How To Build Camaraderie in Your Team
Do you feel disconnect within your departmental team? Are you seeking methods to strengthen company moral?
As managers, we get it.
It's hard enough to push your team to achieve productivity each month, let alone ensure they are bonding both inside and out of the office. Do you push for the same basic team building activities like dare I say it Trust Falls, or leave your employees be, since they're hitting quote? You may be feeling lost and you're not alone.
Studies show that external factors greatly influence employee's work ethic and interactions with their coworkers. If an employee is preoccupied with life outside of work mixed with feeling unable to confide in their current coworkers or manager, their productivity levels will plunge. In 2018, more than 75% of employees felt they did not have one person in upper management whom they could share their in and out of office hardships with.
How do we combat this disconnect and lower this percentage?
By implementing team building exercises - team building made easy. I'm not talking about sitting in a circle, holding hands, and singing Kumbaya. I'm referencing actually getting out of the office in the safe space where your employee's won't feel pressure to act or respond at the same level expected inside the office.
Team outings and activities are what strengthen relationships in your office. Think about it... growing up in school, what were the highlights apart from school vacation or recess? Field Trips. Yes, these are designed as an out-of-the-classroom learning experience, but also as a chance to make new friends by discovering more about your peers in a casual, more relaxed setting.
It is the exact same with adults.
Why do we forget about these simplistic practices?
Are you afraid of implementing childish acts in a corporate setting? You're not the only one with this fear. As managers, we need to destigmatize the notion that team building is for children. It has become a necessity for improving your workplace productivity and connectivity. The same study aforementioned includes how only 25% of companies are asking third-party companies who specialize in strengthening team bonding for help. This trend will only grow and it's better to jump on board now than be faced with adversity in your teams.
Last month, we spoke to Director Dan of Hyde Park Agency who gave us insider scoop on the activities an outside company conducted with his team. After running through a trial in person, they gave him a list of team building exercises to incorporate both in and out of the office, proven to strengthen team bonding. He expressed, "I noticed a difference in the way my employees interacted with each other after completing each exercise. We grew stronger, learned to rely on each other, and it reflected in our work place. One week after completing the full list of team building exercises, our productivity levels jumped 40% and when measured again after 3 months, grew 60%. I was skeptical like anyone else, but am now a huge advocate for implementing team bonding exercises into your office and routine. It will make or break your company."
Get the full list of team building exercises Director Dan used below.
