Category: Team Building

Introducing New Awesome Additions To Team Build NYC

Posted on | by Carly Syms

Since the turn of the new year, we’ve been introduced to several awesome team building companies in New York City that we’ve been so impressed with, we’ve added them to our list of top companies for local team building activities. Today, we wanted to take a minute to highlight some of our new favorite companies. Check out the list below and, as always, don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s a great team building company out there we should try!

1. Escape Entertainment – Escape Entertainment is all about the heart-pumping team building activities! This international team building company is one of the top live escape the room businesses out there, earning rave reviews from The New York Times:

2. Ahoy – Ahoy is all about tapping into people’s love of food and turning it into a bonding experience. Ahoy offers incredible food tours of one of the best culinary cities in the world. Walking tours include tasty meals and stops at local historical sites and iconic businesses and landmarks.

3. Brooklyn Zoo – Brooklyn Zoo is a new parkour facility in New York City that emphasizes activity and adrenaline as a team building experience. According to Brooklyn Zoo, their “experience inspires members to overcome obstacles both physical and mental.” Their methods focus on progression and attention to detail.

How To Use Team Building To Boost Employee Engagement

Posted on | by Carly Syms

It’s no secret there’s an engagement problem in today’s workplace. A 2015 Psychometrics Engagement Study found that a jaw-dropping 69% of employees believed their company had an engagement problem, while 82% felt it was critical for their organization to address this issue. That’s a lot of unhappy employees – and a lot of unhappy employees who want their company to fix the problem.

It’s also no secret that better engaged employees are better performing employees, and that’s crucial to your business’ success. Studies have shown almost 80% of employees who considered themselves highly engaged trust their managers, and those employees who feel as though their company values them are 60% more likely to feel motivated to do their absolute best for the business. So what is there to lose by rededicating your company to improving employee engagement?

Below are three great ways to boost employee morale and help ensure you have a dedicated, committed team.

1) Have fun together. Team building is a proven strategy for increasing employee engagement and morale, and it doesn’t have to be boring or cheesy. Take Museum Hack’s renegade scavenger hunts of one of the world’s best museums! Museum Hack will have your employees uncovering the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s hidden treasures and hurrying through the museum’s halls in a race to mimic their favorite sculptures. Their incredible tour guides will have your team laughing, competing, and relaxing, all while recharging their batteries as they return to work focused and ready to go.

2) Volunteer together. Paying it forward is never a bad idea, and what better way to inspire feelings of camaraderie than with a team building volunteering event? Spend a day building houses with Habitat for Humanity, serve food at a local soup kitchen, or head down to the animal shelter to get in a little exercise with adorable pooches in need of walks.

3) Celebrate success. Always ensure that your employees’ achievements don’t go unnoticed. Celebrating successes, both big and small, can have a hugely positive impact on your workforce – and that’s critical to keeping your employees happy, engaged, and committed to your company.

The key is to make your employees feel valued. A happy employee is, in all likelihood, an engaged employee, and it’s clear that engaged employees are better for all facets of your business.

Museum Hack Designs Custom Team Building Scavenger Hunt

Posted on | by Carly Syms

Our friends over at Museum Hack posted recently about a custom-built scavenger hunt they put together for Wix.com. What caught our eye about Museum Hack’s post was the way they highlighted the customer experience from start to finish.

A Museum Hack group on a scavenger hunt.
A Museum Hack group on a scavenger hunt.

According to the post, Wix.com reached out to Museum Hack with a specific team building goal in mind. The company wanted to promote a certain type of communication – and one that Museum Hack had yet to work with. That, however, didn’t stop the team and they set about creating a team building event for Wix that would emphasize the company’s distinct team building goals.

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Don’t forget the interns! Team building tips for intern orienation

Posted on | by Carly Syms

Our friends over at TeamBonding have tons of great tips and suggestions for team building, and we particularly love their recent blog post reminding employees to pay special attention to interns and intern orientation.

Interns offer a unique opportunity to evaluate, develop, and, theoretically, hire in-house talent. But while businesses are often busy grooming their interns, they may not realize that interns can use their time in the office to evaluate whether this is a company they’d want to work for in the future.

That’s why it’s important for companies to make sure their interns are treated well, and the best way to do that is to get off on the right foot from the very beginning.

Intern orientation lays the foundation for the intern experience within the company and it’s critical to make sure you dedicate the necessary time and resources to ensure this is a great event.

Check out TeamBonding’s intern orientation checklist and the goals they suggest promoting at your orientation here.

And may we suggest incorporating a little team building into the day?

This is a large group of people coming together likely for the first time. It’s critical to make sure they get to know one another quickly, and what better way to do that than with a team building activity? It doesn’t have to be a full-feature event like a tour with Museum Hack or an outing to Chelsea Piers, but take a little time to engage in an in-office team building activity to break the ice and get everyone feeling a little bit more comfortable in their company.

