Team building is something which brings people together, whether through encouragement or teamwork, and helps your business to excel. Fun activities which help your employees see one another in a different light allows them to connect within a different setting other than the office.
One of the most important reasons for encouraging team building is to achieve results, both for your business and your employees. Team building gets a bad rep, but it is one of the most important investments you can make for your business and the people who work there.
Team building builds trust, diffuses conflicts and encourages communication between employees and effective team building means that you are left with more engaged employees, which can only be a good thing for your business. Here are some reasons why team building is one of the most important investments you can make, plus how you can add it into your company’s values.
Don’t Be Overly Corporate
The whole idea of team building is to make your employees relaxed and have fun. This isn’t going to happen if you choose overly-corporate activities. The most successful team-building events are those which don’t feel like a day in the office.
Team building activities which aim to include leadership lessons or practical takeaways tend to be less powerful and garner less interest. Spending time together, sharing a fun experience or even just working towards a common goal allows everyone to spend more time bonding, which will happen far more organically than a “fun” corporate activity.
It’s Not a Splurge, It’s An Investment
Some team building activities are costly, especially if you are a growing company, but at the end of the day consider this spend as an investment rather than a splurge. Your team will feel appreciated if they go on a team building activity which they know has cost money, rather than a budget-friendly makeshift afternoon in a meeting room.
You don’t need to go crazy, but something which will encourage conversation and interaction, such as bowling, an escape room or even just an evening out after work. Arrange to finish early, have a professional makeup artist come and make everyone glam and head out for some drinks or a meal – everyone will be instantly relaxed and ready for a fun night ahead!
Keep The Positive Energy Flowing
Many team building exercises fall flat because they are a one-time activity – they’re done and quickly forgotten about on return to the office. It’s vital to keep the momentum and energy of the team building exercise going, but the challenge often comes from creating opportunities where people can interact and connect in the same meaningful way, outside of the regular meetings and presentations.
Far too often, we become obsessed with getting our own tasks done that we don’t bother to check in with others, so try and encourage twice weekly pow-wow chats if you can between your employees. Encourage them to grab a coffee, have a biscuit and just sit and chat about what they have on that week and whether they can help.
It isn’t surprising, but working together and encouraging proper communication between your employees is one of the best ways you can invest in your business. Team building is just one part of this, but having an open and friendly work environment, where everyone is happy and comfortable talking to one another.
