Skip navigation

9 alcohol-free ideas for team bonding

Most employees crave connection and camaraderie, especially after a full day of sitting in front of screens. Here are 9 alcohol-free ways to build trust in your teams.

A team of diverse employees are standing outside an office building. They're smiling and one is holding out her arm to take a selfie. Someone in the back is holding up 2 fingers to make the peace sign.A team of diverse employees are standing outside an office building. They're smiling and one is holding out her arm to take a selfie. Someone in the back is holding up 2 fingers to make the peace sign.

Table of contents

Insights from Ellen Raim, Founder of People MatterWe focus more on solving than preventing People problems.

Most employees crave connection and camaraderie, especially after a full day of sitting in front of screens. At many workplaces, happy hours are the default bonding experience. But there are many alcohol-free ways to bring coworkers and teams together. 

Here are nine alcohol-free ways to build trust in your teams:

1. Be tourists in your own city. 

Bond with your team by exploring a city of your choice. Pick a city near your office, where someone lives or somewhere completely different. Visit a museum, explore a new park or walk the city together.

2. Attend a cooking class together.

Food is a great way to bring people together. Consider taking a cooking class (and even support a local business). During the class, your employees can connect with each other. And, after they class, they’ll have a new recipe to impress their loved ones and friends with!

3. Get creative in an art class.

Dedicate some time for employees to embrace their inner artists. Consider a pottery, painting or drawing class as a way for teams to bond with each other and discover a new skill/hobby.

4. Cheer for your favorite team at a local sports game.

Take your employees out to a ball game. Assign seats to ensure people spend some time with coworkers they don’t often work with.

5. Randomize coffee meet-ups.

Get out of your team out of its bubble. Pair up employees randomly for coffee dates. Let them choose the time and location (virtual is okay, too).

6. Volunteer as a team.

If your employees want to get more involved in sustainability or community service, consider giving back to your local community. Local soup kitchens, youth programs and  beach or park cleanups can be great for teams.

7. Have a picnic.

Summer is around the corner, and a picnic is a great way for teams to spend time together. Go potluck style — everyone can bring something to share.

8. Attend a comedy show.

They say that laughter is the best medicine. Check out a local comedy club in your area. You’ll get to support local comedians while connecting with coworkers over humor.

9. Learn together.

Learning together is a great way to bring people together, and Electives can help you with this one. The Electives platform streamlines the planning, curation, logistics and measurement to make it possible for you to bring impactful learning to your team – no waiting for bigger budgets or more resources.

Learn live. Adapt faster.

Latest resources

Learn more about creating a culture of learning throughout our resources below.

The modern MBA: A practical roadmap for today's business leaders
Electives team
 
May 9, 2025

The modern MBA: A practical roadmap for today's business leaders

A 24-class business curriculum for leaders who want to learn real skills—fast.
Leadership + management
Making the 70/20/10 model actually work: How to drive real behavior change with L&D
Electives team
 
May 7, 2025

Making the 70/20/10 model actually work: How to drive real behavior change with L&D

The 70/20/10 model reflects how people really learn. Here’s how to use it to drive real behavior change.
Learning best practices
Elevating PUMA’s managers for agile leadership
Electives team
 
May 5, 2025

Elevating PUMA’s managers for agile leadership

How PUMA’s managers got real-world leadership training with live sessions that helped them build trust, boost performance and lead with confidence.
Case studies
Why live learning beats pre-recorded libraries (and what People teams actually want)
Electives team
 
May 2, 2025

Why live learning beats pre-recorded libraries (and what People teams actually want)

Why live learning drives real engagement and skill growth—while pre-recorded content leaves employees checked out.
Learning best practices
Workplace holidays to celebrate in June
Electives team
 
May 1, 2025

Workplace holidays to celebrate in June

We compiled a comprehensive list of June holidays you may want to observe throughout your organization. Plus, download our holiday calendar.
Culture + collaboration
Core values don’t just live on posters
Electives team
 
Apr 30, 2025

Core values don’t just live on posters

How to turn company values into real leadership behaviors through learning, practice and reinforcement so they show up in everyday work.
Culture + collaboration

View all posts

ENJOYABLE. EASY. EFFECTIVE.

Learning that works.

With live learning + AI simulations, Electives is a learning platform that makes it easy to design, execute and measure effectiveness.

Request a demo

Request a demo

Learn more

Learn more