A just for fun’ event can be easily organised in-house – even the organising becomes a team builder. Of course, a professional team building company may also be able to run a cost effective event.

To run an event that has minimal cost yet can still boost morale, consider utilising your own team and the power of google to come-up with ideas for a round-robin series of timed activities in the office.

Keeping an event on-site or very locally to avoid travel costs and down-time will reduce cost and, if catering is needed, how about a BBQ or even try pot-luck.

The second area of pain is around public perception – should we be seen to be spending money on ‘having fun’ when the economy is so bad? This is a very valid question in today’s environment where a lot of people are really hurting.

The dilemma remain however, that you still want to motivate and build your team.

There are plenty of events and activities that remain out of view of the public to consider, but there are also opportunities to build your team in the public arena AND improve your company’s public perception.

These philanthropic opportunities involve your team participating in projects or events that benefit the community or those in need – and benefiting your team at the same time.

More and more companies are aligning themselves to charities with some going that extra bit and investing time working directly within a charity. A recent ad campaign about beach clean-ups springs to mind.

For those companies that place a high importance on the ‘social bottom line’ of their business, these alignments make powerful statements about their values to their customers and their staff.

Plenty of opportunities, whether organised directly or through a team building company, exist for businesses, big and small, to partner with community groups in either one-off or ongoing projects.

The simple act of a team ‘giving back’ or ‘paying forward’ can produce remarkable team cohesion and bonding in and of itself.

With some thought and careful consideration, a lack of budget and negative public perception can be fairly easily overcome in terms of boosting morale and building your team – especially when you consider the possible return on investment.