Effective team building positively impacts the workplace across the board. Although not all employees are fond of traditional team building activities, the benefits greatly outweigh the cons and there are a lot of options to suit different personalities.
So how exactly do you go about planning successful team building activities and motivating everyone involved? Read on to find out!
As a team building initiative, learning something new together can foster teamwork. Learning a new language such as Japanese, Chinese, or Spanish, for example, can not only increase morale and teamwork, but also improve your employee and company value in the market.
People who learn, master, and conquer new things together will have a shared sense of achievement, and this later adds to overall productivity and an improved work environment. Once a foreign language is learned and mastered, it could also increase your company’s footprint in the foreign market.
Being in the workplace often creates a certain air of competition and formality. However, once you take everyone involved out of their standard work environment, then all bets are off.
Have you ever been to a holiday party at a restaurant and seen a side of your coworkers you have never seen before? Well, this is why.
Some supervisors and managers even go as far as scheduling team building vacations in the form of annual company trips.
Of course, you don’t need to go that far or spend that much, especially if you are a small-scale company. What you can do is look into more team building locations by:
Certain things can be done in the workplace, too. Some of these activities include:
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Nothing brings people together more than doing good for the community, and there are a lot of great reasons to consider offering volunteer time off.
It’s a win-win situation, as the community, your company image, and all involved benefit.
Some suggestions for team building through volunteer work include:
Part of a healthy work environment is having workers who care and give 100%. Demotivation often occurs over time and is almost inevitable in a corporate setting.
One way to combat this issue is through perks given to entire teams when a goal is met.
For example, if your sales team hits the target this quarter, take the entire team out (not just the top salesperson) for a free meal at a restaurant. Take out the accounting department for an end-of-the-year meal to congratulate them for a job well done will significantly boost morale.
This may require a significant monetary investment, but you should keep the long-term benefits in mind. No company would be successful without solid teams.
Take everyone’s contributions and suggestions to heart. While not everyone will have the desire to lead, you should make sure each employee feels heard and valued.
What you can also do is encourage each person to contribute during meetings, and even call meetings when they deem a problem important enough to be addressed.
An employee who has a chance to speak up, take the lead, and voice their concerns is one that feels valued, empowered, encouraged, and willing to put in the work.
There are many opinions on what makes a great team building session, where are the best team building locations, and which are the most effective team building activities. Much of this will be determined by your unique company culture as well.
One thing is for sure: team building in a workplace is beneficial across the board. Try not to enforce your authority too much during these activities, as fun should be your primary focus. Creating a healthy and fun company culture will make everyone’s workday that much brighter.