Many companies are realizing the integral importance of community at the workplace. With employees spending the majority of the hours that they are awake at work, the relationships and community there is an essential part of workplace satisfaction, retention and the overall culture. If you want to improve your company, here are some of the best team-building exercises and activities that can help you cultivate meaningful relationships at work.
Have Fun Together
While work is not always fun, there is nothing to stop you from having fun together. The reality is that work will likely not always be fun and enjoyable; however, spending time enjoying each other’s company can be a vital component of building a community. Pool parties at custom pools Dallas, happy hours and experiences that take you outside of work, can provide the opportunity necessary for your teammates to bond.
Engage in Healthy Competition
When you bring together individuals into a group for a common purpose, there is often a shared identity and shared purpose that can prove fruitful for making connections. While you may be used to this in terms of projects at work, this can also have a positive impact when you use the same principle outside of work. Healthy competition can be a fun way to get everyone engaging with one another and establishing relationships with less intense stakes. Anything from playing sports to recreational games to board games can be the perfect conductor for sparking those connections.
Explore and Search Together
Exploration is another activity that lends it well to groups. This particular shared purpose can offer new information, adventures and opportunities to learn more about each other. Whether you turn this activity into a competition or just a way to explore together, escape rooms and scavenger hunts can be optimal team outings. Not only can these be a lot of fun for the entire group, but you likely will develop memories as you venture out with your search party.
Learn New Skills
Another type of exploration that can be a lot of fun for groups is learning and developing skills. Consider offering high-energy teammates fitness classes, foodies to cooking classes or your more creative types, art class. There are plenty of places and endless opportunities to engage your mind and your coworkers. Your relationships will be fortified by these engaging and experiential moments.
Host Lunch and Learns
If your crew is looking for ways to engage during the workday, workplace events where you can learn together can be a great start. Hosting lunch and learn events can help you establish a common purpose, provide professional development and bring everyone together. Particularly if your team feels uncomfortable with engaging on a more personal level, this can be a less intimidating setting. Consider bringing in outside speakers or hosting some of your internal colleagues or partners to offer professional development and allow for discussion, so that the team can engage with each other.
Eat Together
Not all activities and outings have to be physically or mentally invigorating. Any setting with food can be the perfect place to dive deeper into relationships. Going out to lunch together, grabbing drinks or a bite to eat after work or scheduling coffee chats during the workday can help build new connections. An important consideration when dining together is to always make sure that there are edible options for everyone in attendance, otherwise, this can have the opposite effect resulting in an uncomfortable encounter. While there are certain nuances of dining together, nothing brings people together better than food.
Launch a Mentorship Program
There is a widespread understanding of the importance of professional mentorship; however, initiating this relationship can often be easier said than done. Mentorship opportunities are extremely influential team-building exercises and invest in employee’s long-term growth and development for both mentors and mentees. While mentorship can be initiated informally, companies can offer formalized programs that can be valuable to everyone, including the corporation.
Use Each Meeting as an Opportunity
While many companies host events that are specifically focused on the workplace community, your company culture is influenced by more than just events and activities. If you want there to be healthy relationships and opportunities for employees to make connections with one another, the value of human connection should present in all aspects of the company and its operations. Taking time to check-in at the beginning of meetings, caring for each other, letting everyone get to know one another with ice breakers and even policy development will play an impactful part. If you want your team to engage and have meaningful connections at work, make sure that you are doing what you can to support this.
Teams are only as good as the relationships within them. Regardless of your motivation, you need to pay attention to your team’s dynamics and the relationships at work. Start with these activities and opportunities and you will likely be amazed by the improvements.
