Team building ideas that work in a Manila office
Good team building ideas for offices in the Philippines are the ones your team can join without a long trip or a change of clothes: games and problem-solving in the office, outdoor Filipino games or a day trip, a volunteering day, or a calm yoga class or sound bath. Choose by the time, space and headcount you have, not by what looks best in photos.
Team building in a Manila office has its own constraints. The traffic makes a far-off venue a half day in itself, the heat makes an outdoor afternoon hard work, floor space in a tower is limited, and some of your team may work nights. The best ideas work with all of that rather than against it.
Here is a list of ideas grouped by where they happen, with the time, room and headcount each needs. Yoga is one idea among many, and I teach it as yoga classes for your team at the office, but most of this list has nothing to do with a mat.
What makes team building work in a Manila office
Short travel. An activity in the building, or a short ride away, gets more people than a resort three hours out.
The right time. Late afternoon on a Friday or a long lunch slot works for most day teams. For shift teams, hold it inside the shift, or run it twice.
Everyone can join. Not everyone wants to run, sing or be on camera. The best activities have a role for the quiet ones too.
Ideas you can run in the office
- A merienda or cooking challenge. Teams make a snack from a basket of ingredients, and everyone eats the results. Needs a pantry or a function room and about 90 minutes.
- A problem-solving build. Teams build a bridge, a tower or a marble run from simple materials against the clock. Needs a meeting room and an hour.
- A quiz or trivia afternoon. Mix work questions with Filipino pop culture and food. Needs a screen and an hour; works for remote staff too.
- A lunchtime workshop. A barista, a plant shop or a local artist teaches a small skill. Needs a room and 45 to 60 minutes.
- A desk-side stretch break. Five minutes, standing and seated, with no mats. The 5-minute desk yoga reset is a sequence a team can follow on its own.
Outdoor and off-site ideas
- Filipino games. Patintero, sack races and tug of war on a lawn or a covered court bring out a competitive side in almost everyone. Plan for the early morning or late afternoon, with shade and water.
- A walking or food tour. A guided walk through a heritage district or a food street, in small groups. Half a day.
- A day trip. A farm, a beach or a cooler town within a few hours. Worth it once a year, if the travel is shared fairly and the day has real rest in it.
Giving-back ideas
A volunteering day in the spirit of bayanihan, where the team works together for someone else, can do more for a team than any game. Tree planting, a coastal clean-up, packing relief goods or helping at a school or a community kitchen all work. Partner with an established organisation, check what they actually need, and plan the transport in advance. Half a day is usually right.
Calm ideas: a team yoga class or a sound bath
After a heavy quarter, a calmer activity brings people together without asking them to compete.
A team yoga class fits in a meeting room or a function room with the tables pushed back. A desk-side class of 30 minutes needs no mats and no change of clothes; a lunchtime class of 45 to 60 minutes asks for comfortable clothes and a little floor space. Every shape has an easier option, so beginners and people in office shoes can join in.
A sound bath for your team asks even less. People sit or lie down and listen while singing bowls are played, for around 30 to 45 minutes. Nobody has to move or know anything in advance, which suits teams who are shy about yoga. For a smaller celebration outside work, such as a colleague’s bridal shower or birthday, a yoga party with friends at home follows the same gentle shape.
Every corporate class is quoted on inquiry, with no public price. Send your headcount, location, dates and the format you have in mind.
How to choose for your team
If you have settled on an hour of games in the office, team building games to play indoors has fifteen, with the time and group size each needs. Otherwise, start with three questions. How much time can people really give? What space do you have, in the building or nearby? And what will your team turn up for? Ask them. Offer two options and run the more popular one first.
If you are planning a whole day rather than a single activity, read how to plan a corporate wellness day in Manila. For regular activities through the year, rather than a one-off, the guide to wellness activities for employees in the Philippines covers what works week to week.