9 alcohol-free ideas for team bonding

Most employees crave connection and camaraderie, especially after a full day of sitting in front of screens. Here are 9 alcohol-free ways to build trust in your teams.

Electives team

Published on

May 17, 2022

A team of diverse employees are standing outside an office building. They're smiling and one is holding out her arm to take a selfie. Someone in the back is holding up 2 fingers to make the peace sign.

Insights from Ellen Raim, Founder of People MatterWe focus more on solving than preventing People problems.

Most employees crave connection and camaraderie, especially after a full day of sitting in front of screens. At many workplaces, happy hours are the default bonding experience. But there are many alcohol-free ways to bring coworkers and teams together.

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Here are nine alcohol-free ways to build trust in your teams:

1. Be tourists in your own city.

Bond with your team by exploring a city of your choice. Pick a city your near your office, where someone lives or somewhere completely different. Visit a museum, explore a new park or walk the city together.

2. Attend a cooking class together.

Food is a great way to bring people together. Consider taking a cooking class (and even support a local business). During the class, your employees can connect with each other. And, after they class, they’ll have a new recipe to impress their loved ones and friends with!

3. Get creative in an art class.

Dedicate some time for employees to embrace their inner artists. Consider a pottery, painting or drawing class as a way for teams to bond with each other and discover a new skill/hobby.

Learn how creativity can impact productivity

4. Cheer for your favorite team at a local sports game.

Take your employees out to a ball game. Assign seats to ensure people spend some time with coworkers they don’t often work with.

5. Randomize coffee meet-ups.

Get out of your team out of its bubble. Pair up employees randomly for coffee dates. Let them choose the time and location (virtual is okay, too).

6. Volunteer as a team.

If your employees want to get more involved in sustainability or community service, consider giving back to your local community. Local soup kitchens, youth programs and beach or park cleanups can be great for teams.

7. Have a picnic.

Summer is around the corner, and a picnic is a great way for teams to spend time together. Go potluck style — everyone can bring something to share.

8. Attend a comedy show.

They say that laughter is the best medicine. Check out a local comedy club in your area. You’ll get to support local comedians while connecting with coworkers over humor.

9. Learn together.

Learning together is a great way to bring people together, and Electives can help you with this one. The Electives platform streamlines the planning, curation, logistics and measurement to make it possible for you to bring impactful learning to your team – no waiting for bigger budgets or more resources.

Learn more about the power of learning together as a team

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