According to the workplace consulting and research firm Gallup, only 33% of employees in the United States feel "engaged." Many others are actively disengaged.

Unfortunately, employee disengagement can affect many aspects of an organization, such as increasing absenteeism rates. Conversely, it can reduce profitability, productivity, and work quality.

For those reasons, employers should do everything possible to increase employee engagement. One way to do this is to implement team-building activities, such as escape room games.

In this guide, our team at Alcatraz Escape Games in Utah has shared the top ways escape rooms can benefit teams. At the end of the article, you'll learn how these immersive team experiences, played either face-to-face or online, can help:

• Boost communication skills
• Promote collaboration
• Augment problem-solving skills
• Enhance leadership and management skills
• Improve team dynamics
• Build stronger team relationships

Let's dive right in!

Boost Communication Skills

Escape rooms are immersive, interactive challenges for teams. They feature multiple puzzles and tasks that players must solve and accomplish within a limited time.

The final goal of most escape rooms is to escape from the site. However, some, like Alcatraz Escape Game's Zombie Panic, involve infiltrating a "base" to win the game.

For players to escape or achieve the end goal, they must first find clues in the escape room. The clues are everywhere, so every player must do their part to uncover them. One clue often uncovers a puzzle or task they must then solve or accomplish to get to the next step.

Due to the game's time limit, players must communicate effectively with their teammates to complete tasks quickly. Members must also be able to share their ideas, perceptions, and thoughts on the clues, puzzles, or tasks.

For those reasons, escape room games can help participants improve their communication skills. They're integral to effectively and efficiently relaying information to others. So, they're just as crucial to personal relationships as to team and corporate success.

Indeed, American Public University explains that better communication is vital for building and maintaining relationships and resolving conflicts. Excellent communication skills can help team members achieve common personal and professional goals in the workplace.

Promote Collaboration

For a corporate team to succeed, each member must fulfill their roles alongside their team members.

Unfortunately, according to WorkLife.news, nearly seven in ten workers say they don't feel satisfied with how they work with their teams. About one in three surveyed respondents specifically noted that they struggle to work together. The problem is that the longer this lack of effective collaboration exists, the higher the odds of:

• Team members experiencing burnout
• Increased turnover rates
• Dwindling engagement and productivity levels

Winning in escape rooms requires communication and collaboration, and the best part is that they're fun and engaging brainteasers for teamwork. Escape room games encourage players to work with other team members and build camaraderie as they attempt to achieve a common goal outside of the workplace. Such collaboration can then help build trust among members, which they can bring to the job, resulting in better engagement and improving team bonding and output.

Augment Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills refer to a person's ability to find and use information to solve problems. In the workplace, these skills are critical to identifying potential issues (e.g., with a project) and addressing them to ensure quality output.

Escape room games, full of puzzles and tasks, provide an excellent way to engage and hone problem-solving skills. After all, players must solve them to "escape" the room.

Escape rooms are also fun ways for players to express their creativity. Solving the puzzles requires unconventional thinking and solutions, which allows players to use their creativity and logical thinking skills.

Considering all those perks, it's no wonder teachers use escape rooms in educational settings. A review published on PubMed noted that escape rooms can be effective as educational interventions to help improve knowledge.

Enhance Leadership and Management Skills

As mentioned above, players in an escape room face challenges to overcome within a time limit. So, to beat the game, they need to:

• Display problem-solving skills
• Communicate effectively
• Work with each other under time pressure

All those steps allow each team member to develop and exercise their leadership and management skills. For example, players who think of a possible solution can give instructions and lead the rest to success.

Improve Team Dynamics

Escape rooms provide a fun way for team members to interact, bond, and work outside the workplace. Because they have various puzzles and tasks, all players will likely encounter one (or more) that matches their abilities and skills. So each player can have the time to shine and contribute to the team's success.

The collaborative effort that leads the team to success can then help improve each member's interpersonal dynamics.

Build Stronger Team Relationships

Escape room games allow employees to socialize outside the workplace, which can help improve team cohesion. Spending time outside the office can help them better understand and appreciate one another. Knowing their colleagues' personal lives and interests can help foster positive connections beyond professional relationships.

Friendly relationships with team members can also help improve employee engagement. For instance, employees with work friends are likelier to feel a sense of belonging and security. They'll feel more secure in a supportive work environment.

From there, employees are more likely to enjoy working and being at work. Since they like and appreciate the other team members, they're more likely to work better and be more productive. Having fun at work can also reduce their absenteeism rate, which is a common problem among disengaged employees.

Build Better Teams With Escape Room Games

Escape room games can help teams work better and more cohesively, from boosting communication skills to promoting collaboration and enhancing team dynamics.

So, if your team needs quality bonding time in a fun and engaging environment, look no further than Alcatraz Escape Games. We have many fascinating, brain-teasing game themes online and in Draper and Lindon, UT, from Zombie Panic to Wizard Hysteria and the Prison Bus Escape. With over a thousand 4- and 5-star Google reviews and more than a hundred 5-star Trip Advisor reviews, you can count on us to make your team-building activity the talk of your organization.

Speak with us today to learn more about our adventures awaiting you and your team members!