Team Building: What it Means for Business Success and how Hotels are Supporting Company Culture
Team Building is Fun and Face-to-Face in 2023. Let’s face it, networking and relationship-building are best done in person.
Are we having fun yet? Why fun is crucial to business success.
When we think of the office, the last word that springs to mind is ‘fun’. TGIF (thank goodness it’s Friday) says it all. Fun is after hours; fun is hanging out with friends and family, not colleagues.
How wrong we are. Fun is, in fact, crucial to business success. Best-selling author Bob Nelson lays it out in his book Work Made Fun Gets Done. Going off the 100 Best Places to Work list compiled by Great Place to Work® that gets published yearly in Fortune magazine, Nelson states that a whopping “eighty-one percent of employees at companies ranked as “great” described their office environments as fun”.
But what is fun? Catherine Price, the author of The Power of Fun, defines it as the meeting point of playfulness, connection and flow. Playfulness doesn’t mean running around a playground — although if that is your outlet, you do you — it’s about a spirit of light-heartedness, of not taking everything too seriously.
People often associate work with being serious, but fun increases productivity, creativity and innovation. Through shared experiences — the connection part of Price’s definition — we can build better relationships with our colleagues. Flow is about being completely present in a place where distractions, read phones, can’t even grab our attention.
You are having fun when you are engrossed in a task, enjoying it and sharing it with other people in a space of playfulness.
We can bring fun into the workplace through small “micro-moments sprinkled throughout the day. Like a conversation with a colleague where you both share a laugh”, as Price describes it, or by planning exciting activities with the team.
Remember to involve the team when planning your team-building activities and getaways. Anette Pizag, a workplace strategist, business coach and author, makes a great point — “One person’s work fun is another person’s work hell”. Checking in with your colleagues and your company culture is essential when considering the best ways to have fun.
For inspiration, a range of team-building activities from BON Hotels offerings was collated at their Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Empangeni, Kruger National Park and Richards Bay hotels.
BON Hotel Rustenburg
A two-hour drive from Johannesburg, BON Hotel Rustenburg is set in gardens that birds, antelope and Zebra visit.
Types of activities: Sporty and strategic
The obstacle course, hiking trail, volleyball court and five swimming pools perfectly suit sporty teams who enjoy exercise.
Non-sporty activities include treasure hunts, Monopoly and a range of strategic games where teams need to unite to solve problems.
Their Flying Bok Sports Bar and Oude Landgoed Restaurant provide a spot for post-activity bonding over food and drinks.
Details: 70 rooms, three conference venues that can accommodate up to 150 delegates, five pools, an in-house restaurant and bar, complimentary WiFi.
BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central
Located within Bloemfontein’s bustling business district, BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central offers smart accommodation close to shops, businesses and transport nodes.
Types of activities: Competitive and food-centred
Master Chef and Chef’s Table challenges and the potjie-making competition are great for food lovers.
Their team-building take on Office Olympics and The Amazing Race encourages playful competition.
Details: 115 rooms, 24-hour business centre, six conference rooms that can accommodate up to 450 delegates, an in-house restaurant and bar, complimentary WiFi.
BON Hotel Empangeni
Formal gardens and a koi pond complement BON Hotel Empangeni’s vibrant rooms. This hotel is located halfway between Durban and Swaziland in Empangeni’s business district.
Types of activities: artistic and creative
Design teams will love the Picture Art Challenge — teams collaborate on a large artwork on canvas using paint; the completed piece can even be taken back to the office to be displayed.
The Newsroom Challenge is also a good option for creatives and includes various materials and printing facilities. Take it a technical step further with the Go-Cart Construction Challenge.
Teams can enjoy engaging with puzzles by solving the murder mystery with the CSI Challenge or trying the Minute to Win it Challenge or the Big Quiz.
For a safari-style downtime, game viewing is available at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, an hour’s drive away.
Details: 55 rooms, four meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 230 delegates, an in-house restaurant and bar, complimentary WiFi.
Shishangeni by BON Hotels
Types of activities: social and safari-loving
Shishangeni by BON Hotels is located in the Kruger National Park and is comprised of three luxurious camps — Shishangeni Private Lodge, Camp Shonga and Camp Shawu.
Explore the Kruger National Park with your team — go on game drives, immersive bush walks, interact with elephants, ride quad bikes and dine around the boma fire.
You can also engage with the local community at the nearby community school.
Details: 22 chalets, 5 rooms, 5 stylish tents, four meeting rooms that can accommodate 16 to 40 delegates, pool, spa, in-house restaurant.
BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay
On the water’s edge with views across the ocean and the yacht harbour, BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay offers modern rooms and is close to area attractions.
Types of activities: tailormade and imaginative
Enjoy activities tailormade for your team by a specialised team-building company.
Choose an Indiana Jones Challenge where teams compete for various ‘artefacts’, a MasterChef-inspired Potjie Challenge, a Minute to Win It Cocktail-Making Challenge or a Movie-Making Challenge.
You can also try your hand at the beach or field Olympics.
Details: 75 modern rooms, three meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 80 delegates, pool, an in-house restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge, complimentary WiFi.
