For many of us, winter has been long and at the risk of sounding dramatic, a wee bit brutal.  Between the treacherous commutes on snow-covered highways and mornings beginning with a frosted windshield, it’s understandable that the winter blues can make some shoulders slump around the office.  But spring is officially here and summer is a-comin’! It’s time to drive away whatever is left of the cold weather depression that plagues your team, with awesome events and team-building activities. Try one of these out-of-the-box ideas with your work peeps to help improve collaboration and encourage team unity:

Volunteer: Teams that volunteer together, stay together.  Pointing a group of employees toward a task or goal that helps the community, does wonders for employee morale.  In fact, studies show that 78% of U.S. adults say that volunteering lowers their stress-levels. Want to mix things up a bit? Create smaller volunteering groups with individuals who don’t typically work together on a daily basis to help encourage inter-office friendships.

Mini-Golf: Nothing screams summer more than a friendly round of mini-golf.  Before the tournament, build a quirky trophy out of miscellaneous things around the office, and award the coveted beauty to the winning team. An ice cream cone for both the winners and losers will be the perfect ending to a day on the course!

Summertime Happy Hours: More than likely your employees spend more time with each other during the week than they do with their own families and friends.  So obviously, it’s a huge plus when friendships are fostered in the workplace.  Give office cronies the opportunity to relax, be loud and enjoy a cocktail or two together on the deck of their favorite bar in town.

Scavenger Hunts: Take your team on a trip downtown or to a charming nearby city, divide them into smaller teams, and send them off on an ‘Amazing Race.’  The combo of fresh air and exciting challenges will surely put a little pep in the office step.

Escape Rooms: Put your noggins together and beat the clock in an escape room! These 60-minute challenges are perfect for building teamwork and leadership skills.  Participants are “locked” in a room filled with puzzles, riddles and hidden objects that will lead them to the final key and ultimately their freedom.  Find out why this phenomena has taken the country by storm and see if your team can be among the select group of puzzlers who actually make it out!

Arcade Night: Embrace your inner-adolescent and take the team out for an arcade lunch at Dave & Busters.  See who can rack up the most tickets and earn the honorary titles of “Skeeball Sensei” or “Whack-a-mole Wizard.”

The key to a successful team-building activity? Don’t take yourselves too seriously! Sometimes the sillier the activity, the more relaxed your team will become.  Have a team-building idea that will knock our socks off?  

Abby moved to the great state of Michigan and joined the Baudville team as the Digital Marketing Coordinator in 2016.  An admitted social media fanatic and grammar-lover, she's excited to play to her strengths by contributing to Baudville's blog, social media channels and e-marketing efforts.