As many places are beginning to transition back into the office setting, creating and maintaining a healthy work culture is more important than ever. Culture-building activities are a fantastic way to build team spirit while improving overall engagement. Participating in culture-building allows team members to get to know each other, communicate better, trust each other, and feel happier in the workplace.
Building a healthy work culture and positive environment is made easier by catering to your team’s unique mix of personality types. Once everyone has completed their personality assessment, you can choose activities to best suit their needs!
1. Team Trivia
Gather your team, and take a fun 15-30 minute trivia break dedicated to testing their knowledge. Whether you choose history, current events, random facts, or questions based more specifically on work-related topics--trivia is a fun way to get everyone involved. Because of their competitive nature, D-types will enjoy dividing up into teams and playing against each other for the title. You may even wish to appoint a Team Leader to speak for each group--D-types will enjoy having a position of authority and control.
2. Have a Raffle
Raffles are a great option to get your team excited about being in the office! These can be done quarterly, monthly, or weekly to boost engagement and reward your employees. Add a qualifier, such as completing a project or launching a new program to add purpose to the raffle. DISC Type D personalities will especially enjoy having an end goal/prize to set their sights on, along with the friendly competition that a raffle brings!
3. Icebreakers
Try starting your meetings with a fun icebreaker to get everyone comfortable and engaged. These activities can be as simple as you’d like, but each icebreaker can make a big difference for I-types! I-types are performative and social and will enjoy a chance to share their ideas and answers. Not only will these short games energize your I-types, but they will also get the whole team prepared for the meeting and more likely to participate in the conversation. Here are some to start with:
4. Create a Wall of Recognition
Dedicate a wall in the office or the breakroom for employees to call each other out--positively! All you need is a bright variety of colored sticky notes and markers to get started. Then, craft a fun sign and throw some black or white paper on the wall to highlight a special area for the post-it notes. Team members can write on the post-its and stick them to the wall as they please. This is an easy way to boost morale and allow employees the opportunity to appreciate one another. DISC Type I personalities love encouraging and motivating others and will enjoy the chance to spread some enthusiasm and positivity. If you’re not back in the office or have teams spread across geographies, you can implement the same activity over a shared Slack or Microsoft Teams channel.
5. Start a Book Club
Starting a virtual book club is a great way to get your team to connect and grow. Have team members sign up and share as they read. This activity is great because everyone can participate at their convenience! S-types will enjoy book clubs because they can meet and discuss the book in detail, forming more meaningful connections with their coworkers.
6. Play a game of “This or That”
This game is an excellent option for remote and in-office teams and opens the floor for conversation amongst team members. In a remote setting, have employees fill their answers out in survey form and show the results during a video call. In-office, simply have them raise their hand! Ideas can include coffee or tea, dogs or cats, sweet or savory, and books or film. Learning these silly insights about their colleagues will help thoughtful S-types feel involved and closer to the team.
7. Have a Scavenger Hunt
Divide your group into teams based on department or personality types, and set up clues and challenges around the office or building. Scavenger Hunts are an easy way to get everyone involved and moving. C-types will enjoy the process of solving the clues in the hunt-- you may even wish to add in some riddles or puzzles!
8. Play a Game of “Guess Who?”
Have each team member fill out a card with a fact about themselves that is unknown to the rest of the team. Appoint one person (a D-type or S-type would enjoy this role) to read the cards, and the rest of the team will guess whom they think the card is describing. “Guess who” requires players to think hard about the details of the people they work with, which can energize an analytical C-type.
9. Have Everyone Take a Free Personality Assessment
Have team members fill out a personality assessment and print your team’s unique personality chart—print enough copies for each person, along with a printable describing each personality type. Go around the room (or video call), and have each person give their opinion on what aspects of their type they feel best describes them. This exercise will provide insight and awareness to each person.
10. Use a Survey
Still unsure? Create a survey to get feedback from your team and find out which activities excite them. Doing this will work well with larger activities that may involve more time or travel. Here’s some to get you started:
Creating a positive work environment will not only benefit your employees but your company as well. Start today by learning more about your team!