How To Design Inclusive Employee Team-Building Events (Plus Ideas!)

When planning employee get-togethers or team-building activities, it’s all too easy to turn to the old standards; boozy happy hours, some form of competitive sport, or heading out for a meal in a busy restaurant. While such events can certainly be fun for some, they’re hardly inclusive: some people don’t drink for religious or health reasons, some have mobility issues which prevent certain physical activities, while others with neurodiversities such as autism may feel overwhelmed and overstimulated in a crowded environment. Now, that’s not to say you should never head down the pub or enjoy a round of ghetto golf. Rather, creating inclusive team-building events is all about understanding the individual needs, requirements and preferences or your team members, and formulating event ideas that everyone can enjoy – whether it be a calming book club session, or a high-energy outdoor adventure. Here’s our top tips!

Step one: communicate your intentions

Tell your team that although you’re still determined to live it up and have fun, you’re committed to making team building events as inclusive as possible. Let everyone know you’ll be welcoming their ideas, and that you value their input and perspective. This approach not only ensures that everyone feels valued and heard, but also encourages a sense of ownership and belonging among all team members.

Step two: set up an events committee

Your committee team should be chosen carefully to ensure you include a diverse cross-section of employees. Don’t just think about obvious characteristics such as race or disability – you should also consider including neurodivergent team members, or those who are open about mental health struggles such as anxiety. You should also make sure to include older team members, who may often feel excluded by traditional team building activities like heading down the pub for the Thursday night happy hour. This broad spectrum of perspectives will infuse your team building events with fresh ideas, ensuring they resonate with everyone.

Step three: survey

Although you ensured your events committee was as diverse as possible, you’ll still want to ensure you haven’t missed any considerations like specific dietary requirements, or the travel limitations of remote or hybrid workers. Pull together a survey which asks a variety of questions such as preferred event formats, dietary restrictions, accessibility needs, and potential scheduling conflicts. You might also ask about any hobbies or interests that team members would like to explore during team building activities. By gathering this detailed information, you’ll be equipped to come up with a killer ideas list for step four.

Step four: vote!

With all the feedback you’ve gathered up to this point, you should be able to pull together five or six ideas for the team to vote on. Alongside each option, give employees a brief description of what the event will involve, along with other considerations such as timing and travel plans.

Other tips

Now you have your winning idea, let’s run through some additional considerations to ensure your team building event goes off with a bang.

• Keep it voluntary. Is there anything worse than mandatory socialising? Even if you’ve come up with an event you think caters to everyone’s tastes, there will still be some team members who don’t want to attend, and that’s okay. For example, some employees might be feeling burnt out or need to rest, whereas some might simply find the experience overwhelming – a recent survey revealed that three out of five employees report feeling some degree of anxiety when participating in team-building activities.
• Consider holding the event during working hours. Although you might sacrifice an afternoon’s productivity, connecting with the rest of the team is part an important part of an employee’s work, and being asked to participate during their own free time could potentially cause resentment. Of course, your survey might reveal that your team is happy for the event to take place outside of working hours – either way, you should take their feelings into consideration.
• Prioritise flexibility and accessibility. Recognise that different team members may have varying needs and preferences. For instance, consider offering alternative time slots or providing options for remote participation can help those who might face scheduling conflicts or have different working arrangements. Choosing a venue that’s accessible to all also takes into consideration mobility issues so that everyone can fully participate.

Inclusive employee team-building activity ideas

Does your team need some inspiration? Here’s some ideas to get you thinking…

• Cookery or baking challenge. Put employees into teams – perhaps with others they don’t normally work with – and ask them to complete a culinary challenge against the clock.
• Book club. Each week, a team member gets to pick a book for the whole group to read, with everyone coming together for a discussion afterwards. You could also try this with podcasts!
• Skill swap session. Ask team members who are comfortable to share a skill, passion or hobby they have with the group – a great way to promote knowledge sharing and personal growth.
• Charity or volunteer days. Ask team members to collectively decide on a charity they’d like to help out, and see how you can get involved. Some charities offer corporate volunteer days, or you could host your own fundraising event instead.
• Trivia afternoon. Who doesn’t love a good quiz? For this activity, place team members with other employees they don’t typically work with, and run through a series of trivia questions on different topics. Prizes for the winners!

If the thought of designing inclusive social or team building events is overwhelming, bear in mind activities don’t need to be inclusive of every preference, disability or religion – you only need to cater to your team members. And if you can’t settle on an idea that suits everyone, consider rotating the types of activities you offer over time. That way, although not all employees can join in at once, everyone can get involved at some point. Ultimately, making the effort to create inclusive activities will demonstrate your respect and compassion for your team – something that even the most hardened happy-hour advocates will surely appreciate!

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