To ask you for inspiration for plannning a work social/team building event?

[WellAlwaysHaveParis]

I’m organising a work social in November and am a bit stuck for ideas . We’ve already done crazy golf for a previous social.

Whatever activity we do, it needs to be:

• In central London
• In the evening
• No more than £10 to £15 per person
• Either somewhere that serves food or near somewhere that serves food
• Not focused on alcohol, as a few of my colleagues don’t drink.

So far, I’ve thought of these ideas:

1. Southbank winter market
2. Treasure hunt/escape room activities (e.g. escape room, London Underground treasure hunt, A Door in a Wall)
3. Bounce (table tennis bar)
4. Baranis (French-themed pétanques place)
5. Paint balling

What do you all think?

Please could you help with any other ideas?

Different units in my agency have done escape rooms. They're great for teamwork.

We did a treasure hunt (altho' it did involve drink). It was so popular it became an annual event.

Does anyone on the team have any physical limitations? They all sound quite active, and at least one person in the team I work in wouldn't be able to join in.

If not, what about one of those bounce places, the trampoline park things?

Flight club?

You play team games of darts, very social, while having drinks and they also do food platters for groups etc.

Very good for a team event.

That giant ballooned I have seen advertised. I think it is in Shoreditch. Not sure it would be team building though!

I don't personally rate the Southbank winter market. That might just be me though!

Crazy golf can be good fun.

One of the many benefits of retiring, is the absence of 'Team Building' events.
Do your team want to spend an evening with their work colleagues? Unless the event is in works time and paid, then no one should feel obliged to attend.
If you value your team, then give them a sincere thank you and the £10-15 in cash or vouchers so they can buy their own flowers/chocs/wine/whatever, and let them go home to their friends/family/people they really like and not enforced jollity with the people they have to work with.
Oops. Bit of a rant there. As you were.

Escape rooms are good. Assuming no one has anxiety or anything.

Well said Faded.

My colleagues are nice people, but I already spend more time with them than I do with DP or my friends. They are, frankly, the last people I want to socialise with.

If you must do some sort of team-building activity, why can’t you do it in the company’s time, not employees’ own time?

We did am escape room in Islington, I think it cost us £14. It was Sherlock Holmes themed and was great fun. We then went to a pub (the Cock Inn) for afters.

Oh and ours was in the afternoon in works time. No way would I do anything after work.

Sack off the work social and let people spent time outside work with people they don’t have to work with every day?

Give the money you save direct to the staff and let them spend it on what they want?

Can you tell that I hate work socials and that if you expect people to take part in stuff you do it during the hours they work for you?

The market sounds like everyone will go and look round separately. Paintballing sounds aggressive. I'd go for one of the other options.

Bounce is good if you hire their games gurus. Makes it feel like a proper event and the food is pretty good

Flight club - it’s darts in old street

Thanks for your ideas, everyone.

I’ve been asked to organise the social by my manager and they’ve said the social can’t be in work time (understandably).

Sack off the work social and let people spent time outside work with people they don’t have to work with every day?

I’m sure it’s not compulsory to attend FFS. Many peoooe enjoy socialising with their colleagues and if you don’t want to, say you’re busy.

social can’t be in work time (understandably)

What’s ‘understandable’ about it? The employer wants to organise a team building activity for its own benefit, so why the hell shouldn’t it take place in the employer’s time?

Bounce is a great laugh

We have a fun team building day once a year in work time. We get the whole day to do something as a team. We have done escape rooms which was great. Probably slightly over budget though. It was for us but we gave people the option of paying towards it and they were all happy to pay the extra. We also have done a treasure hunt and a boat trip.

Cocktail making workshop in London went down well with a v young marketing team.(not mid week, ) You can order food too & make your own cocktails competition at end.