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Please can you help me with Team Building/Morale Boosting ideas for our office?

70 replies

Kara198 · 12/11/2021 22:11

Long story short, our team at work has grown from approx 40 to over 100 since the first lockdown.
We do a mix of home and office working and half of the staff still don't know each other.
Morale is low, we were such a close knit team before always out for big lunches, nights out etc.
Too big to do this now.
I've been tasked with trying to fix this but I have no idea where to start! Especially as not everyone is in the office on the same days.
What works well in your companies to bring back that "team spirit"?
Thanks!

OP posts:
Hawkins001 · 12/11/2021 23:22

All the best op, ours is spy vs spy games, run with different teams on who has the best intelligence methods ect to compete the assignments given on different intelligence game plan situations.

ChristmasPlanning · 13/11/2021 15:58

@Hawkins001

All the best op, ours is spy vs spy games, run with different teams on who has the best intelligence methods ect to compete the assignments given on different intelligence game plan situations.
That sounds great! Do you have a link?
ChristmasPlanning · 13/11/2021 16:01

We do lots of zoom quizzes, music m, movie quotes, Christmas facts

Other games (google to get the links as we always use free ones)

Charades
Bingo
Kahoot - so many games!

Interested in this thread?

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PeggyGa · 13/11/2021 16:03

Food! Bake off’s.

Random acts of kindness for each other

Purplewithred · 13/11/2021 16:05

Before rushing to things like games etc (which personally I would hate and avoid like the plague) are you sure you understand the root off the problem? You say morale is low - why? Just because people don't know each other? or something else?

ppeony · 13/11/2021 16:08

@Purplewithred

Before rushing to things like games etc (which personally I would hate and avoid like the plague) are you sure you understand the root off the problem? You say morale is low - why? Just because people don't know each other? or something else?
This
littlebigtiger · 13/11/2021 16:13

People hate team building exercises.

Why is morale low? Can you address the reasons for this?

bizboz · 13/11/2021 16:19

Totally agree that games are not the way to go about it. Some people will hate it and it's not going to address the current issues. I would suggest an anonymous survey to see if people will raise any issues.

LadyCleathStuart · 13/11/2021 16:25

Oh god please don't inflict games on them. We have a similar issue in our work and management want to do all this crap to 'cheer people up' and all everyone is doing is coming up with ways to avoid it.

This stuff appeals to a small amount of people (who shout loudest). There must be other ways to build morale.

Saltyquiche · 13/11/2021 16:33

Finance much smaller teams to eat lunch out together once a year

Bottle of wine and card each at Xmas to say Thankyou

Give everyone a choice of either starting work at the normal time or walking a mile together first thing once or twice a week.

Pay for weekly yoga or meditation teacher to give sessions to employees

Show appreciation in supervisions and meetings. Be detailed when giving praise. Ensure other managers do the same and ensure that the workforce feel valued.

Find out if there are any major issues which need work. Get to the bottom of why morale is low. A questionnaire asking them for the problem and solutions

Hold a meeting about how retention and morale can be improved, ask them in small teams to detail the issues and what the solutions are.

ohdeariforgot · 13/11/2021 16:34

Low morale is usually down to too much work, poor supervision, micro management, bullying or poor work/home balance.

Team building games don't address any of those things and can be cringe worthy.

ArblemarchTFruitbat · 13/11/2021 16:34

There's one guaranteed way to increase morale.

Give everyone a pay rise.

Hugoslavia · 13/11/2021 16:43

How about allowing people to customise the office a little to make it more homely and allow in well behaved dogs. That often gets people talking.

Hugoslavia · 13/11/2021 16:48

My husband's office recently provided home workers with pizza and beer kits. They were encouraged to finished work an hour early and make pizza whilst on zoom. Most included their children and it was a very chatty session. And it did n't waste anyone's the with a pointless activity because at least they saved time by making dinner in work's time.

Hugoslavia · 13/11/2021 16:50

"Pizza Kits | Online Pizza | 48 hour Fermented Sourdough Pizzas - Homemade Pizza Club" www.homemadepizzaclub.co.uk/collections/pizza?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4b2MBhD2ARIsAIrcB-TpZ4s4gkE2urpNw_TfTPxvlI9oWoARtRcVKASnGWcXebewRiThJpsaAk_vEALw_wcB

Hugoslavia · 13/11/2021 16:52

Also perhaps implement a few 'clubs' at lunchtime - my husband's work has a running club and a yoga club. How about some card games/chess too. And a nice coffee machine. And Danish pastries on a Friday or something like that.

mynameiscalypso · 13/11/2021 16:54

I think 100 is too big to be able to do anything with as a group. Is it divided into sub-teams at all? I would focus on those.

Shedmistress · 13/11/2021 16:58

It is because the group is now too large.

