How to Bring Your Employees Together As a Team
In order to make a group of different employees a cohesive and well-knit team, you may want to take some measures to let everyone get to know each other, teach others how to recognize each other’s skills and make everyone feel like an important part of the well oiled machine in which you are shaping them.
The tips, tricks, and suggestions below will help your employees get to know each other and feel more comfortable in their roles, being one of the many ways you can set up your startup for future success.
New uniform
One thing you can do to help employees feel like they are part of the unit is to mandate a uniform, giving new employees a selection of branded and custom-made clothing that matches company standards. We’re not talking about just a polo shirt and dress pants here, no: we’re talking about a diverse offering of the company’s standard clothing options, where employees are able to choose an outfit at the start of their tenure and order. More later, if they so choose.
Ideally, this attire should be within the standard set by most professional attire, and not something like a fast food employee’s attire: Fortunately, these days it’s not hard to get custom corporate attire.
You can have shirts, sweatshirts, coats, and pants designed for your business, with companies like Wunderlabel adding unique touches like iron-on labels to clothing, keeping customizing your uniform affordable yet high-quality. Offering your employees a variety of brand-designed apparel options is sure to spark excitement and help everyone feel part of the team.
Team building exercises
Sometimes (and this will also be seen in the next step), setting aside an hour or two out of your day to allow your employees to mess around, socialize, and work together on something low stakes is the best way for them to get to know each other and see how you work around problems. Getting your employees out of the office into a warm, comfortable environment like a park to work on challenges like scavenger hunts and egg drops can give you some paid time off while encouraging them to think as a unit.
While team building exercises may seem somewhat cheesy to an outsider, team building exercises are known among business circles for improving senses of camaraderie among employees, employee morale, and of course, productivity. Getting employees out of the work environment is always associated with increased employee loyalty and satisfaction, and depending on the activities you choose, you may also be able to identify leadership qualities in some of your employees, highlighting potential candidates for advancement.
Take everyone on a “field trip”
Similar to team-building exercises, getting your employees out of the office for a day on a company-mandated excursion can have major benefits for employee morale and even their mental health. Taking your employees to a place like an amusement park or theaters (depending on the company’s budget) can be seen as an unwritten benefit of working with your company, giving employees a chance to let loose and get to know each other as people. Such actions are also known to increase employee satisfaction, reduce opportunities for conflict in the workplace, and increase employee loyalty.
You don’t have to spend a lot for this particular exercise to give everyone a field trip. But remember, the bigger the benefit, the better.
It can be difficult to make new employees feel like an integral part of your company, even if they have been given information about your company culture and have been there for a while. Activities and tips like the ones listed above are proven, time-tested ways to connect employees together, increase their productivity, and make them see that your company values them in a tangible way.
