Covid-safe team-building events and incentives

Holding team-building events and incentives during the pandemic

Covid-19 has forced us all to work from home. While a fully digital workday works well for many industries, there is no replacement for the face-to-face interaction with colleagues and employees that we're currently missing. Corporate events, company outings and incentives have been few and far between this past year, too – and not without consequences. After all, as is widely known, face-to-face encounters are beneficial to teams: team-building events build trust, boost employee retention, bring outsiders on board and increase employee motivation, and taking part in joint activities outside of the office prevents cliques, power games, marginalisation and conflicts.

But how can companies reap these benefits while the current social distancing rules are in force? It's a fine balance, but it's not impossible. Some team-building trips can still go ahead despite current health and safety rules. Find out how you can beat your boss in a soapbox race in Vienna or distil gin with your new colleagues in the picturesque surroundings of the Vorarlberg mountains – our post has nine creative and sporty ideas for outdoor, socially distanced team-building events and incentives in Austria that will reignite your team spirit.

Graffiti workshop on the Linz harbour

Ever wanted to be an artist for the day and officially get to fill walls with your art? Well, at Mural Harbor, Europe's largest outdoor graffiti gallery in Upper Austria, you can. With its Mural Walks, you and your team will be taken on a guided tour to see 300 works of graffiti and the urban art exhibition. At the end of the tour, you'll have the chance to grab a spray can and give it a go yourself. The workshop will give you an insight into the basics of graffiti, including sketching out your own design to spray on a wall and leave a lasting mark.

Find more incentives in Upper Austria here.

Tyrolean culinary tour by e-bike

It's time to get sporty with cycling in the Tyrolean mountains on e-bikes. Despite social distancing, you can enjoy a leisurely chat with colleagues as you ride. You'll stop off at culinary spots where a beekeeper will tell you all about life in bee colonies, and you'll get to sample local delicacies during a break at a farm. Arriving at an alpine lodge at the end of the bike tour, you'll relax on comfy loungers with aromatic herbal poultices.

Find more ideas for Covid-safe company outings in Tyrol here.

Orienteering in Lower Austria

Roadbooks, walkie-talkies and at least two teams – that's all you need for orienteering in Lower Austria. What makes it so fun is that you and your team will follow the trail using directions and pointers that the other team give you over the walkie-talkies. And that's not all – you'll also have to solve creative tasks along your route. Work together well and everybody wins.

Find more team-building activities in Lower Austria here.

Vorarlberg: gin workshop in the great outdoors

The last after-work drinks with colleagues were so long ago, so the time is just right for a gin workshop. The distilling kettle awaits, surrounded by the gorgeous mountain scenery of Vorarlberg. You and your team will receive expert guidance to turn premium ingredients into a unique juniper gin, and of course there will be a tasting after each distillation.

Find more ideas for company outings in Vorarlberg here.

Smartphone scavenger hunt in Styria

In the urban jungle of Graz, employees will embark on a scavenger hunt that blurs the line between online and offline as the main tool will be their smartphones. Creativity is key to completing the photo and video challenges. Which team will come out top?

From cultural to culinary events, here's an overview of more incentive activities in Styria

Travelling through the streets of Vienna – in a soapbox car

This is a tour of Vienna with a twist: race around Austria's capital city, passing its spectacular historical buildings, in a 14 hp soapbox car. To join the Hotrod city tours, you need to hold a valid driving licence and have no alcohol in your system. Every tour has at least one guide who you'll hear over headphones.

Find more incentive ideas for Vienna here.

A railbiking tour in Burgenland
You and your team will need good team spirit and sportsmanship for this railbiking tour through the romantic Mittelburgenland landscape. The route takes around two and a half hours to complete without breaks. The railbike always travels in one direction: on even days it's from Neckenmarkt-Horitschon to Oberpullendorf, and on odd days it travels in the opposite direction.

You'll also have the option to book for shuttle services, buffets at catering stops, wine tastings or a drink at a traditional tavern, a "Heuriger", to end the day (subject to current Covid restrictions).

Click here to view the guide to incentives in Burgenland

On a top-secret mission in Salzburg

After a long time working from home, it's time to reignite your company's team spirit. In the Secret Escape Game Mission, you and your team will solve tricky puzzles and crack open locks, with spy tools and hi-tech gadgets from the Secret Escape case helping you complete your top-secret mission.

Find more side events in Salzburg here

Along the Drava River in Carinthia
A wonderful adventure by canoe awaits you and your team in Carinthia with a company outing to the Drava River, a tributary of the Danube. Drau Paddelweg currently offers over 11 routes between Lienz and Ferlach, assisted by a guide and their knowledge of the picturesque spots. For a personalised day trip, you can pick out a route of your choosing.

Find more incentive activities in Carinthia here

Please be aware that these activities are subject to last-minute changes due to Covid restrictions. Check with the event organiser to find out whether your chosen incentive can still go ahead under the latest rules.