For team bonding post pandemic, companies turn to adventure sports, outdoor activities

In early June, fantasy sports platform Dream11 flew down nearly 700 of its employees to Switzerland, where teams across verticals spent close to a week bonding over a bunch of activities including trekking, ziplining and skydiving.

For the startup, which scaled up from 260 employees pre-Covid, it was an opportunity to build rapport among team members who didn’t really get a chance to bond over nearly two years of the pandemic. “It was a great way for colleagues to collaborate without the pressures of work. In a different setting, a different country, the camaraderie seeped through across teams,” said Kevin Freitas, chief HR officer of its parent company, Dream Sports.

Team building through adventure sports and group activities — that’s what companies are betting on to energise employees and build connections and engagement in the post-Covid normal. Even as many employees continue to work in remote/hybrid mode or are easing back to office, more and more organisations are focusing on such activities to promote better bonding among team members after the Covid-induced minimal in-person interaction.

Bajaj Finance, Mastercard, Wartsila, Philips, RPG Group, TVS Motor, Bridgestone, Honeywell and P&G Health are among those who have recently opted for such programmes as part of out-of-the-box ways to help employees bond outside the workplace, according to firms and companies specialising in such outdoorsy activities. Pepperfry has organised rappelling sessions at Garudmaachi (near Pune) for employees through its Trek To The Top initiative. About 10 sessions have been conducted so far across teams. “In a hybrid work environment, it is essential for employees to be able to bond and we've been looking for ways to help them do that,” said head of human resources Aditi Pareek.

Muddy Boots, an organisation which promotes active vacations and adventure sports, said demand from corporates had doubled from pre-Covid levels. “The last two years, people were stuck in their own cocoon. As the situation normalises, companies want employees back motivated, and working as a team with strong bonds. These kinds of sessions, which can last anywhere from half a day to three days, promote just that,” said Muddy Boots director Pradeep Murthy. The company has organised corporate getaways where people participated in team-building activities incorporating kayaking, rafting, ziplining, trekking, caving and more.

High Places Management, which specialises in outbound / outdoor management development programmes, had nearly 50 such clients in the last three months with around 1,500 participants. “Our programmes are being offered to address various organisational needs including team building, effective team players, leadership, managing change etc.,” said Premjit Magdum, its chief operating officer. Companies say such activities are paying off. “While we have adapted very well to the virtual world and embraced various means to stay connected over the last two years, we still miss the in-person conversations that were core to our culture.

Over the last few months, multiple teams have organised their offsites to take a break from their day-to-day work and build team spirit,” Bhargavi Kakunuri, head of HR at P&G Health, told ET. The company, which engaged Muddy Boots for some of these sessions, said a session or offsite typically comprised 5-20 employees, depending on the team sizes.