Given the increasingly busy pace of most work environments today, we need to support members of the team to work collaboratively more than ever. Companies strive to find new ways to drive connection, morale, and productivity in their organisational units. One trend I have seen picking up steam over the past 5 years is team building cooking classes.
This type of co-created and experiential culinary activity allows coworkers to step out of their usual work personalities and participate in a fun, hands-on activity. The experience creates a common experience as well as new group social skills and bonds. A fun cooking activity such as cooking together actually builds the cooking abilities of those team members out of context of the kitchen as well. Cooking classes allow for team bonding and new group social skills to be created between coworkers. This can lead to sustained and improved relationships and work climate.
One of the major benefits of team building cooking classes according to team building Milano is how it improves communication among individuals in the kitchen. Cooking with people requires clear and concise instructions among members of a team in order to prepare great meals in an efficient manner. Participating members must follow directions, listen and talk with utmost importance to achieve results. Communication skills learned in the kitchen can be applied directly to the workplace creating a sense of effective communication among colleagues.
Additionally, team members learn creative flexibility, an important skill in the contemporary business world. If your team gets stuck during a cooking challenge, it’s up to everyone to use their immediate wits to figure out how to move forward. When things take an unexpected turn, whether it’s an ingredient running short or an unexpected fire alarm, teams must collaboratively figure out how to move forward. Transferring food skills into work skills, creative flexibility can expand an employee’s ability to juggle changing conditions, including last-minute deadlines, an interruption from a superior’s urgent query or different groups working on a shared task.
Team building cooking classes also support better communication and flexibility among team members. In the kitchen, team members rely on each other’s strengths and expertise to prepare the meal and find themselves in a more relaxed and receptive mindset which could then translate to better teamwork and flexibility at the office. Better communication and flexibility ultimately lead to increased trust, respect and collaboration among team members.
Furthermore, workers get to know one another on another level entirely when they come together in a cooking class. The non-work environment provides employees with an opportunity to talk about areas of their lives beyond the workplace, fostering a broader connection that can be difficult to make when confined to the cubicles. A stronger personal relationship can promote a better working environment, which is an ideal place to well, work.
Another advantage of team building cooking classes is an increased morale and job satisfaction. Taking part in an enjoyable, creative activity outside of the office can lower stress levels, raise motivation, and boost general well-being. If employees see the company they work for appreciating them by treating them to a fun experience, it’s more likely that they’ll be engaged fully at their jobs, improving retention rates and having a more stable, engaged and productive workforce overall.
From the Kitchen to the Boardroom: Cooking Up Success
Team-building cooking classes provide a tasty way to spend on your company’s strongest investment – your employees: as it provides an opportunity for employees to bond, communicate and collaborate in a fun and enjoyable environment, its impact can carry-on to the company’s chance of success. The next time you’re throwing around ideas on how to improve your team building sessions, try swapping your board room for a kitchen; you might just find that the secret ingredient for success is a pinch of creativity, a dash of collaboration and a serving of fun.