The Benefits of Outdoor Team Building for Employee Engagement and Planet Preservation

As temperatures rise and summer approaches, outdoor team building activities can boost your team's morale and strengthen your connection to the environment. Investing in outdoor team building activities shows your employees that you're committed to their happiness and wellbeing, leading to increased engagement and productivity. Studies show that being in nature improves cognitive performance, creativity, and problem-solving skills in the workplace. That’s why here at Next Big Thing, we offer bespoke adventures that integrate workplace culture, social responsibility programs, and community engagement approaches. Encouraging your employees to experience moments of awe can have profound effects on their engagement, teamwork, and creativity.

1. The Benefits of Outdoor Team Building for Employee Engagement

Employees who feel valued, appreciated, and like they belong are much more engaged in their work. By investing in outdoor team building activities, you’re showing your employees that you’re committed to their happiness and wellbeing. Outdoor activities help break down barriers, promote communication, and build trust between team members. A study by the University of Michigan found that being in nature improves the brain’s cognitive performance, which translates to improved creativity and problem-solving skills in the workplace.

2. The Importance of Tapping into a Sense of Awe for Employee Engagement

It’s difficult to overstate the effects of awe on our mental health and wellbeing. In fact, studies have shown that experiencing awe makes people feel more positive, more connected to others, and more likely to engage in prosocial behaviours. Encouraging your employees to connect with nature and experience moments of awe can have profound effects on their engagement, teamwork, and creativity.

In fact, in a 2022 survey we conducted of New York City-based employees,  63% of respondents said a company's emphasis on meaning, belonging, connection, and positive social impact is as or more important to them than salary when it comes to satisfaction. These respondents went on to note that employee engagement experiences that had successfully facilitated a true sense of meaning, belonging, and connection for them had been “collective activities that have some element of wonder or awe,” like “being shown Saturn and other parts of the universe through a high-powered telescope that was set up in a nature preserve” or hiking to Bear Mountain and “seeing the city so small in the distance.”

3. Innovative and Fun Outdoor Team Building Activities

To help your employees feel more engaged, try these innovative outdoor team building activities:

• Story-based adventure: Our custom adventures enhance team morale and reinforce company values. Over the course of a daylong exploration we connect your team to hidden natural pasts and climate-positive futures while facilitating hands-on introductions to inspiring grassroots groups. Our adventures are a great way for team members to gain a deeper sense of meaning and belonging from their work.

• Hiking and Trail Cleanups: Organize a hiking day combined with a trail cleanup. This activity will encourage your team to connect with nature and contribute to preserving your local environment.

• Outdoor Cooking Challenge: Divide your team into groups and challenge them to prepare a meal outdoors without traditional kitchen equipment. This is a great opportunity to build problem-solving and communication skills.

4. The Positive Impact of Outdoor Team Building on the Planet

In addition to boosting employee engagement, outdoor team building activities can have a positive impact on the environment. These activities can help build environmental awareness and foster a sense of personal responsibility for taking care of the natural world. By organizing outdoor activities that include grassroots groups working on local climate solutions, you can foster environmental awareness and a sense of collective responsibility for the natural world that inspires hope.

There’s no denying the benefits of outdoor team building on employee engagement and the environment. By investing in these activities, HR managers can help build a more engaged and fulfilled workforce while contributing to the preservation of our planet. With the range of innovative and fun outdoor team building activities available, there’s never been a better time to get your team outside, build deeper connections and enjoy all the benefits that the natural world has to offer.

And if you’re based in NYC, reach out about our team adventures! Our services range from a standalone urban eco-adventure ready for you to implement to a fully bespoke adventure that integrates your long-term impact targets, employee engagement goals, and organization values.