2025: The year of the strategic work social?  

Businesses should not ignore the importance of team building opportunities at work, to allow employees to connect and build trust with their peers. Connection and trust are the key component to any relationship, with 70% of employees striving for an emotional connection at work, and 69% believing it’s important for their leadership team to emotionally connect with them. These relationships are often interlinked to employee retention and morale, and more often than not, productivity at work.  

Currently, UK sick leave is surging by almost 41%, with worker productivity levels declining, impacting business’s bottom line. Especially in the lead up to Christmas, businesses must ensure that employees feel valued and connected at work in order to keep operations running smoothly, and prioritise employee wellbeing.  

Research from the CIPD shows that 65% of employees reported feeling more engaged and connected to their colleagues after participating in offsite team-building activities, and a survey by TeamBuilding, found 70% of employees felt that socialising outside of work led to better collaboration and communication within teams.  

So how can businesses approach ‘socials’ at work through a more strategic lens in the coming, admittedly tough, month ahead? 

Key dates to pay attention to  

National holidays or key moments in the calendar present a great opportunity for business leaders to celebrate wins across the team and appreciate employees for their consistent efforts. Notable dates like Christmas, Diwali, Easter, International Women’s Day, Thanksgiving give employees something to look forward to and give employers an opportunity to convey their values and create a natural ‘hook’ to schedule team bonding and social activities that help bring colleagues closer together. 

An annual Christmas party, for instance, can allow employees from across the entire company to get together to celebrate toward the end of the year and form new connections. A whole company social can be a great time to organise small challenges or festive games (from card games to trivias), to allow employees to interact in a more relaxed setting, which can translate to better collaboration and communication at work. This way, employees from separate parts of the business also get a chance to meet, improving business cohesion. 

Strategic team building 

Planning a team building experience starts with HRDs and team leads understanding what they’d like to encourage – from specific behaviours to changing perceptions or eliciting more positive emotional responses. Team building can take on various forms, from going for a special meal to tackling a team escape room, and each setting will get employees interacting in different ways. For this it’s important to be aware of individuals’ communication styles as well as that everyone knows the end goal. It’s good to begin with understanding what aspect a team may be lacking, in order to work on improving this. For instance, if there’s a communication issue, business leaders may find it beneficial to plan a new team experience in the form of a cookery class or an escape room, where employees have to interact in order to solve a problem or create an end product. 

The outcomes leaders could focus on may range from wanting to mix levels and specialisms within the company, bringing remote teams together, improving communication, tackling any friction, or bringing to life the benefits of teamwork and collaboration. It’s important to remember that team building outcomes will translate into the work setting and positively impact the business.  

It’s vital that business leaders also ensure the chosen activity is appealing to the whole group, as opposed to a fraction of it. A crucial part of employee recognition and inclusion is accommodating all employees, and making sure no individual feels alienated. 

Timing is also an important factor to consider. If the company throws an annual Christmas or summer party, other team building activities should be spaced out between these. This will allow employees to engage with their teams regularly throughout the year, without overwhelming them with too many plans. This will also help in maintaining momentum from fun team events or recognition on a consistent basis, keeping employees engaged and feeling overall happier. 

Ideas for team-building 

Of course, team building activities will be dependent on budgets and availability among the workforce.  

Throughout the year, there are various key dates businesses can leverage, giving employees something to look forward to. For Easter, for instance, businesses could organise an Easter Egg/Scavenger hunt; summer time presents a great opportunity to get the team outside to compete in Summer Olympics or various team sports; and Halloween might inspire the team to carve pumpkins and dress up for the day. There are plenty of ideas to keep employees engaged and excited. 

We recently combined a social activity with a strategic business launch, serving a dual purpose of education and bonding. We took our employees to Legoland; a day out which allowed teams to gain a better understanding of our newest gift card offering and partnership with Merlin Entertainments, while exploring the park, enjoying various rides and getting to know colleagues they may not work with directly. 

Team building for the festive season 

When it comes to Christmas, parties often occupy budgets, however there are other ways leaders can ensure employees feel the festive spirit without breaking the bank. Businesses could set up personalised, festive themed quizzes either remotely or in the office, plan gingerbread decorating stations or organise a Secret Santa Exchange. Alternatively, employers could organise a charity drive, which employees can plan together to give something back to their local communities. These types of development days give individuals the opportunity to collaborate in teams toward a good cause. Businesses can organise such types of volunteering days throughout the year, as well, and allow employees to sign up depending on their interests and availability, ensuring there’s a mixture of individuals from across the company.  

Of course, it’s important for businesses to ensure their activities are inclusive and enjoyable for all. Here, businesses could choose to share an annual anonymous survey, to gain a better understanding of what their employees are looking for when it comes to team building activities. This can help employers make informed decisions that will benefit employees and the business in the long run.  

Engaged and happy employees will contribute toward a more productive workforce. This is why we at Virgin Incentives strongly feel team building activity is a key component in any business. Not only will it allow people across the entire company to socialise and build relationships and trust, but it will translate into increased morale. As a matter of fact, businesses that regularly engage in team building have a 36% increased employee retention rate.