Team Building 101: 5 Reasons to consider a corporate coach trip in 2016

It is very important to make sure your employees are working well together in the office; this can make or break a business.

If they don’t feel like a team, they won’t be reaching their potential together. A great way to encourage good communication and productivity in the workplace is to take your employees away for a chance to get to know each other outside the office environment. Once they have been given the opportunity to make genuine connections with each other (and had some fun at the same time) you will find that they are much more motivated and focused when they get back to work.

Team building activities are well known to improve team performance by improving communication between employees, encouraging a bit of friendly competition, fostering creativity and by offering everyone a revitalizing break from their everyday routines. A happy and motivated team is clearly much better for business.

Hiring a coach is a simple and affordable way to sort out the transport and also gives everyone time to socialize on the journey. Corporate away days do not need to cost the earth. Whether you are looking at coach hire to Norwich or Manchester, or planning a trip in your home county, sourcing attraction tickets, travel and dinner separately may work out cheaper than an existing corporate package so shop around and do your research.

If you need more encouragement to take your team out of the office for a fun coach trip away together, here are five reasons why it would be great for your business.

1. Boosting team performance

Team building trips are known to improve the performance of employees once they get back to the office and start some projects together. They have a new understanding of each other’s abilities and interests which makes working together much easier. They will also develop new levels of trust for each other. The benefits of this are clear for your company but will also make your employees jobs easier and more enjoyable.

It is also likely that the natural leaders will come forward in these activities, which gives them a chance to develop their leadership skills. This will undoubtedly help them in their own careers.

2. Communicating and networking

Everyone wants to work in an environment where they feel comfortable and find it easy to talk to colleagues. A team building trip will bring your team closer together and make the office environment a much more comfortable and productive place to be. The trip would also give people from different departments who don’t usually see each other in the office a chance to meet.

If you create an opportunity for your employees to really get to know each other and become good friends, morale in the office will be increased and so will motivation for solving issues in the workplace. You will notice that your team will get much better at problem-solving and resolving conflicts once they get to know each other a little better and can effectively group their skills together.

3. Competition

Competition has been shown to increase productivity between businesses. But this is also true within the business infrastructure too so encouraging a bit of a competitive attitude in your staff is no bad thing. Introduce some challenges that spark up a bit of friendly rivalry outside the office and you will find that this productivity continues once back at the desk on Monday morning. Activities which have clear aims and goals allow your team to experience ‘winning’ together when they achieve them. Get them to celebrate together and they will want to win again.

4. Fostering creativity

If employees are comfortable around each other they will find it easier to come up with more creative ideas. Break down the social barriers between people and they will allow their imaginations a little more freedom. They will be able to combine their creative thinking in a much more effective manner too – those team meetings will suddenly become a much more productive place.

5. A bit of fun

At the end of the day if the workplace is full of stressed people it isn’t going to be a very comfortable environment to work in and the work that is being done won’t be meeting its potential. Having a break from routine that can become monotonous is very important for keeping motivation levels up. Giving tired brains the chance to recover with a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery will do everyone a lot of good.

Where to go on your team building trip?

There are many places across the country that offer lots of activities that would be perfect for a team bonding trip. Why not take them somewhere new? For example, Norwich is a busy city in the heart of the beautiful Norfolk countryside and only half an hour from the sea. This offers a number of varied activities which means that you’ll be able to find something for everyone in your team.

For those who love being active there are the dry ski slopes at the Norfolk Snowsports Club or several trampoline parks in the city. Being so close to the Norfolk Broads there are plenty of activities on the water too. For those who find therapy in the natural world there is an Africa Alive zoo and plenty of beautiful beaches on the nearby coast. There are several National Trust sites dotted around the county which could be good sites for setting up some challenges like treasure hunts. After a day full of activities there are many great places in the city to grab some food including many independent pubs and restaurants like Benedict’s, B’nou and The Last Wine Bar & Restaurant.

Team building trips are undoubtedly a return on investment for employers. If your employees are having fun together and getting to know each other they will also be more creative and productive together in the workplace. Get the coach booked and let someone else take care of the transport and take your team away for some bonding time.