BY RABEA NIKOLAY, WASHTEC

With the coronavirus pandemic still a tangible reality and social distancing still fresh on everyone’s mind, “games” might seem trivial as you ponder how to increase your post-pandemic car wash business. But, these team building games will do more than strengthen your employees’ connections and motivate them. They can help mend what’s been frayed, spark a little cheer and help you rebuild your business to be stronger than it was before.

The first step is finding the right game(s) for your team. For example, with a small car wash team, it doesn’t make sense to go to the mountains for a few days of intensive survival training, but a “minefield” in your backyard might be a great idea. Also, be mindful of your team’s characteristics when choosing games, so they are appealing to everyone and participation is viewed positively.

The ideas below can help to improve communication within your team and thus enhance the quality of collaboration — which not only benefits you as a car wash operator, but also your customers.

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

If you have a new team, these are great exercises to help them discover some things they have in common and get to know each other in a fun and non-stressful way.

Bingo
Distribute bingo cards to your employees on which you have noted things they might have in common. For example, favorite animal, most-loved holiday, best sport, most interesting TV show, number of siblings, favorite hobby, tastiest food, and so on. Then all employees move around the room at the same time and find out what the others have put as their answers to these questions. Whoever finds a match makes a cross at the appropriate place. If someone has completed a row — horizontally, vertically or diagonally — he or she shouts “Bingo!” and has won. This way, your employees can easily learn various things about their colleagues and have points of contact for future discussions.

Three Truths, One Lie
Each employee receives four little notes that look the same on which they write three true statements and one lie about themselves. None of this has to be spectacular, and the lie should also be as credible as possible. Examples would be, “I am 26 years old”, “I am married”, “I can write with both hands”, “I have a twin”, and so on. The employees each receive the slips of paper of the person in question and must try to identify the lie. To do this, they have to think about their respective colleague, gather together what they know and assess what might be true. The team finally makes a guess — even two, if it can’t agree. The employee clarifies the lie — the others now know three facts more about them than before.

Quiz Questions
There are a whole range of tricky quiz questions from the most diverse subject areas that you can collect; a Trivial Pursuit game or a quick search online will net quite a few options. Ask these questions to your employees in the break room — all together or in two teams taking turns. They are also welcome to consult with each other. It’s not about winning great prizes, it’s about having fun. And at the same time your employees will also find out who is enthusiastic about which topics.

ESTABLISHING A LASTING BOND

If your employees already know each other a little, you can play team building games where they work together and listen to each other.

Walk Through the “Minefield”
For example, place some objects on the floor in various places (preferably those that are sturdy and don’t break easily). There should be enough space between them to comfortably walk through. You then blindfold a colleague, and their teammate must guide them through this “minefield” by providing verbal instructions. If you have several teams, you can stop the time and choose the winning team that got through the fastest and without mistakes.

“Careful with the Raw Egg!”
The task is to pack an egg in such a way that it survives a fall to the ground. For this exercise, you should gather together everything that your office, the staff room and the cash area can offer — newspaper, rubber bands, packaging materials, pens and various other items can be used in imaginative ways. Split your employees into teams or let them all think together — depending on the number of employees. Then give them 30 minutes to pack an egg to protect it from breaking — and put the package to the test.

WE’RE ALL FRIENDS HERE

If your team already knows each other well and likes each other, you can try several different advanced team building games with them.

Escape Room
In most major towns, there are now escape rooms where groups can be locked in. They receive riddles and clues, which they must decipher together in order to be able to free themselves from the room within a certain time. If they don’t make it out in time, the game is lost. This is an ideal setting for the team to work together. Everyone contributes with their skills and ideas to help find the right answers. The experience through playing the game is definitely one they share — all of them win together, or all of them lose together.

Karaoke
Some love it, while others hate it, but karaoke does not leave anyone completely cold. “My voice sounds awful”, “I cannot sing” or “I find it embarrassing” — these excuses are heard over and over again. And yet, in the end, everyone joins in enthusiastically. Whether you hire a karaoke game such as Singstar, buy your own DVDs, draw on YouTube’s wide selection or visit a karaoke bar, there are now many ways to go out singing with your employees. Company parties are an ideal setting, as everyone is a bit more relaxed.

Team building games may seem a bit contrived, but they have an undeniable value. You can ensure that your employees get to know each other a little better in a harmless way, you can encourage them to work in a team by carrying out joint tasks, and you can help them bond with each other through these joint actions. Once you’ve made it to the stage where your employees can have a lot of fun with each other, it not only benefits them. Your car wash and customers will benefit too, as this camaraderie equates to a team that is not only more communicative and friendly with each other, but with your customers as well.

Rabea Nikolay is a Marketing Comm-unications Specialist at WashTec (www.washtec.com), which is involved in the car wash business in more than 80 countries and is credited with the invention of the brush wash system. Mark VII, an International Carwash Association member, is the North America subsidiary of Washtec.