Twice a year, every team at Kaufland e-commerce has the opportunity to host a company-paid team event. In this blog, we’ll tell you all about these events and why they are so important.
Whether it’s exciting games, sporting activities or more complex team-building exercises: At our team events, fun and team spirit are the name of the game! Within a predefined team event budget, the team can decide for itself how it would like to organise its event. The event is usually organised by those who are chosen to plan it – for example, in the Marketing Team it is always two people, one of whom is usually a newcomer to the team. Our internal Event Management Team is also on hand to provide additional support with questions and organisation. After some brainstorming sessions, the organisers propose various options, which are then voted for by the team. The event with the most votes wins.
A look back at past team events
What kind of activities take place at a team event? Here are a few examples of past team events at Kaufland e-commerce:
- For the winter Marketing Team event, we went bowling. The summer saw us feasting on pizza.
- Our Marketplace & Partner Management Team organised a street art tour in Cologne.
- Our Customer Service Team also lit up the lanes at bowling.
- For the Payment Team, it was a trip to Phantasialand near Cologne.
- Our HR painted various ceramics in winter. In summer, it was time for a BBQ by the lake. Last year, they played Buddy Bash.
- At the Data Science Team’s Skill Share Festival, each team member taught a colleague a personal skill for 15 minutes.
- The Frontend Foundation Team visited the Topgolf driving range in Oberhausen.
- Our Translators played minigolf in Berlin, did a boat tour on the Spree and ended the day at a beer garden.
Our HR at Buddy Bash: Sportsmanship, tactics, knowledge and skill were put to the test in several mini-games.
Team events despite working remotely
At Kaufland e-commerce, we offer the option to work from anywhere in Germany. To ensure that the team events are as accessible as possible for most employees, they usually take place where the majority of the team is located. More often than not, this is in the immediate vicinity of our offices, i.e. in Cologne, Darmstadt or Düsseldorf. But it’s not a must – every team can decide for themselves where the event is held. In accordance with our internal travel expenses policy, the company also pays for travel and, depending on the case, overnight accommodation if employees live further away than a defined radius from the event venue.
Our translations team playing mini golf in Berlin.
So what are team events actually for?
Team events are activities organised by companies to strengthen the sense of togetherness among their employees. “So, where do you go to play sport?”, “Oh, you’re building a house as well?”, “I didn’t know that you like crime novels, too!”: Whether it’s talking about private matters, solving a puzzle together or winning as a team – employees are taken out of their work roles to meet up and interact on a more personal level. This strengthens the feeling of togetherness, trust and the ability to work together among colleagues, especially if you otherwise only know each other from online meetings. From an employer branding perspective, team events are also a helpful way of ensuring that employees can identify with their company and feel comfortable within their team. Ideally, this leads to greater commitment and increases loyalty to the company.