I was brainstorming with a team the other day that wanted new and creative ways to make their workplace more fun. They knew they had to get their work done, but they also wanted to make their office a place where employees had a good time. They didn’t want any of the standard foosball-in-the-break room stuff. They wanted to be edgy. They wanted people to get outside their comfort zones and to do something memorable. Maybe some of this playing would even turn into team building activities…
So, we sat at a whiteboard and shared ideas. Yes, some of the ideas were stupid. Some were inappropriate. Check that….lots were inappropriate. But there were some great ones, too. Here are 4 no-naughtier-than-PG rated team building activities that you might consider.
Mandatory Talent Show: Everyone, no matter how talentless or audience-fearing, must take the stage for at least two minutes and do something. Juggle. Whistle. Floss your teeth. Whatever.
Prank the New Employee: Come up with an elaborate scheme to make the newest employee look like an idiot, preferably in front of everyone. Ideas ranged from fake pointless tasks (“go sweep the parking lot”) to fake termination. Perfect to boost their confidence skills, right?
Annoying Habit Board: Designate one white board where people can write down the annoying habits of their co-workers. No names, just behaviours. Right next to “chewing gum with his mouth open” you could find “uses the word ‘like’ in every sentence”.
Computer Screwing: When it comes to fun, it’s hard to top a malfunctioning computer. Enlist the help of the IT team to have every command auto-link to a sports or entertainment site. Make sure people consistently wander by and ask why the employee is wasting time.
You get the picture. This group decided to ditch the company picnic for ideas that were fresh, brash and over-the-top. Will all the ideas work? Who knows. But one thing is certain — this office is going to get to know one another at a different level and have a few laughs.
If your idea of office fun is an 8-hour company picnic maybe it’s time to grab a dry erase marker and do some brainstorming of your own. Who knows…you may have the world’s most entertaining teeth flosser in your midst.