Work is stressful. Even in the best of jobs in the best of times, work can take a toll on us physically and mentally. Finding ways to alleviate and manage that stress is key if you want to create a positive and healthy workplace. Low stress team building games are one potential tool you can use to proactively reduce stress and improve team dynamics.
While team building can be very involved and potentially stressful, there are a large number of low stress team building games that can help employees manage stress. These activities, games, and events can serve as a fun break from the day to day, all while you improve various aspects of your team.
In today’s article, we’re going to discuss the role that low stress team building plays in reducing stress. We’ll cover stress in the workplace, how team building can help reduce stress, the benefits, examples, and how to measure the impact to ensure you get the best results possible.
Understanding Stress in the Workplace
First, we need to take a look at stress in the workplace, its negative effects, and why it is crucial for employers to address stress in their teams. So first, let’s look at what workplace stress is.
Stress in the workplace is similar to other types of stress we feel in our lives, whether it be from personal problems, relationship struggles, or something else.
Workplace stress however comes directly from our time and experiences at work. It can grow out of nearly anything. Toxic management, high demands, overly long hours, lack of support, confusion, gossip, and more can all cause workplace stress.
So why does this all matter? There are a multitude of negative impacts of stress on employees. According to the American Institute of Stress, 34% of stressed employees lose an hour or more of productivity per day due to stress. On top of that, Zippia found that around one million Americans miss work each day due to stress.
And that’s just the start. Stress can have numerous other impacts on your employees and workplace. Stressed employees can get irritable, which can lead to a toxic work environment that further increases stress. It can hamper productivity, communication, and teamwork. And stress employees are less motivated and engaged, meaning they are less creative and innovative.
As you can see, the negative effects of stress are not something you can ignore. If left unchecked, stress can quickly lower morale, productivity, and drag down your whole team. And since managers and employers have the ability to make changes that can prevent and or minimize stress, they have a responsibility to do so if they want their teams to be at their best.
The Role of Team Building in Stress Reduction
Given that stress is an issue employers need to deal with, how can employers reduce stress in the workplace? There are many ways to deal with stress at work, but one of the most effective ways is with low stress team building.
As mentioned earlier, many think of team building as something that can be stressful. It makes sense too; team building often features very involved activities, lots of socialization, competition, and more that can be stressful for many. However, not all team building is the same, and there are many low stress team building activities.
Low stress team building can play a very important role in reducing workplace stress. There are numerous stress reducing benefits (which we’ll discuss in just a bit), as well as other benefits that can help your team in general. Alongside other methods of stress reduction, team building can be an incredibly effective tool.
That said, it shouldn’t be your only method of stress reduction either. Team building is one of many methods you should utilize in your pursuit to decrease stress at work. You should also be taking advantage of other methods.
For example, focusing on creating a psychologically safe workplace can have a big impact on stress. Adding regular breaks to schedules can also go a long way in decreasing stress. Encouraging employees to set boundaries is another strategy that can help reduce stress.
There are tons and tons of methods you can use to minimize stress, and you should be using a combination of them in tandem with team building. When used together, they can have astonishing impacts on your employees’ stress levels.
Benefits of Low Stress Team Building Games
Now, let’s go over the benefits of low stress team building games. These benefits are some of the many reasons to team build. You might be surprised at just how many benefits there are, so let’s take the time to review some of them.
One of the more obvious benefits it can have is letting employees take a break and have some fun. Getting away from work and focusing on a fun activity or challenge can be a great way to reduce stress. Just like going for a hike after work can help you destress, so can doing a team building activity with your fellow employees.
Another benefit that often gets overlooked is that low stress team building increases bonds between team members. More importantly though, there is a strong link between team bonds and stress levels. Employees with close bonds tend to be less stressed, and it makes sense.
When you’re close with your fellow employees, you have people to lean on. If you’re struggling with something, you can ask for help. If you’re burnt out and need a break, you can joke around with a friend. If you need to vent frustration about a project, you have people to vent to. Just having people around that you feel comfortable with can have a huge impact on decreasing stress.
Wellness is also a frequently overlooked benefit. Much has been written about the importance of wellness at work and how it relates to productivity, engagement, attendance, retention, and more. Low stress team building games are a great way to put a focus on wellness, helping employees feel better physically and mentally.
Low stress team building in particular is effective because you can get all of those benefits without adding further stress. These activities focus on the aspect of team building that will help lower stress, all while being relaxed enough to prevent any additional stress. This makes them an incredibly valuable resource if you’re trying to decrease stress.
Examples of Low Stress Team Building Games
Now that you know why low stress team building is important and the impact it can have, let’s look at some examples of fun stress relieving activities for employees. As always, these are just a few examples. You can always get creative and come up with your own fun activities for employees, but these events are a good starting point.
One of our favorite stress management activities for employees is Mission ImPAWssible: Pet Wheelchair Build. In this activity, you and your team members will build K9 wheelchairs which are donated to animals in need. This event will bring your team members together, build relationships, and give people a chance to relax and have some fun.
Another great choice is Team Wellbeing, which is our employee wellness program. As explained earlier, wellbeing plays an important role in stress management. This program progresses in three stages, where participants recognize the influence of their actions on the happiness of others, make intentional choices to positively impact collective well-being, and commit to ongoing action for consistent behavior development.
Measuring the Impact
Lastly, it’s important to talk about measuring the impact of your stress reduction strategies and activities. If you aren’t tracking and measuring to see if you’re actually reducing stress, you don’t know whether or not what you’re doing is working. So let’s go over a few ways you can measure the impact.
Anonymous surveys are a classic choice for measuring impact. Since the surveys are anonymous, employees can speak freely about how they feel. These surveys can often have surprising results, for better or worse. So they are a worthwhile strategy to consider.
Another option is the direct route—talking to employees. This works best if you already have a relationship where employees feel safe and comfortable talking to management. But directly talking to your employees can be a good way to get their direct feelings and feedback.
One last option is to look at other measurable metrics, such as turnover, retention, productivity, and employee satisfaction. Since all of those things should be improved by reduced stress, you can use them to gauge how effective your stress reduction has been.
Destress with Team Bonding
Stress can wreak havoc on your employees and workplace if left unchecked, but reducing stress is often easier said than done. Low stress team building activities are one of the most effective ways to tackle workplace stress. They can help build comradery, give employees a break, improve communication, and more—all of which can help reduce stress.
Destress your employees and workplace with Team Bonding. We have over 25 years of experience doing corporate events, and we have numerous team building events of all types. So get in touch with us and start improving your workplace today!