A Customized New York Team Building Experience

Posted on | by Carly Syms

You know it’s time to invest in a team building activity for your group, but how do you decide what activity to choose? There are dozens of choices for company team building events in New York City, and we’re here to help you narrow down those options so you can find the best fit for your team.

We firmly believe that team building isn’t one-size-fits all and we’re big fans of organizations that promote individualized, custom company team building events. What works well for your group may not be the best option for someone else.

Today, we’re highlighting Museum Hack, a New York-based tour guide and corporate events company that takes visitors on incredible tours of several local museums, including the Met, American Museum of Natural History, Rubin Museum, and the Fraunces Tavern.

A Dannon team member participates in the custom yogurt scavenger hunt.
A Dannon team member participates in the custom yogurt scavenger hunt.

Museum Hack is all about celebrating each company’s individuality. Their tour guides will take your group on a custom museum tour, revealing crazy, little-known secrets and juicy museum gossip. Tour guides will plan with you in advance to make sure you get exactly what you want out of your team building event. They’ll even design a completely custom scavenger hunt meant to tie your company themes into the activity! Recently, Museum Hack was able to create a brand new tour focused completely on yogurt for The Dannon Company at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We love Museum Hack and their instance on celebrating what makes their customers unique. They are truly a company that believes no team building events should ever look completely alike. Get in touch and check out their New York company team building activities!

An Awesome Time Team Building At Komnata Quest!

Posted on | by Carly Syms
Have you ever been envious of ninjas or secret agents and their awesome stealthy skills? Have you ever wanted to pretend you’re 007 in a race against the clock? If the idea is tempting to you at all, then Komnata Quest‘s team building games in New York City are perfect to help you live out that fantasy.
Like a team building obstacle course, our team got the chance to explore Komnata Quest’s amazing team building adventures. We broke into rooms, skillfully ducked under lasers, and partook in several mischievous heists.
Our team at Komnata Quest's Impossible Murder Mystery.
Our team at Komnata Quest’s Impossible Murder Mystery.

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KDM Events Introduces Hunger Games-Style Team Building Activities

Posted on | by Carly Syms

A UK-based team building and corporate events company has just announced the launch of its new Hunger Games-style activity designed to promote team bonding.

In The Hunger Games, participants compete for survival in a fight to the death until just one remains alive. While we’re pretty confident everyone will leave KB Events’ team building activity in one piece, the company says they’re already seeing a tremendous spike in popularity.

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3 Awesome, Active Team Building Activities

Posted on | by Carly Syms

Your company team building activities don’t have to involve sitting in poorly lit rooms, going over lame icebreakers, or practicing trust falls. Why not get your team away from their desks and do something that’s not only fun, but active?

Many of us spend too much time sitting during the day. Choosing an awesome and active company team building activity will not only help your group get a little bonus exercise, but it’ll be so much fun, they won’t even realize what’s happening. So go ahead, get out there in the fresh air, and enjoy time together as a team!

Below we list three great team building companies in New York that will help plan an amazing active adventure for your group!

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The Truth About Employee Engagement

Posted on | by Carly Syms

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Employee engagement is one of the most important factors in determining the overall health of your company. Think about it – employees who are happy at work are more likely to be productive, better workers, and loyal to the business. Studies have shown that disengaged employees are detrimental to many facets of a company, including the business’ bottom line. Can your company afford to employ unhappy workers?

In the 2014 TINYpulse Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture Report, more than 500 organizations were surveyed, and many of the numbers are grim:

  • Close to 80% of workers don’t feel that they’re strongly valued by their companies.
  • At least 25% of employees don’t have the tools they need to do their jobs well.
  • Two-thirds of workers don’t see opportunities for advancement in their current positions.
  • About half of employees don’t care for their boss.

Perhaps even more telling from the survey? The top reason employees go above and beyond in the workplace isn’t because they love their jobs or want to see the company succeed or think there may be more money in it for them; it’s because of their coworkers and camaraderie.

With that in mind, team building can offer the perfect solution. Employees who routinely undergo fun, exciting team building activities are likely happier and more engaged in the workplace. That alone has enormous benefits for your company. The other boost? Team building strengthens bonds within your workplace, thus creating workers who are even more willing to go the extra mile for the company.

If you haven’t given team building a try yet, why not? There’s much more to gain than there is to lose.

NHL Team Credits Team Building With Postseason Success

Posted on | by Carly Syms

It’s been a long time coming for the Nashville Predators, who, earlier this week, forced a decisive Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks after battling back late in the third period for an overtime win. The Preds’ are closer than they’ve ever been before to the Western Conference Finals.

The Predators’ season very nearly ended after the Sharks scored the go-ahead goal after Preds’ netminder, Pekka Rinne, simply slipped and fell in front of the net. Instead, the team battled back for a 4-3 win in the extra frame.

General Manager David Poile credits team building with the Preds’ on-ice success this season. Poile learned his love of team building from his father, Bud, who also served as an NHL GM. The younger Poile recently talked to USA Today about how important he believes team chemistry is to on-ice success.

You can read more about how the Preds say team building was their secret ingredient this season here.