For many co-workers, there is a fine line between professional and personal relationships. Most working relationships tend to blur those two areas together as co-workers become more like friends than people who work together. Although there is nothing wrong with that, not all co-worker relationships are better more “friendly” than “professional,” which is especially true when co-workers go out in groups.
Going out for drinks, partying at the club, or casino trips are not appropriate for co-workers. That said, here are several fun activities that maintain co-worker boundaries, be it for a company team-building outing or a non-work-related trip that you and your co-workers conjured up at the water cooler.
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Yacht cruise
Nothing screams luxury more than a Bucks party boat cruise along the shoreline, and it may be just what you and your co-workers need after a stressful week at work. Or if you’re trying to impress a client, taking them on a yacht ride is the way to go.
Instead of beers at the club, you’ll most likely be sipping on champagne, which makes for a more sophisticated work-related trip. And since being on a yacht does not necessarily mean people will be stripping down to their swimsuits, it keeps things professional yet fun.
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Escape room
Going to an escape room is one of the best team-building activities there are. It forces team members to work together, communicate effectively, and think outside the box to achieve a common goal. Best of all, it’s fun, exciting, and relatively affordable. To make it even more fun (and foster some healthy competition), the winning group should win a prize at the end of the contest.
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Volunteering
One way for a company to give back to the community is by encouraging its employees to volunteer. But even if the management doesn’t do such a thing, you and your co-workers can come together and sign up for volunteering activities in the local community. For example, you can put in hours at the soup kitchen, organize a donation drive, volunteer to clean up the local park, or pledge to foster pets from the pound.
Whatever the volunteer activity may be, engaging in one can help co-workers unite to do good for the community, which—aside from making one feel good—contributes a lot to beneficiaries.
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Camping
Camping may not be the most popular team-building activity out there, mainly because of all the logistics involved. Still, it holds a lot of potential for making co-workers more comfortable with each other. During camping, each person would have to pull their weight to keep things running smoothly (e.g., cooking food, stoking the fire, gathering firewood, cleaning up, etc.), and it’s a great way to teach responsibility, teamwork, and initiative.
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Non-work-related skills class
While co-workers tend to talk about work a lot while going out together and perhaps engage in work-related activities outside of work (skills workshop, career seminars, etc.), it could be beneficial to take a development class that is not related to work. For example, you and your co-workers can sign up for a practical skills class (e.g., cooking, baking, knitting, etc.) or a recreational skills class that everyone would enjoy (e.g., painting, yoga, pottery, etc.)
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Hiking
Spending time in nature is one of the most important pillars in establishing a positive work-life balance. And enjoying others’ company while in nature is a great way to foster healthy relationships, even if they are purely professional. Why not hit two birds with one stone and go on a hiking trip with your co-workers? On top of the health benefits that nature offers, hiking is also a great way to increase physical activity, which is especially important for office workers.
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Potluck barbecue
A potluck is one of the most common get-together activities in workplaces. But instead of the conference room, taking the potluck to someone’s backyard or even the local park can make everyone feel more relaxed. Holding a barbecue is even much better as it will allow everyone to enjoy hot food during a warm summer day. Better yet, co-workers can take their loved ones along and bring each other’s family closer together.
Co-worker activities are not always fun for everyone. Sometimes, they are even more taxing than enjoyable; often seen as mandatory get-togethers than exciting activities to partake with the people you work with. But for most co-workers, these ideas prove to be fun and exciting—but without blurring the lines of professional relationships.