Team Bonding Activities Equal Happy Employees
Let’s face it – employee morale can be a bit like a roller coaster ride. Everything is on the upswing and then the company is sold or another polar vortex hits your community causing moods to dip tremendously – just like the lowest point of a coaster. But with so many elements out of our control (i.e. a merger or the weather) the only thing within our control is our attitude toward all of this.
If you are the team leader, here are seven simple team bonding activities that can really help keep your employees focused and happy, even in times of peril:
- Recognize special events. Every employee has a birthday and a work anniversary at a minimum. In addition, they might have an anniversary, birth of a child or grandchild, their wedding or those of their children. Celebrate them all with cake, coffee and cards.
- Reward your employees for a job well done. “People want to feel valued,” said Paul Spiegelman, Chief Culture Officer at Beryl Health. Here are five ways to make them feel valued:
Tell them they are doing a great job.
Write them a note and snail mail it to them.
Hold a pizza party if your monthly goals are obtained.
Give them gift cards.
Hold a meeting and publicly recognize them. - Promote the use of an idea board.
Whatever the company size or structure, you can help with team building by having a large idea board. This board can have a question, statement, idea or challenge on the top and employees can come by and write text or share photos on it. It allows the idea to brew and because no one knows who provided which idea, the team members will have more courage to share and take risks. - Encourage lunch and work breaks.
I used to think that lunch at my desk and working through tiredness was what was best for the team. But the reality is when everyone takes a lunch and one or two breaks during the day, they are more productive when they return to the work at hand. Go out to lunch with the team. Take a walk around the block. Get some coffee. Meditate. - Make the workspace comfortable.
The workspace that helps with team building should be more like your living room and less like a cubicle. Lighting that is good but not glaring, chairs that are comfortable, temperatures that are neither too hot or too cold, and having the right technology that works best for the employee, will all help with workplace productivity. - Smile.
Make a concerted effort to smile more, talk about fun things and even be humorous. These things go a long way to helping with team building. - Have Fun!
Off-site team building exercises, such as the type Fun Team Building offers, can help employee morale tremendously.
Participate in fun and energizing team building activities that turbo-charge morale, teach respect, and build trust. Call owner, Larry Lipman at 770.333.3303 today to learn more about ways he can help!