For organizations to really thrive, it's important to create a positive work culture. This kind of environment makes employees feel appreciated, motivated, and involved. A good work culture promotes teamwork, creativity, and productivity, which are key to reaching company goals.

Employee happiness is key to increasing confidence, collaboration, and motivation in the workplace. When you have happy employees that are also highly motivated to work together, you'll be more profitable, experience less turnover, and have a more productive team. You'll also experience far less employee burnout and mental health issues.

Team building, however, doesn't always illicit the best response. Eye rolls and sighs come from redundant ice breakers and "two truths, one lie" that make everyone cringe inside. We're far past the era of cliche, uncomfortable, and boring activities. Let's embrace a more enjoyable approach to team building by allowing employees to show their competitive side, sporty skills, random knowledge, or problem-solving skills.

Whether your team is remote or in office, these team building activities can have a positive effect on the overall performance and happiness of your team.

7 Team Building Activities to Try With Your Team

1. Personality Tests: This is the perfect activity for remote and in-person teams. Personality tests are easy to take and can spark fun dialogue between coworkers. Try sharing results from Buzzfeed quizzes like "Make a Lunch and We'll Guess Your Career", dividing everyone into their Hogwarts House, or guessing personalities from an Enneagram Test. Not only is this a casual and easy method, but it helps your team learn about each other on a casual and personal level.
   
   
2. Scavenger Hunt: Randomly assign your team into small groups and go on an exciting scavenger hunt around unfamiliar places - your team will have to work together to solve clues! This is a great way to allow employees to closely work with others to develop problem solving skills. At Champion Mill, we provide teams with clues that take them all around our sports complex, fitness center, and conference center - it's an exciting race to see who finishes first!
   
   
3. Trivia: Put your team's knowledge to the test with trivia about pop culture, geography, general knowledge, music, sports, or office trivia. Find a topic(s) that everyone can enjoy and participate in to enhance their experience. Prizes for the highest scoring team will bring out everyone's competitive side!
   
   
4. Amazing Race: This is one of our favorite activities because it combines multiple challenges that can range from physical to mental abilities, while also forcing teams to work together and learn about each other. You have to know which team member is the fastest runner, who has the best memory, who is the pro at cornhole, or the best at solving puzzles. Teams also have to work together to complete tasks, like the human knot or blanket ball. Check out this video from a recent race we put together!
   
   
5. Capture the Flag: This game is all about strategy and teamwork! Not only do you have to communicate effectively to assign roles to players to best defend your flag, rescue tagged teammates, and capture the other flag, but you have to work together to win the game. This is a great activity for a larger team with a competitive nature. 
   
   
6. Team Sports: Dodgeball, kickball, and cornhole are examples of competitive games that don't require high skill levels to enjoy. Sports are exciting ways to keep employees physically active, as well as encouraging team work and casual communication. 
   
   
7. Murder Mystery Dinner: Allow your team to dress up and play a mysterious role with a murder mystery event! You and your team will have to problem solve to determine the killer, while tapping into your creativity by playing a role and figuring out ways to trick one another.