No matter what your company does, it can benefit from the occasional team-building exercise. An office runs better and provides a healthier environment when the people inside get along and trust each other.
When trying to decide on a team-building activity, though, you might feel spoiled for choice. There are several popular styles of team building, from office retreats to paintball matches and more.
However, some of these can be expensive or time-consuming. They may not provide the results you want, either–are people really going to bond on that weekend nature retreat? Will paintball spark unwanted rivalries?
One option you may not have considered for team-building is an escape room. Escape rooms are fun, fast, and affordable–an office escape room feels more like a work party than anything else.
At the same time, though, they offer all the benefits you’d want from a team-building activity. Read on to learn how.
Improve Problem-Solving Skills
One of the biggest benefits of using an escape room as a team-building activity is that escape rooms build problem-solving skills in your team members. Escape rooms present unique problems for employees to solve.
Each escape room is different, so even if your employees have been to an escape room before, they’ll still be facing new tasks that they’re unfamiliar with. It’s a great way to see who thinks best on their feet!
Escape rooms also encourage outside-the-box thinking. The puzzles in these rooms are far outside the norm for the average person, forcing players to flex their creative muscles to find solutions.
All of this helps prepare employees for tricky situations that might arise in the office!
Pressure Without Stakes
As strange as it may sound, pressure–in moderation–can be a good thing. Small, manageable levels of pressure can help employees focus on a task and work more efficiently.
It’s important not to put too much pressure on someone; you don’t want them to burn out or suffer from fatigue and anxiety.
An escape room puts your group of employees under just the right amount of pressure. There’s a time limit, forcing them to move fast and work together if they want to win.
Ultimately, though, there’s no punishment for losing. That should keep the stress from ratcheting up too high. Everyone knows that, while they would like to win, losing isn’t the end of the world. The stakes are low.
Identify Leaders
In a situation like an escape room, leaders tend to emerge. Your group has a limited amount of time to accomplish their goal, and they need to work together to do so. They need someone to keep them organized and on-task.
Someone is going to step up, and it may not be the person you expect! One of the great things about using escape rooms as team-building activities is that it separates employees from the usual office structure.
As a result, someone who may not seem confident at the office might feel more comfortable taking up a leadership role. Escape rooms can help you identify who is and isn’t suited to such a position in your company.
Empower Your Employees
Every person contributes something to an escape room. They feature lots of complex puzzles that need several minds working in tandem to figure out; it’s guaranteed that every person in your group will have a moment to shine.
Whether an employee helps organize clues, takes on a leadership role, or simply solves one of the trickier puzzles, every single person contributes. That makes everyone feel like a valued member of the team.
A regular employee party might boost morale, but it won’t give your workers the sense of pride and accomplishment an escape room can offer!
Foster Communication
As we’ve covered, escape room puzzles require cooperation. No one person in the office is going to solve every part of the escape room. It requires several people working together–and they need to communicate.
Communication issues are behind many of the problems in the modern office. People may not communicate effectively with other departments; entry-level employees may not talk to management enough (or vice-versa).
An environment that’s outside the office–like an escape room–can help remove people from those structures and power dynamics that impede communication. The need to solve puzzles further encourages dialogue.
Once your employees have built a rapport during the escape room, it can translate to better communication in the office, too.
Escape Rooms Are Flexible
The beauty of escape rooms is that there are dozens of them–it’s easy to find one that suits your needs. You don’t need to worry about high expenses, either; there are escape rooms for every budget!
There are also countless escape room themes to choose from. The Great Escape Room Chicago offers several different themes, each with unique puzzles for your employees to solve!
These days, remote work is on the rise. If your office uses remote workers, either permanently or temporarily as a result of the pandemic, have no fear: you can still use an escape room as a team-building activity!
There are plenty of options for online escape rooms that offer all the benefits of a regular room but in a safe, virtual environment.
Have Fun
Team-building exercises have an unfair reputation for being boring or cheesy. The truth is, fun activities like escape rooms are great at building bonds between team members!
Lots of people do escape rooms for fun–odds are good that several members of your team enjoy, or are interested in trying, escape rooms. They won’t approach it as work, they’ll approach it as a fun game with their officemates.
That will help everyone relax, putting them in a better headspace to get to know each other. It will boost morale for your employees while also giving you all the benefits listed above!
The Perfect Team Building Exercise
Finding the perfect team building exercise has never been easier. Escape rooms can bring your employees together with a common goal–and they won’t break your budget, either.
Are you looking for other ways to improve your office? Whether you want more tips on boosting morale or advice on reaching new customers, you can visit our business blog for more great articles!
