Planning a team lunch for your Vancouver-based organization? We bet there’s part of you that’s going, “This feels like a lot of work just to have mountains of pasta salad leftover and everybody participating reluctantly.” And you know what? You’re not wrong. But also…don’t give up just yet!
Before you get too invested in doing “team lunch” the same old way you always have, take a pause. Remember why you’re doing it. And when you do that, you just might tap into some more creative and engaging ideas for team building events in Vancouver.
Why lunch together?
First, no matter how high-tech our workplaces might become, certain foundational aspects of our experience at work are primal. Sharing food is one activity that taps into the oldest parts of the human experience. The simplest way of putting it is that food is a social glue. When we eat together, we become better connected, better able to collaborate. No wonder a study from Cornell University found that employees that ate their lunches together had significantly better performance than solo diners did.
Second, workplace cultures that are cut-throat, high-stress, and no-fun suffer from higher employee disengagement and much higher turnover—we’re talking a 50% increase! But if you create a culture that makes room for fun, connection, and a break from routine, you reap the benefits of a high performing, loyal team.
So…why lunch together? It connects your team. And because it’s supposed to be fun.
Team lunch done better.
Given that the whole point of this lunch is to create connection and fun…how effective is your “order a meal for the boardroom” strategy going to be? Ask yourself: what will it take for the team to actually enjoy themselves and bond with each other?
Good news: there’s a way. More good news: it’s actually easier than what you were going to do. Here’s the answer: book a local food tour. Sure, there are other team building activities in Vancouver you could consider. But this one hits all the marks. Allow us to explain.
What’s a food tour? It’s a way of getting the whole team out of the office on a guided expedition of the best food establishments in Vancouver. You get to walk through iconic neighborhoods, learn more about your city, and enjoy a progressive meal that includes several award-winning restaurants and cafes. And our guides know how to spark conversations that interest and include everyone—their goal is always to bring the group together.
In other words: it’s actually fun. It truly connects your team because it gives them a shared outside-of-the-box experience. In fact, when we have novel experiences, our brains produce more dopamine and norepinephrine, the neurotransmitters that are released when we fall in love. Doing something new and exciting with other people can make you feel really bonded to them.
A fun team building event in Vancouver that requires no planning on your part while effortlessly meeting your goals? Heck yes. Want to learn more? Check out our private tours and consider making this whole team lunch thing a lot easier and more effective. After all, who’s going to take all that pasta salad home anyway?
