Communication and collaboration are necessary for any successful business. However, building rapport is difficult when employees only meet during work hours. This is more challenging in workplaces that offer flex hours or remote work days.
Organizing after-work events for your employees remedies this problem. The key is to create a fun and engaging occasion that everyone will want to attend. Let’s see how these events help employees and look at some good ideas for setting one up.
How After-Work Events Benefit Your Teams
Most staff members get to know each other by working on a project. However, working under stressful conditions may cause team members to associate their colleagues with unpleasant situations when work conflicts arise. That can put stress on professional relationships. Leaders and managers need to find ways to create connections between team members.
Hosting events outside of work allows staff members to develop positive relationships. A pleasant after-work experience is also a great perk for employees because it demonstrates that leadership cares about their well-being. This improves collaboration, builds loyalty, and boosts morale because employees feel appreciated. This creates a positive corporate culture that benefits everyone, including prospective employees.
Shared out-of-office experiences can even pave the way toward friendships. However, making a successful after-work event takes planning.
Build Team Rapport with Game-Themed Event
You can create a themed event around a fun and engaging activity. If you incorporate games into a fun event, you’ll automatically have a team-building experience for team members.
Some ways you can integrate games into an after-hours event include:
- Host an arcade-themed event featuring stations where people can play classic favorites like Pac-Man.
- Create a mini-carnival event with simple games like ring toss or cornhole.
- Organize a scavenger hunt, where teams must work together to find items.
- Host an outdoor event with games like volleyball and other simple team sports.
Games and other interactive activities create an atmosphere that builds rapport and carries to the workplace.
Host an Educational Wine Dinner
For a more relaxing atmosphere, consider hosting a wine dinner. At these events, each food course is paired with a particular wine. You can create an engaging learning experience by sharing how and why certain wines go best with certain dishes. This is also an excellent idea if you are a member of a wine club. You can share your own collection and discuss how the club works.
This type of event works best in a warm atmosphere: soft lighting, candles on the tables, and background music. Dinner tables should be formal, with centerpieces. You can even give away fresh flower arrangements if you like.
Make sure that those participating in wine activities are of legal drinking age. You should also offer alternative beverages, such as soda or mocktails, for those who don’t drink or if you are inviting employees to bring their families. If so, be sure there is fun food for the kids.
More Fun Ideas for After Work
These are just a handful of possibilities for your employee event. You can always infuse any corporate event with fun, creative ideas. A few ideas include:
- Invite an exciting keynote speaker. You want to invite someone entertaining that will help everyone learn something new.
- Do an outdoor team-building event. These should be enjoyable but can also be challenging. An adventurous activity, like go-karting or tree-top climbing, is a great option if it’s not too scary for some team members.
- Hire a live performer. Book light-hearted entertainers, such as musicians, comedians, or jugglers.
- Host an event around something to wear. This can be as simple as inviting everyone to wear something blue or a hat. These events allow people to flex their creativity, providing a built-in icebreaker for your guests.
Those are just a few examples of memorable after-work events. No matter which you choose, take steps to ensure the night runs smoothly.
Important Considerations for Your Event
Before launching your event, there are several things to consider. Clean-up, food choices, and safety are the main items to review.
For example, an outdoor event should be eco-friendly. Avoid single-use plastic items by replacing them with reusable cutlery and plates. Use email and social media for announcements and invitations rather than paper products. You can even rent an eco-friendly venue with energy-efficient appliances and low-flow toilet bowls. Finally, be sure that your clean-up process is thorough, returning the venue to its original state.
Another important consideration is providing an inclusive menu for your guests. Sustainable and organic food items are a great idea. You also must be mindful of employees with food allergies and food preferences. Your menu should offer gluten-free and vegan meals, or options that avoid a specific allergen.
Safety and legal requirements are the most important considerations. Read and understand all contractual obligations with your vendors and venues. Additionally, if you are serving alcohol, be sure to offer intoxicated guests a safe way home, such as paying for a car service. If you do not have an alcohol policy for employee gatherings, now might be the best time to draft one that your employees can sign.
Memorable after-work events are a great way to build camaraderie and boost morale. They can improve office relationships and benefit collaborations. Designing these events around an exciting theme will draw interest and engagement, but do your due diligence to ensure a safe and responsible event.