Imagine taking time away from the hustle and bustle of the office and retreating to the woods for an exhilarating teambuilding adventure with your management team. Effective team building activities can be extremely beneficial, not only for improving morale among all employees, but also for boosting the bottom line. Although it is quite possible to organize a day of fun-filled, activities at the office or another local venue, spending time in the woods will allow exposure to an additional host of benefits that can only be obtained from Mother Nature.
Mother Nature Boosts Creativity
When you constantly work on electronic devices, your brain’s ability to focus on and process information is compromised. By engaging in a range of outdoor challenges, your cognitive and creative capabilities will enjoy a much-needed boost. Even just spending an afternoon in nature or overnighting in a cabin free from the influences of modern-day technologies will help everyone on your team to relax and recover from the pressure they feel on any given day at work. To maximize the benefits of your woodland adventure, be sure to request that a range of activities focused on creativity are included in the itinerary.
Nature Teaches Us to Live in Harmony
The main purpose of team building is to encourage trust, collaboration, and teamwork among a group of employees. Teambuilding excursions revolve around teaching people from different walks of life to work together towards the greater good of the organization. Nature has a knack for teaching us the same thing. While in wooded areas like the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan, groups can observe how hundreds of plant and animal species coexist in a fairly small area. If it is possible in nature, it is most certainly also possible in the workplace.
Mother Nature is a Natural Anti-Depressant
Spending time in the woods working on the dynamics within your management team can prove to be a great stress reliever. While any natural environment will have a calming effect on your body and mind, the various sights and sounds of the Elk State Forest in Pennsylvania, for example, can be especially comforting. According to research findings published in Business Insider, spending time in nature can decrease both one’s heart rate as well as the level of cortisol in the body. Pair the de-stressing powers of nature with the merriment of team building activities and you will feel the anxiety and stress leave your body.
Team building activities have been known to boost employee morale and enhance cohesion within the management team. If you are fortunate enough to engage in these activities in a natural environment, your overall experience and its subsequent benefits will undoubtedly be amplified.
