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The fall is here, the summer is over, and vacation season is winding to a close. It’s time to get back to work and buckle down, and if your teams are like most, you can expect some bumpy landings during the return from the beach to the cubicle. Here are a few simple team building exercises that can ease the transition back to work and help your teams reconnect, hit refresh, and gear up for the work that lies ahead.

Get Outside

No matter where your office is located, a quick internet search can point the way to the nearest park, hiking trail, or patch of open space in your area. Schedule a group activity that takes place outside and offers a change of venue. If you don’t mind some planning and preparation, schedule a hike or a group walk around the neighborhood during the lunch hour. If not, just hold your regular status update or brainstorming session in the courtyard instead of the conference room. Find out what a simple change of pace and breath of fresh air can do to boost conversation and connection.

Offer a Hack Day (or Hack Hour)

Once a year, some companies like to schedule a “hack day”, or a full day in which employees come to work but focus their time and attention on their own creative projects. You don’t have to offer a full day (especially if you and your clients can’t afford it), but consider offering a miniature version of the same concept: an hour or two in which you turn your employees lose to spend their time on any project they choose. This kind of freedom can demonstrate respect and spark ideas that may take root and grow.

Create Team Challenges

Schedule an official team building session that’s designed and led not by an expensive management training company, but by you. Divide your group into teams and offer prizes or appealing incentives for winning group challenges like these: Making a cardboard bridge that can hold the heaviest weight, working together to solve a puzzle in the shortest possible time, or playing a fun team-focused game like Pictionary. A short diversion that leads to laughter, high fives, and group trust can be just what the doctor ordered for employees who feel overburdened or isolated.

For more on how to bring your teams back on track as the season changes, reach out to the management and staffing professionals at Expert.

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