Cooking Advice

Corporate team building events might conjure up images of paintballing or spending afternoons building spaghetti bridges. They can be about so much more than that though and bring genuine results for your business.

Types of team building events

There is such a wide range of corporate team building events to choose from, there’s bound to be something to suit you and your staff. You can choose an event that is in line with what your employees are interested in, the size of your team, your budget and what you are trying to achieve.

These are just a few examples of corporate team building activities:

Corporate cookery classes Wine tasting Sports events Treasure hunts/orienteering Event planning exercises

The benefits of team building

People are the most important part of any business. Corporate team building exercises can help individuals work better, both on their own and together.

Working relationships

Getting to know each other in an informal context is a great way for staff to form stronger working relationships. Staff who never usually work together have the opportunity to bond and there is a good opportunity for new and shy members of staff to get involved in a focused task.

Having shared experiences is a good way for staff to bond.

Rewarding staff

Rewarding staff with a fun and challenging day out  and investing in their development through a team building event makes people feel valued by their employer and more likely to be happy at work and loyal.

Strengths

Getting away from the everyday tasks at work through a corporate team building event can give you a fresh pair of eyes on people’s talents. You may notice what an excellent leader someone is or what a flair they have for creative ideas – often it will be things that the individuals don’t have chance to demonstrate in their current role.

Identifying staff strengths and weaknesses in this way can help you provide the right opportunities for your staff back at the office for them to develop personally and professionally.

Additionally, staff themselves will learn more about theirs and others’ strengths and weaknesses.

One of the most popular current trends in the team building field is corporate cookery classes. At these events, staff are able to work together to prepare a meal from scratch, which they can all then sit down with together and enjoy. 

What Does a Corporate Cookery Class Involve?

The emphasis is on fun, relaxation and enjoyment. Rather than mindless amounts of chopping or arm-straining mixing, participants are invited to ‘sip and stir,’ enjoying fine wines as they cook in a state-of-the-art kitchen. At the end of their session, hungry, fully relaxed teams sit down together and are served the gourmet food they have created themselves.

Nothing is prepared in advance so that the pleasure of the cooking process is fully experienced. Different levels of culinary skill are accounted for, with seasoned cooks exposed to trade secrets and beginners able to get stuck in to well structured recipes. A team of chefs are also provided for each client to ensure the creation of the meal is both enjoyable and effortless.

Teams will work together, building on individuals’ strengths and weaknesses and communicating as effectively as possible to work towards making an enjoyable meal.

Why Do Corporate Cookery Classes Work?

There are a number of reasons why cookery team building exercises are so popular and work so well for so many businesses. Here are just a few:

Food is something that everyone has in common. Cooking is something everyone can get involved with, unlike some sports-based events, for example, which make some staff feel uncomfortable. Working together on a recipe is a focused way for staff to bond and get to know each other. A corporate cookery class is an unusual and fun day out and a treat for staff which makes them feel valued. The cookery-based exercises encourage employees to communicate with each other. Cooking boosts team morale and gives people a sense of achievement.

Making the Most of a Corporate Cookery Event

Although a corporate cookery event is about creating a delicious meal, there are also the long-term business benefits to bear in mind. There are a few things you could consider doing to capitalise on the day’s activities.

You could, for example, divide employees into teams and introduce a competitive element. The chef could choose the best dish or staff could secretly mark each others’ dishes as they do on the TV show Come Dine with Me.

Judging criteria could also include:

How well staff planned before they started cooking How well they communicated Creativity and initiative

Corporate cookery classes are a good way to enjoy a fun day out and a meal as a company, as well as to boost team morale and communication.

When you think about team building events, cookery might not be the first activity that springs to mind. However, corporate cookery classes can be an excellent way to boost team morale and improve your business.

Firstly, let’s look at the problems that poor teamwork can cause. Issues include:

High staff turnover De-motivated staff Poor performance Reduced profits Reduced creativity

How Can Corporate Cookery Classes Help?

When they are taking a cookery class, teams must work together to create an enjoyable meal from scratch – after all, they will be eating it at the end. They will need to play to individuals’ strengths, communicate well and help others.

Doing a task such as a cookery class is a great way for staff members to get to know each other. In many businesses it’s quite possible that some people never actually meet face to face, or at least not regularly. Focusing on a specific activity allows even shy people to get involved and open up.

Cookery and Creativity

Corporate cookery classes have also been credited with helping to unleash employee creativity. This is especially true in creative industries such as advertising, marketing or design.

With the constant pressure to come up with one brilliant idea after another, media companies are cottoning on to the fact that creativity can be stifled by the environment of the office and boardroom or tired brainstorming practices. Companies are realising they must create the right atmosphere for ideas and ‘place’ is the new buzz word. 

Research suggests that we have our best ideas when we are at our most relaxed, sometimes not are even thinking and normally nowhere near the office. Inspiration at work can easily be suffocated by characterless desks, computers and powerpoint presentations. A corporate cookery class can help release the flow of ideas by relaxing people and opening them up to the creative process. The hands-on cooking and delicious smells also serve to distract from work issues, allowing people to then return to it with fresh eyes.

Because cookery team building events are sensory, hands-on and invigoratingly non-stuffy, they are the perfect way to get staff feeling more creative again.