5 DEI Team Building Activities To Strengthen Your Workplace

It’s an unfortunate fact that people in today’s world are feeling pretty divided from one another. Even though most people are prepared to be polite and kind to each other, there’s always the potential for tempers to flare or mistrust to grow. This is especially true when folks feel like the group they belong to isn’t adequately accepting of them, or that they’re not truly welcome to be part of the group at all.

However, this bleak outlook ignores all the wonderful things that can come from bringing together people from diverse backgrounds. Having a diverse set of skills, experiences, attitudes, and problem-solving approaches can be an incredible asset to a company if they can figure out how to bring those people together and build connections of commonality.

When employees feel like they can bring their own unique skills and knowledge to the table and still feel like they’re part of a cohesive and welcoming group, teams are better able to solve disagreements, overcome challenges that require new and diverse ideas, and support a wide variety of customer bases.

It’s the goal of diversity and inclusion team-building activities to allow employees to get to this point even when they might be starting out on completely different pages. DEI team-building activities won’t magically fix major disconnects overnight, but they can remind everyone that, at the end of the day, they’re all people who are equally valuable and capable of making meaningful contributions.

Firefly Team Events would love to help you plan your next DEI event. Contact us here!

These fun diversity team-building activities for the workplace should help get everyone working together.

1. Ramp It Up Skateboard Build

Skateboards might seem like just a toy, but to children who need a creative, physical way to channel their energy and learn new skills, they can be lifesavers. That’s because no one starts out as a skateboarding champion; you have to work hard to master the techniques and tricks! Skateboarders learn to overcome intimidating challenges in small, manageable pieces, solve problems methodically, and develop confidence in their skills over time.

Our Ramp It Up Skateboard Build from Firefly Team Events is one of the best activities for diversity and inclusion because it involves both competitive and creative elements. Teams will complete challenges and earn new supplies to create fun and empowering skateboard designs, and every teammate can jump in wherever they feel most comfortable. There are no requirements for special knowledge, skills, or abilities. Everyone is welcome to contribute their designs!

Additionally, when you’re planning diversity and inclusion activities in the workplace, it’s important to remember that not everyone will be as excited for the event as others in the group. By choosing an event with a charitable component, you can provide your employees the opportunity to give back to their local community and make a real impact on a child’s life. This can help even the most reluctant participant find value in a day of team-building.

Group size: 10-500

Time frame: 2-3 hours

2. Level Up

Another Firefly favorite, Level Up is a great option for workplaces with frequent miscommunications. This event allows everyone the opportunity to put their heads together, dive deep into learning about each other, and figure out individual communication styles.

To make matters more interesting, a new leader takes charge of the group as the team is presented with each fresh challenge. This means every single member of the group will have the opportunity to lead and have their voice heard.

Since Level Up is largely focused around solving problems with everyone on equal footing, it’s an excellent choice when you want to encourage all teammates to make meaningful contributions. Plus, if any teammates have physical disabilities, our facilitators will be happy to find an alternative solution so everyone can participate.

Group size: Any

Time frame: 2.5-3 hours

3. Minute Madness

Minute Madness is wonderful for fostering a feeling of inclusion. We love it because it gives everyone — even your boss and your boss’s boss — the chance to be silly together with the rest of the team. And one of the most basic, fundamental ways the human body responds to laughter is by increasing all those feel-good hormones that make you realize maybe Sally from HR might not be so bad after all.

After working together to complete a series of wacky, fun challenges, it would be hard for teammates not to build some bridges of trust and communication!

Some of these challenges require high levels of energy, but teammates will have the ability to choose the degree to which they want to participate. If someone in your group has physical challenges, they can still join in and have fun within their own comfort zone.

Group size: 25 or more

Time frame: 2.5-3 hours

4. Group Brainstorms

Sometimes, the best way to see how your team feels and come up with positive strategies to improve the workplace experience is to simply get everyone talking.

Even if the event is as simple as hosting a catered lunch in the conference room to go over some talking points, the key is to create a sense of relaxation and open communication. Employees should feel welcome, and even encouraged to air out their concerns and have their voices heard in a safe setting, without fear of repercussions.

5. Volunteer Days

Giving back to struggling communities brings people together quickly, especially if your employees can unite to assist with a common cause. All those workplace disagreements don’t seem very important when you’re collaborating on something more significant: helping others live a better life.

Your team may naturally gravitate toward helping one community or another; some organizations might be motivated to help homeless children find food, shelter, clothing, and security, for example, while others might prefer to find and partner with an organization that uplifts battered women, amplifies underrepresented voices, or helps shelter animals feel more comfortable until they get adopted.

Specific events aside, another thing your organization can do to foster a sense of inclusion is to offer recurring opportunities for employees to honor their religious customs and take care of their families or health problems. Knowing that they are valued members of the company — not just worker bees with the sole purpose of churning out profits — can go a long way toward helping employees view their organization, boss, and teammates more favorably. The type of holidays or leave options you choose should reflect the needs and desires of your employees. As part of the planning phase, talk to each member of your team to get a feel for how you can help them achieve their personal goals.

Need some help with DEI team-building? Let Firefly fill in your blanks!

If you’re struggling to come up with an event that will make everyone on your team feel equally included, Firefly Team Events is here to help! After all, getting everyone to work together, communicate, and leave the event feeling closer than they did before is kinda exactly what we do.

Drop us a line, and we’ll get started!

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