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These days, the words “team building” is more likely to elicit groans than excitement from employees.

Many times what spring to mind are silly games or trust exercises. Plus, it can mean rearranging deadlines and interrupting already packed work schedules.

However, when done right, team building can be a powerful tool to improve morale, create camaraderie and increase productivity.

When developing a team-building program, ask yourself what the ultimate goal is. Is it to strengthen the bond between coworkers? To encourage creativity or spark new ideas? To work on a company problem or issue? Focusing on the goal will help determine which exercises or activities will best accomplish it.

Next, ensure that you provide a safe environment. It’s okay to ask participants to step a bit outside their comfort zone. But if an employee is terrified of heights, for instance, group bungee jumping can be hugely counterproductive.

Finally, try to think outside the box and escape from the predictable, worn out team-building exercises of years past. Pleasantly surprising participants with a non-traditional activity will set the tone and get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Here are a few fun and quirky ideas to inspire you:

Scavenger Hunt

As a kid, you probably participated in scavenger hunts at birthday or Halloween parties. Little did you know you were learning how to work together and problem-solve.

Turns out, grown-up kids like scavenger hunts, too! The hunt can take place in your office building, a nearby park or your entire city.

Break the group up into teams and give them a list of items to find. Include word clues, pictures, brain teasers, etc. Each “find” is worth a certain number of points and the team with the most points wins!

Team-Building for Good

What could be better for employee morale than giving back to a worthy cause? Choose a local charity for your company to support. Then ask employees to bring in donations that will benefit the charity. For instance, non-perishable food items for a food bank or clothing for a women’s shelter.

Teams will use these items to build or make something (without destroying the items, of course). It may help to come up with a central theme like “Great Buildings of the World” or “Paris Fashion Show.” Award points for ingenuity, design and overall creativity. Afterwards, disassemble the “building blocks” and deliver the donations together.

All in the Family

Work-life balance is crucial to employee morale and productivity. Overwhelmingly, employees crave flexibility and time with their families, even more than money or benefits. So why not include their families in team-building activities?

Organize a Family Fun Day complete with face painting, a bounce house, sack races, food and drink. Have a smaller budget? Opt for a good old-fashioned ice cream social. Hold a charity raffle or give away door prizes from other local businesses. And be sure to host the event during work hours.

That way, employees get extra time with their families, instead of having to come to work with their families during the hours they should be off.

No matter which team-building activity you decide on, remember to recognize your employees’ accomplishments. PaperDirect has a full selection of awards and certificates that say, “Job well done!”

Without your employees, you wouldn’t have a company. That’s why it’s so important that you take the time to properly recognize and reward the performances and achievements of your team. After all, research shows that feeling appreciated is one of the leading drivers of employee engagement and it’s that type of boost that can really motivate your staff members to continue to raise the bar with their work.

So just how do you go about recognizing and rewarding your employees for a job well done? Here’s a look at five ways to recognize achievements:

Award Certificates

Award certificates are a great low-cost way to honor your staff members. Have them ready for your monthly staff meetings and present them to the top employees of the month in front of the rest of your staff members. The employees being recognized will appreciate the gesture and feel good about being lauded in front of their peers. And their peers will see something that they too can strive for.

Exclusive Parking Spots

Rewarding employees with the best parking spots is another creative, inexpensive way to show your appreciation. However, make sure that the spots that you’re awarding are clearly marked “Employee of the Month Parking” or something similar. Use a custom banner or customized flyer to mark the spot. Also, make sure that the spots are actually better than others in the lot. For example, the employee of the month spots might be covered and steps away from the office entrance.

Gift Baskets

Everyone needs a night out. And if you reward your top employees with a “night out” gift basket, it’s a gesture that will be appreciated and used. Include things like restaurant and movie theater gift cards, a bottle of wine and perhaps even some chocolates or candies.

Give Kudos in Company Newsletter

It always feels good to get public recognition. That’s why giving kudos to superstar employees in the company newsletter is a great way to honor the work of your top staff members and have them feeling good about themselves. Not only are you giving them props, but their peers will surely be stopping by after reading the newsletter to do the same.

Simply Show You Care

Make a special trip over to the superstar employee’s desk or office during some point in the day and simply spend a few minutes talking about how much you appreciate them and thank them for their commitment to your company. It’s simple, yes – but simply showing you care can go an extremely long way.

Use one or all of the above ideas to recognize and motive your employees to always give 100% a your workplace.