Overview
There are bosses out there who think that dishing out office-branded stationary, magnets and/or mugs for Christmas boosts office morale. That the Monday morning 'how was your weekend?' chats around the water cooler qualify as team building. That lame morning meetings filled with acronyms and targets are inspiring.
Then there are the bosses who know that any good office team needs a bit of decent bonding from time to time.
Office bonding activities aren't just about escaping the paperwork or the hum of fluorescent lights, it's about unbuttoning that top button, learning new skills and becoming a better a team in the process.
Shoot Things Together
Sometimes you miss your weekly targets, sometimes you miss them a little too often for your liking. In those times you might want to take your team to shoot some clay birds or do some archery at Bracu and get back that feeling of accomplishment and that competitive streak. Or just to vent some frustration. Knife throwing and air rifle options are also available.
49 Main Road, Bombay
Take a Sea Kayaking Tour
For those really enthusiastic punters who want a next-level inspirational morning and team building event, Auckland Sea Kayaks offers a Workday Warrior package in which you'll have to meet at 5:15am at St Heliers for a 45-minute paddle to Rangitoto Island. After ditching the kayak on the island's shore, you'll then chuck on some trainers and do a 35-minute run up to Rangitoto's summit. Come back at 8:15am ready for an 8:30am start.
For those who still want an awesome team experience there are other kayaking options which start a little later in the day and are open to all fitness and ability levels.
384 Tamaki Drive, Saint Heliers
Plant Trees
Chances are a couple of you in the office are rushing to work everyday in cars that run at about 0.1km/hour in the dense Auckland traffic. Which means that from about 7am until 7pm you have a group of people who are mostly fixed in a seated position and surrounded by mostly grey man-made objects - pavements, computers, office stationary. Take your team out this year and get them tree planting at Motutapu Island for a little fix of greenery and that satisfying feeling of having done something worthwhile for the community - after all, everyone likes to "give back" from time to time.
The tree planting season runs from May 1 until August 21. Motutapu Island is a 35-minute ferry ride away from Auckland.
Escape a Locked Room
Sometimes you've got to think on your feet, use your wits and work as a team to get through some of the trickier situations that the general day-to-day of business life throws at you. A timed escape from a puzzle-laden room at Escapade is an excellent way to get your team's creative crankshaft going again.
Level 1, 23 Victoria Street East, Auckland CBD
Go Rafting
They say working in a high stress corporate team is like hurtling down a river in a raft together. Okay, they don't say that, but still, doing some rafting together in the brand new Vector Wero waterpark is a good way to get the team to work together and get some much needed fresh air and adrenaline.
770 Great South Road, Manukau
Cook Together
For the most part, if your team's living the eight-to-eight lifestyle, dinner and any kind of cooking has been an afterthought for them for so long that even the thought of scrambling an egg is a struggle. Suggest a session of social cooking for your next team day out - not only will they learn new skills and possibly eat a bit healthier for it, it's also an incredibly satisfying experience producing a finished dish. A much-needed feeling sometimes, especially when that deal you've been negotiating has been on the teetering on the cusp of getting closed for the last five months now.
105 Nelson Street, Auckland CBD