When team building first comes to mind, you might think of trust falls and the corporate’s version of summer camp activities. There are a ton of new and unique ways companies can incorporate team building into weekly activities without it being a boring exercise. Team building can help stimulate a positive environment and improve overall work performance.
Have your employees expressed feelings of stress during the workweek? Have you recently hired new employees? Team building is a great way to let loose while improving communication and collaboration among your employees! This article dives into the importance of team building in your workplace culture, as well as fun ways of how you can incorporate them!
What is Workplace Culture?
Workplace culture is often what makes your business unique. It combines all of your values, traditions, beliefs, and behaviors to create the character and personality of your organization. It is also the environment and overall vibe that you create for your employees.
Why is a Positive Workplace Culture Important?
Workplace culture plays a powerful role in facilitating work satisfaction, employee relationships, and growth. A positive workplace environment and culture can help you attract and retain employees, drive financial performance, and increase productivity thus leading your company to produce its best services and products.
The average employee spends more time at work during the week than at home. It’s natural that prospects would want to find an environment where they can grow, feel comfortable, and overall enjoy spending time there. When your employees are happy they are more likely to refer your business to family and friends, and they are more likely to work with your business for the long haul.
What Impacts Workplace Culture?
Many factors go into developing a culture in the workplace, these can include the following:
Leadership
Company leaders often set the tone, vision, and direction for the rest of the company. From the way that they communicate and interact with employees to the expectations they set, company leaders are often the first step to inspiring employees and pushing the company forward.
The People
Not only do personal goals and beliefs come into play within the company culture, but also the way employees interact with each other. Are employees supportive of one another? Are they helpful and willing to go the extra mile to help a co-worker succeed? Employee relationships are essential to building a positive environment.
Workspace
As mentioned earlier, employees tend to spend more time in the workplace than at home so they want to find an environment that makes them feel included and uplifted. Your office space also can play a huge role in affecting your workplace culture. Are workspaces large and open? Are there standing desks or couches available for comfort? What objects or physical signs are hanging on the walls? Different companies value different things so the way you are utilizing your workspace often showcases what you expect from your employees and what you prioritize most.
Being Mindful of Burnout and Productivity
Rest is essential to productivity. If employees are overworked and stressed there may be some indicators of an unhealthy work culture. If the company values long hours or overtime, a competitive environment may cultivate. If employees are run-down and fatigued, they will also likely be less productive or not show as much interest in their work.
What Does Team Building Do to Improve Culture?
With the help of networking sites and online job postings, more employees are searching for an upbeat environment that fosters teamwork and workplace synergy. If employees are not happy in their current job situation it has become easier for them to search for new positions that better align with their personal goals and values.
Team Building can help improve the bond between coworkers as well as empowering them to thrive in their current environment. When employees are more committed to teamwork and helping the company succeed, the workplace tends to operate more efficiently and reduce the likelihood of a toxic workplace.
Team Building Activity Examples
Group Mentoring
One-on-one mentoring can play an important part in employee growth and team acclimation. Group mentoring can also be used to help employees learn new skills and further relationships with coworkers. This allows employees to try new things outside of their current wheelhouse making them more versatile. They may also view this as ways they can grow within the company and promote their future goals. Group mentoring has essentially no cost and can promote teamwork and leadership skills.
Sports Teams and Fitness Opportunities
After sitting at a desk all day, employees are often looking for ways to stay in shape and healthy. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress, combat fatigue, improve performance and lead to fewer workday absences. Sponsoring company sports teams are a great way to boost teamwork outside of the office while pushing them to be active. There are many athletic organizations that offer a variety of adult athletic teams such as basketball, flag football, and kickball.
Does your company offer fitness subsidies at a local gym? Try organizing a weekly yoga or group fitness class for reducing stress.
Supporting local 5ks or dog walks are a great way to give back to the community while promoting a healthy lifestyle. These can also be great exposure for the company if your employees show up in company logoed t-shirts.
Host Continual Learning Days
Most industries are always growing and changing with new tactics being developed for pushing the industry forward. Offering continual learning days or lunch-and-learns can be a great way for your employees to learn new skills and take a break from their normal workday. Bringing in outside speakers can make the experience fun and interesting compared to a company leader just giving a presentation. Outside speakers can also discuss different skill sets your employees may be looking to grow into. These new skillsets can do double good by providing benefits for your company in the future.
Promote Employee Hobbies and Clubs
Employees often share similar interests and have frequent discussions about their lives outside of the workplace. Try building on these similarities by promoting their hobbies within the office. This can be done by hosting a DND night, a company-sponsored cooking class, or providing a meeting spot for their book club. These types of events can also provide great opportunities for new employees to feel more immersed in team culture and build connections with their coworkers.
Incorporate Family-Friendly Events
Family-friendly environments are often very important to employees who are parents or have spouses. The workplace should be understanding of these relationships and work towards ways of incorporating them into team events and outings. Try holding celebrations at work for families including trick or treating, carving pumpkins, or holding tailgate parties in the parking lot before a football game. Family fun events can help facilitate a healthy work/life balance.
Off-Site Lunches or Happy Hours
From grilling in the park on a beautiful day or having an after-work happy hour. Company lunches or quick get-togethers can promote social interaction and a relaxed atmosphere. These simple events are easy to organize and encourage employees to get to know one another without discussing the workday.
Finding Hires That Will Add to Your Company Culture
At PeopleSuite, we help connect employers with dedicated employees committed to company growth and performance. Company culture is always a work in progress and can often change. You should always be mindful of the culture around you and always be looking for ways to improve it. By utilizing team bonding activities you can help facilitate teamwork and boost overall employee morale. Try out some of the team building activities mentioned above and see the positive shift in your company culture!
