The Importance of Team Building
Whether you are a new business just starting out or an established company, building a strong team is a must. The most successful businesses know the value of team building and prioritise team bonding as part of their training and CPD. It makes sense that people are more likely to work hard for those they have built up a good working relationship with, so here are some simple ways to raise morale and create a team that will make every effort to impress.
Away Days
Corporate away days have long been popular with large businesses, but even if you are a start up your team can benefit from an away day. Getting away from the office and into a new environment can be liberating and being on neutral ground helps staff relax. However you choose to spend your day, strike the right balance between work and play to get the full benefit.
Treat Your Staff
You don’t need to give big bonuses to boost morale, as sometimes the little things can make all the difference. Ask your employees to complete a questionnaire about their likes and dislikes (favourite chocolate bar, coffee order, takeout sandwich) and keep it on file, then randomly treat them as a surprise. Sometimes an unexpected oat milk vanilla latte can be all that’s needed to lift the spirits and if you treat your staff well, they are more likely to put the work in for you.
Dress-down Days
Staff are more productive when they feel comfortable and dress-down days are a fantastic way to help your staff relax. Whether you opt to do it weekly, monthly, or less frequently, having a dress-down day is a cost-free way to make the workplace less formal and is sure to get your staff interacting as they spend their coffee break talking about their outfits. Another way to use dress-down days to bring staff together is by asking for a small donation to wear your own clothes. Take it in turns for staff to choose the charity they want the proceeds to go to and, if you feel it is appropriate, they can share why the charity is important to them. This can help staff get to know more about the people they work with as well as helping worthy causes.
Social Events
As well as away days which straddle the work and social spheres, it is important for employees to spend time together away from the office. Holding a Christmas party can offer an opportunity for staff to get to know each other better, but to create a strong bond social events need to take place more than once a year. Food and drink are always popular options for socials, but there are plenty of alternatives depending on your staff members interests. Book groups, film nights, bowling trips and golf days are just some of the fun ways you can socialise and create friendships as well as working relationships; or why not try one of these treasure hunts for team building? Team Tactics have a wide choice of entertaining activities that are a sure-fire way to bring your staff closer together and their 23 years of experience mean they are a company you can trust. Their events are in London and across the UK.
Team Building Games
There is a reason team building games have stayed popular – they work. Search the internet for novel team building games to try – it doesn’t always have to be the same ‘build a house out of dry spaghetti’, you could even try online games. Depending on your staff you may find adding a competitive element to their working day helps with both output and bonding, but hard targets don’t work for everyone, so use your knowledge of your team to decide if it would be beneficial for your business.
These ideas show that building a formidable team doesn’t need to be boring. Try them out and reap the rewards!
