In the current job market, you may have noticed that job seekers are placing a lot of emphasis on company culture.  However, if you feel your company culture isn’t attracting the kind of talent you’d like to see, it can be difficult to know where to start.  While there are several things to address from the top down in your organization, one thing that helps build relationships and trust among your employees is planning events and activities to get out of the office and bond with one another.

When you allow your employees the opportunity to get to know one another and learn about their peers away from the office, not only are they more likely to work better together, but they’re more likely to enjoy it and stay at the company longer.  Eventually, things like this can be seen outside of your organization, and incoming talent will see that you support a positive company culture.  Here are some memorable and fun ways to spend a day with your staff outside of the office:

Volunteering

The best thing about volunteering for a day or even a few hours is that it is nearly impossible for you and your team to feel bad about it by the end.  Additionally, there is no shortage of organizations that consistently need help, so there are always opportunities to get involved and give back.  Not only is it a feel-good event, but you can also build on your teamwork skills, as well as your capacity for empathy and understanding others on your team.  Additionally, showing support for your local community is a good way to build a well-respected brand image for your company.

Escape Games

This new trend is incredibly popular with organizations across the country.  Escape game facilities take your team into a room where you have to work together to figure out how to get out.  Through this series of challenges, you’ll learn how your team functions best as a whole, using everyone’s unique strengths to accomplish one shared goal.  By the end of it, you’ll have a much better idea of how to function more effectively as a team in the office.

Improvisation Workshop

If you ever need a laugh, an improvisation workshop is sure to get your whole team chuckling.  Improvisation is a form of comedy performance that is made up completely on the spot, and the practice teaches a lot of valuable life lessons along with it.  Along with improving your ability to react at a moment’s notice, improv can teach your staff to accept each other’s ideas and support them by adding concepts of their own.  When your team gets out of their head a little bit, they may realize that solutions are less complex than they seem when you work together.

Fitness or Sporting Activities

Not only are sporting activities a great way to get out of the office and get moving, but there are so many ways to go about it.  In addition to organizing a team in an existing league, you can organize a field day or a fitness class like yoga or kickboxing.  In addition to promoting a healthy lifestyle for your employees, it promotes a healthy state of mind.  Physical activities can relieve stress and anxiety, as well as build teamwork and interpersonal skills that are bound to translate to the office.

Dinner or Happy Hour

Of course, there is always the old standby of a dinner or happy hour event.  In addition to this being easy to plan, it’s an event that will have almost universal approval—who doesn’t want free food and drinks?  Even this simple gesture lets your employees just relax and enjoy each other’s company, allowing people to converse with those they may not normally get to see in the office.  As a result, they will know that they are valued and deserve a night off every once in a while.