They are surely now smaller teams, one manager isn't directly managing them all are they?

purplesequins · 13/11/2021 17:07

don't expect activities outside working hours.

we have had an art exhibition: photos or paintings (a few topics like 'animas' 'landscape') with a vote and prices.

londonmummy1966 · 13/11/2021 17:08

Probably not the right time of year for it but a team day where you go and help a charity - I organised one for a huge team from a major pharma company that came and painted and decorated a community building. It was a merger of groups from several teams into a new one and it was a great day as they got to meet people they'd never come across before.

A big energy company also had a team day in Kent recently picking apples and pears for a charity which was a good way of mixing people up and giving them something constructive but different to do so they coulds just chat and pick.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/11/2021 17:21

From my point of view;

None of the above.

Nights out cost money. Transport costs money. It's too cold and dark to stand around at deserted bus stops whilst everybody else is picked up by their husbands after drinking tap water all night and causing an atmosphere because I refused to split the bill for food I can't eat even if I could afford it (celiac) and drinks I didn't have.

Beer and pizza kits - nice if you know for a fact that nobody in the house has allergies, celiac or an alcohol problem. Or is Muslim/teetotal. Who's going to be asking this incredibly personal information and keeping a record of it? Doesn't have to be 'is your husband an alcoholic?', just the fact that they don't want a bottle of wine is enough for assumptions to be made.

Bottle of wine - can you give me the money instead? Might want to check that nobody has an alcoholic partner at home or has allergies/is Muslim/etc as well, as they probably don't want it broadcast around the building.

Walking a mile - so how are we ensuring that people with disabilities aren't made to feel bad about not being a teamplayer here? Are we assuming that only those with visible disabilities and walking aids are unable to do it? What about those who have already done twice that to get into work in the morning unlike those in nice, warm cars?

Online quizzes - oh dear, I seem to have connectivity issues every night. It's intrusive. I'm not in the pub with you because quiz nights are usually packed to the gills, plus all the other things about not being able to afford/drink/eat.

Dogs - awesome. Love dogs. Don't have one though, so I'd just be looking at them, wishing I could. And probably hearing other non dog owners bitching about how unhygienic and/or how dangerous it is.

Yoga and meditation. Love the idea. But I don't get a break at the same time as everybody else. Is the teacher a good one? Are they insured and qualified? Are they experienced in teaching people with physical issues? Are they experienced in helping people if emotional or psychological issues come out during meditation? Have you got a warm, quiet, spacious room with proper mats, equipment and with a bolt so that nobody is disturbed by another member of staff with an 'urgent' phone call?

Scavenger hunts. Who is going to be actually setting them up, running them and then tidying up afterwards? They usually involve a fuckton of work for somebody else on near enough minimum wage.

From my point of view, getting a brilliant deal on a gym membership so that it is significantly cheaper than a mid range gym would be great. But that's not suitable for everybody.

Seriously, what is more use is more money. Give them the cash without it being tied to length of service or performance and they can decide. It'll probably go towards the increase in food, fuel and travel costs for the lower paid staff, but at least some will see a tenner here or there out of it after tax and NI and UC deductions.

BurnedToast · 13/11/2021 17:26

Christmas bonus.

No one wants to spend their own time making small talk with their colleagues or being forced to play games.

Team building sends a shiver down my spine.

FusionChefGeoff · 13/11/2021 17:31

@NeverDropYourMooncup that's not a very helpful post is it - just picking holes in every idea that would probably work fine for 90% of the people involved!

If a mixture of things were introduced then you tick even more people's boxes but there won't be anything that works 100% for 100% of people.

Some people don't work for money, they do it for the social / intellectual side or any other number of reasons - so even your 'genius' idea wouldn't make everyone happy.

And I'm an alcoholic in recovery and always appreciate the thought behind an alcohol gift and just re-gift it so you don't speak for me on those ideas anyway.

Beachbabe1 · 13/11/2021 17:39

How did management come to the conclusion that morale is low? Maybe people enjoyed working from home and didn't want to be dragged back to the office? Team building activities = cringe!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/11/2021 17:40

[quote FusionChefGeoff]@NeverDropYourMooncup that's not a very helpful post is it - just picking holes in every idea that would probably work fine for 90% of the people involved!

If a mixture of things were introduced then you tick even more people's boxes but there won't be anything that works 100% for 100% of people.

Some people don't work for money, they do it for the social / intellectual side or any other number of reasons - so even your 'genius' idea wouldn't make everyone happy.

And I'm an alcoholic in recovery and always appreciate the thought behind an alcohol gift and just re-gift it so you don't speak for me on those ideas anyway. [/quote]
Well, it's always good to not bother thinking about the 10 people (going by your estimation) who will feel excluded. I did say that two of the suggestions I would have liked.

Regarding alcohol, I wasn't speaking for you anyhow. More for the people whose partners aren't in recovery or able to regift a bottle instead of helping themselves to it overnight or the early hours of the following morning.