Fun and games to strengthen connection
At Real Living it is not only essential that our residents are happy, but it’s also important that our staff enjoy working here. The villages organise regular social events to allow staff members to get to know each other a bit better. With this goal in mind, Pakuranga Park put together a team building exercise inspired in the TV programme The Amazing Race, with teams competing to finish seven challenges in one hour.
The Village Activities Coordinator, Kirsten, designed the teams mixing staff members that don’t normally work together. Three of the challenges were around the village and the other four were inside, starting with an exhilarating game of snooker where the players had to pot as many balls as possible in under 20 minutes. Pakuranga Park’s Village Manager, Christian Pulley, had a great deal of fun with this exercise and he was very good at helping the colleagues who didn’t have much experience with this game.
One of the funniest challenges of this Amazing Race was the blind-tasting exercise. With their eyes covered, the staff members had to try different drinks and foods and guess what they were. A fizzy drink, a cereal, some lollies and of course the famous Marmite were on the menu… with some funny faces and lots of laughter guaranteed for this activity!
Team building exercises are important to help people see each other in a different light and they promote better communication and employee collaboration. A costume contest is always a fun and engaging addition to any team building exercise. At Pakuranga Park all the teams had the same box of dress ups and they competed to have the most creative costume combination.
The Amazing Race finished with the tricky challenge of moving a balloon from one end of the pool to the other, without touching it. Some teams ended up in the pool to propel the balloon, but Real Living’s CEO, Martin Oettli, had a better idea. He remembered the pool noodles that are stored around the pool, and he cleverly used one of them to move the balloon, trying to be the fastest at completing the challenge. That’s another of the benefits of a team building exercise like this one: to think outside the box, improve problem-solving skills and have a great deal of fun at the same time!
If you’d like to know more about joining our community contact Syvlie on 027 314 5767 or email sylvie.borrett@realliving.co.nz
