden on the office premises. However, do not forget to tell your employees that they will need to bring extra clothes to change into after the fight because they will get wet.
Such games can remove the barriers of shyness among employees and make them engage.
Conclusion
Team social activities for work play a huge role in team building and taking your employees out of their mundane routines. Instead of sitting at the desk and looking at the computer all day, your employees should collaborate and interact to build a strong and professional relationship that can benefit the growth of the business.
These team social ideas for work can help you build a fun environment in the office and build confidence in your employees. These activities are necessary for the mental and physical health of the workers as well.
Next, learn about why getting out of the office with your team is good.