Escape rooms are a recent trend in the world of corporate team-building, and they offer several distinct advantages over their predecessors. Room events are live action experiences that bring all participants together with a common purpose, which is to solve a puzzle that allows them to leave. While staff members monitor and stay in contact with teams, participants are expected to work together in relative isolation to make it through the challenge. For a modest price and roughly an hour of time, businesses can use these room experiences to test their team and give them the opportunity to work together in a new way.
Accessibility and Inclusion
One of the main benefits of the escape room experience is that it allows virtually everyone in the office to participate. Physical exercises, “trust falls” and other tactics can exclude people with limited mobility or other health problems. Escape rooms take place in a safe, although sometimes messy, environment that is accessible to most participants. Since escape rooms are usually used as a team-building exercise, the ability to include everyone is a big bonus. Many facilities offer multiple escape room options, so interested parties can request the most accessible option to accommodate specific needs of participants when possible.
Team Activity Outside of Traditional Roles
In the workplace, there are clear separations of roles based on experience, expertise and seniority. While this type of culture can be essential for productivity and management, it can also prevent individuals from making genuine connections with each other. The intellectual challenges presented by escape rooms, like Houdini’s Room Escape, aren’t just about high intelligence, they also require imagination, observation and broad perspective. This allows individual team members to contribute in ways they normally wouldn’t in the confines of their workplace responsibilities. Some business managers are drawn to escape rooms simply because they offer a fresh approach to team-building.
Collaboration in a Casual Context
In the workplace, team projects can have a real impact on the survival of the company as a whole. This means there is a certain level of stress that accompanies any challenge in the workplace, even in a positive and upbeat environment. Escape rooms can also be a high-energy and demanding experience, but they do not carry the same weight as work. Even if you don’t solve the puzzle, you will be able to get out if you decide to throw in the towel or reach your time limit. This means that everyone can relax a little, let down their guard and communicate in a more honest and open fashion.
The three reasons listed above certainly aren’t the only benefits of escape rooms for business team building. Business leaders and managers should consider taking their department through the experience at least once, especially after bringing new people on board. Working together outside of a professional context is a great way to break the ice, encourage communication and develop a unified group identity, all of which are invaluable in the workplace.
