Unlocking the Power of Employee Engagement with Dynamic Events

Getting employees into the same room doesn’t automatically mean they’ll engage with what you’ve planned.

Some people will volunteer for anything. Others would happily stay at the back of the room. Add different departments, seniority levels and people who rarely work together, and choosing an activity becomes more complicated than finding something that looks fun.

When we’re asked for an employee engagement activity, one of the most useful questions is:

What will this particular group actually take part in?

That’s where we’d start.

Start With the People, Not the Activity

Before choosing an activity, look at who will actually be there.

How many people are taking part? Do they work together regularly or are you bringing different departments together? Is everyone based in the same location? How much time do you have? Is the activity part of a wider company event?

Then think about what will suit the group.

Some groups will happily spend an hour competing against each other. Others would rather solve a problem, get outside, do something creative or take part in something more relaxed.

What works depends on the group.

The practical side matters too. People need to understand what they’re doing, how they’re taking part and what happens next. This becomes particularly important with larger groups where too much waiting around can quickly take the momentum out of an activity.

Think About Who Might Not Get Involved

It’s easy to plan an event around the people who will immediately throw themselves into it.

Think about everyone else too.

Does the activity require people to be particularly active? Does it depend heavily on one type of skill? Is it suitable for the full group? Are there accessibility requirements you need to consider?

That doesn’t mean every employee needs to love the activity. With a large group, that’s unrealistic.

But there should be a reasonable way for different people to take part.

This is also why an employee engagement event doesn’t automatically need to be loud, physical or highly competitive.

A group that wants to get outside might enjoy a Digital Treasure Hunt. Another might prefer working through The Escape or Manor House Murder indoors. If you want something creative and less focused on scores, an activity such as Big Picture could make more sense.

We wouldn’t recommend an activity based on the word “engagement” alone. We’d want to know who is taking part.

Give People Something to Do Together

Company events often bring together employees who don’t normally interact.

But putting everyone in the same room doesn’t necessarily mean they'll mix. Given the choice, people often stay with the colleagues they already know.

A team activity gives them something else to focus on.

They might be solving clues, completing challenges, earning points or creating something together. Give people a challenge to work on and the conversation can happen naturally around it.

If mixing departments is important, think about how you create the teams as well. Letting everyone choose their own team can quickly recreate the same groups they spend time with every day.

You don’t need to make a big thing of it. Simply mixing the teams before the activity starts can change who people spend the session with.

Employee Engagement Can Mean Different Things

Not every employee engagement brief that comes to us looks the same.

Sometimes a company wants a team building activity within a larger event. Sometimes it involves a much bigger workforce or employees across different locations. In other cases, an activity might form part of a wider employee programme.

The activity should follow the brief rather than the other way around.

We’d want to know who is taking part, where the event is happening, how much time you have, your budget and what you want the session to feel like.

From there, we can narrow down what will actually work.

Don’t Expect One Activity to Solve Everything

It’s also worth being realistic about what a single company event can achieve.

We wouldn’t claim that running one team building activity suddenly improves employee retention, productivity or company culture. Those are much bigger issues than one event can answer.

For the event itself, simpler questions are more useful.

Did people take part? Did the format work for the group? Were people able to get involved? Did employees mix outside their usual circles? What did participants think afterwards?

If the activity is part of a wider employee engagement programme, your company may be measuring other things over a longer period. That’s different from trying to attribute those results to one event.

Choosing an Employee Engagement Activity

You don’t need to know which activity you want before contacting us.

Start with your group size, location, date, available time and budget. Then tell us a little about the people taking part and what you want the session to feel like.

Are you bringing several departments together? Do you want something competitive? Would your group prefer to get outside? Do you need something that works for a large company-wide event?

We can use that information to recommend suitable options rather than sending you a generic list of activities.

If you’re ready to explore what’s available, visit our Employee Engagement Team Building page to see the activities and formats Dynamic Events can deliver.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is an Employee Engagement Event?

It can take different forms. It might be a one-off team building activity, part of a larger company event or one element of a wider employee engagement programme.

The format you choose should depend on the people taking part and what you want them to get involved in.

Does Employee Engagement Team Building Have to Be Competitive?

No. Competition works well for some groups, but it isn’t a requirement.

There are competitive, creative, problem-solving and more relaxed options. What works depends on your group.

What Information Does Dynamic Events Need?

Start with your date, location, group size, available time and budget.

It also helps to tell us who is taking part and what you want the session to feel like. You don’t need to choose an activity before getting in touch.