Bicom Systems is gearing up for their first ever, international team building event. Our many offices from around the world will finally meet! To promote our excitement, I thought I should share the many benefits of having a global team building.

Hanging out with your coworkers outside of the office is probably the last thing you want to do after working 8hours a day, 5 days a week with them. It can especially get awkward when you’re forced to make small talk with coworkers you don’t know. But, what some of you may not know, is that team building has both short term and long-term benefits!

Get to Know Each Other

It is not uncommon for employees to work for the same company and never interact with one another; especially if the company has offices worldwide. Team building encourages communication between coworkers who sit side by side and with coworkers who work in another office. At a global team building, you can talk to coworkers you normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to. For example, an employee from the IT department can connect with someone from the marketing team. Or you have the chance to finally put a face to the person you work with daily.

Connects Remote Workers

In a previous blog post, we learned the many advantages of hiring remote workers. Since remote employees do not work in a physical office, they may never physically meet their colleagues. Collaborating virtually can be tough and an article written in the Harvard Business Review stated: “A Study of 1,100 Employees Found That Remote Workers Feel Shunned and Left Out”.

Global team building is one way to ensure your remote workers feel included. This gives them the opportunity to meet their coworkers and to put a face and personality to particular people. Remote workers miss out on the “water cooler” chit chat but team building would give them the chance to connect with everyone informally.

Increase Collaboration

Once the activities begin employees will soon learn their teammate’s strengths and weaknesses. People will soon realize if they work well with certain coworkers or not; And when they do, employees can take the team building experience and build on it back in the office. Teams that collaborate well on projects will not only be more efficient but will also promote creativity in the workplace.

Promotes Creativity

Mixing teams with employees from different departments will initiate a flow of fresh ideas. Aside from collaboration, team building will also promote creativity in your employees. For example, taking a team out of the office and placing them in a different setting will force them to think outside the box. Team building should be fun, so your employees will feel more relaxed and are free to problem solve without strict deadlines.

Breaks Barriers

In corporate settings or large companies, there is often a disconnect between senior and junior level employees. It is normal to find an employee who has never had a conversation with the CEO. Team building gives leaders the chance to get to know employees on a personal level and vice versa. The strictly professional relationship that employees have built up will break and they will see the human side of one another. Robust relationships will form, and employees will feel more comfortable expressing their ideas/opinions to their superiors.

To summarize, implementing an international team building will immediately prompt conversation, motivate employees and break barriers. This bonding experience will transfer to improve productivity, communication, and collaboration in the long term!