Did you know that only 32% of employees are engaged at work? If you take a look around your office, you may not even suspect it. However, if you dig further into your company’s data, you’ll see that profits are lagging due to apathetic workers.
Having more engaged employees is a win-win situation for everyone. Not only will your workers be more productive and want to stay loyal to your company, but they’ll also enjoy being around their coworkers.
So how can you encourage team cohesion? Read on for seven ways to boost team bonding.
1. Have Icebreaker Activities
It’s vital that employees feel at home right at the start, so don’t skip icebreaker activities. This gives the new hires a chance to introduce themselves so their coworkers know a little about them as soon as they join the team.
Icebreaker activities work in reverse too. When your seasoned employees introduce themselves with key pieces of information, your new workers will feel more comfortable with them, as they won’t just be nameless faces in the office.
Through these activities, people may find that they have overlapping interests and hobbies. This can lead to friendships outside of the workplace, which will help employees flourish while on the clock.
2. Have a Mentorship Program
Even with icebreaker activities, employees can feel lost when starting out. However, if you have a mentorship program, they can latch onto experienced workers and find their footing more easily. They may even have a friend right at the beginning, which can make all the difference.
Not only can new hires learn from their mentors, but they can also slide into social groups with their aid. When these mentors act as the glue between the new and the old team members, this can speed up the transition period and improve engagement immediately.
3. Have After-Work Parties
You expect your employees to work hard, but they should play hard too. Otherwise, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy, right?
You don’t have to go all out here either. For example, every Friday, you can put on music, order pizza, and put out a spread of chips, pretzels, beer, wine, and soda. Your workers can clock out, then kick back and relax with good food and drinks, while chatting or playing games.
For the more extravagant parties, save them for quarter ends. Have HR put together a small trip out for a fun time, such as a sunset cruise.
This shows your employees that you value their work. In addition, it gives them a chance to mingle with one another outside of a work setting.
4. Set Up Meetings Between Teams
Often, company teams work in siloed fashions, resulting in workers who aren’t even aware of one another. For instance, programmers often don’t know who’s on the marketing team, and vice versa.
In reality, everyone plays an important part in driving the business’s success. So it’s essential that all employees get along and work cohesively.
Eliminate these silos by setting up meetings between workers of different teams. They can grab a coffee, then sit down for a 30-minute chat to find out more about what they do and who they are as people.
Your workers will have a newfound appreciation for what others do. Plus, they’ll feel more motivated and engaged if they understand how their work fits in with others.
5. Set Workplace Challenges
Some friendly competition never hurts, and it can ignite a flame in people. It also encourages team building since it’ll get your employees talking with one another and strategizing, especially if these challenges are done in groups.
Activity challenges for employee bonding can be good for their health too. For instance, setting a challenge for most steps taken in a week or giving them a goal amount can drive them to do more physical activities.
Otherwise, think about your workers’ interests and set challenges based on those. Some good examples include cooking, art, meditation, sports, and books.
6. Have Team-Building Days
Team-building exercises will definitely encourage team bonding, as that’s their sole purpose! But taking a few minutes out of a workday won’t suffice.
Instead, set aside entire chunks or even days to devote to team-building. You can get creative here too; there are some activities that are doable in the office, while others should be scheduled off-site with professionals.
Whatever you choose, it should be interesting and motivate your employees to work with one another. An escape room is a perfect answer here!
7. Celebrate and Reward Achievements
There’s nothing worse than putting in your all and not getting recognition for it. This will cause employees to become disengaged from their work fast.
Make an effort to recognize, celebrate, and reward achievements on a regular basis. You can even encourage your workers to put their team members’ names in for announcements.
This facilitates a positive work environment where everyone supports and lifts one another. Plus, they’ll view you as an excellent employer when they see all the great rewards you have!
Have Engaged Employees in Your Workplace
When you have engaged employees, you’ll notice a significant difference in your workplace. Everyone will be happier, and work will flow easily, as they’re more motivated.
In turn, your company’s profits will increase, and worker turnover will decrease. As a result, your business will rise above the competition, and before you know it, you’ll make a big name for yourself. Both clients and employees will flock to you, ensuring success for years to come. Read the rest of our blog page for more helpful information on running your business.
