During my decade of working in corporate America I felt like each year the poor administrative assistant or office manager was tasked with coming up with some sort of summer team building activity. Looking back, I can count on both hands the number of happy hours or in-office pot luck parties that were scheduled. Sure, they were nice excuses to talk to your coworkers about something other than spreadsheets and TPS reports (smiles to anyone who gets the reference), but you still felt like you were in the office – especially if you are someone who adheres to the “only one glass of wine at a company event” rule.

Many times these summer team building activities are constrained by budgets and scheduling. I get it, especially during my time weathering the Great Recession. But there is evidence that investing in employee morale has a huge return on investment.

So as we enter the summer months, I wanted to share some of that evidence on why more companies need to take some time and make summer team building activities a priority for their own company’s investment.

Just as a “thank you” goes a long way, organizing a team building activity shows that the company is invested in its employees as human beings and not just productive robots. In fact a recent study by Globoforce shows that 86 percent of employees say they feel happier and prouder at work as a result of being recognized, while 85 percent say recognition made them feel more satisfied with their jobs. What does this mean? They’re most likely to stay with you and not move onto another company.

Think you know “John” in the cubicle next to you? You sit only 10 feet away from him day in and day out, but did you know that he’s a serious guitar player? You probably would have never known that without taking yourselves out of the office and doing something different. This was like what happened when my husband discovered that one of his coworkers participated in an company-wide talent show at their national sales conference. Perhaps now the company can use “John’s” talents in its next commercial?

It can be argued that nothing will defeat someone’s spirit than the monotony of the day. By organizing a summer team building activity, employees can experience something different and then draw motivation into their own jobs. By doing something outside the box, you can break up existing cliques or do an activity that puts everyone on the same level.

When coworkers eat together on a regular basis they create a “cooperative behavior” they feel like they have more invested in each other and will work harder to make the team succeed as a whole and not just compete against each other. Take, for instance, a station full of firefighters. In this example presented in the Harvard Business Review , the firefighters almost nightly routine of collecting money, planning, talking, cleaning, and, of course, eating together created a better sense of community that clearly benefitted them during life and death situations.

Let’s face it. We live in the Bay Area. We are surrounded by companies who already provide 24-hour free food, gyms in their offices and on-site childcare. By doing something different you can attract that top notch talent to work for you and not the other VC-funded startup down the street.

If you and your company is looking to benefit from a summer team building experience this year – and not your typical (and totally lame) trust fall or ropes course, feel free to contact us about booking a private group food tour. Local Food Adventures can schedule private tours for up to 40 guests. For more information and for pricing, please go to our Private Group Tours page.

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