5 Ways To Celebrate International Day of Friendship at Work

Posted by Jake Mandel on Jul, 29, 2022

International friendship day sIn 2011, the UN General Assembly declared July 30 the International Day of Friendship. The goal of this day was to promote friendship between people, countries and cultures to inspire peace and build bridges. 

On July 30, governments, community groups and organizations are encouraged to organize activities that celebrate relationships and teach the life skills that prevent conflicts and encourage friendship.  

This includes businesses across the globe. The good news is, there are lots of activities that you can organize at your workplace to help celebrate this year’s International Day of Friendship.

  1. Department exchange  

Organizations, especially those with different departments or offices, often miss out on the opportunity to mingle with coworkers outside of their unit. As a result, team building can be unit centric with other locations and departments working towards separate goals. 

To help encourage friendship and connection, ask members of different departments and locations to join your team for an hour or two. Even this short amount of time will give you an opportunity to learn more about coworkers you rarely get a chance to engage with and vice versa. This can help break barriers and help everyone find ways to streamline processes and communications. 

  1. Share skills 

To help increase camaraderie in your own department or office, have employees with different roles and skill sets pair up and teach each other something new. This will give your employees a chance to better understand each other’s jobs and how the organization works. 

And of course, your team members will each learn something new, which will help them feel accomplished and allow them to grow both personally and professionally. 

  1. Camping adventure 

If your team members enjoy camping, or another team building adventure, consider organizing an overnight trip. During the trip, you can plan activities that help your employees build a stronger bond. 

Having a chance to bond outside of the workplace can help your employees relax. This makes it easier to connect and get to know one another. If you’re looking for a day trip, consider going out together for a team lunch or dinner. 

  1. Watch a movie

If you have somewhere to set up a projector or have a large screen TV in your workplace, consider organizing a movie day. Invite team members to bring their favourite treats and have everyone sit down to enjoy a film about friendship or building better relationships. 

  1. Encourage social coffee breaks 

Most companies give their employees one or two short breaks every day. The problem is not everyone takes these breaks or if they do, they stay at their desk. To encourage a healthy work routine and encourage socialization, make sure there is somewhere for staff to go during their breaks and encourage them to spend time there. Having everyone congregate in the same space will help encourage conversation and connection.

Alternatively, you can encourage team members to step out together to get away from the office. This will help people get to know each other away from their workspace. 

  1. Team building activities 

One of the most effective ways to improve employee relationships is through team building activities, events and workshops. These company-wide initiatives are a fantastic way to encourage communication, collaboration and relationship-building among your staff members.

There are many in-person and virtual events to choose from including: 

Survey Showdown – Teams try to uncover the most popular answers to bank points. 

AppMazing Hunts – An app based scavenger hunt where teams figure out as many challenges as they can in the allotted time frame. 

Switch It Up! – Compete in fast moving games with different teammates every round. 

Case Cracker Mobile Escape Room – Teams have to breach a locked case and solve the mystery inside. 

Bonding For Charity: Bicycle Building – Teams work together to build bikes that will be donated to charity. 

There is no one way to improve the working relationships of your employees. There are a wide number of activities and methods that your organization can use to enhance employee collaboration and define roles. The important thing to remember is that work friendships can go a long way when it comes to conflict resolution, productivity and employee happiness. 

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with Teambonders today. We have a range of team building events and activities to enhance your employee relationships.

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Tags: Team Building