Team Building, and How to Achieve it

Team-building seems like an obvious thing in business, right? But other than trust-falls and team meetings, how much do you really know? 

It is often said that the team that plays together, stays together. This is a strong message about the importance of team building. Team building is the process by which single, well-functioning employees are brought together and turned into a cohesive, and happy, team. Team-building techniques can vary wildly, but often focus on activities and events that will promote cooperation and increase motivation. Team building activities should be enjoyable, whilst also involving collaborative tasks, working towards the same constructive aim.

Good employees are a company’s biggest and most valuable asset, and employee retention levels can be improved through team building. Companies whose employees feel listened to, and where communication is effective, have a 27% lower turnover rate than those who don’t. Team building is vital to ensuring that your employees are happy and that your business thrives.  But how can your business achieve this? And how much will it cost? Here’s everything you need to know about team building, and how to achieve it:

 

Team Building Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

The good news is that team building doesn’t have to be expensive. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated this perfectly. During the pandemic, many large corporations, who might ordinarily have invested heavily in external team building events for their employees, instead turned to virtual events held over zoom, skype, or their office phone system. Some examples of these include:

• Virtual quizzes or card games
• Digital meetups for coffee during the workday
• ‘Happy hour’ for after-work drinks
• Online fitness or exercise classes
• Traditional team-building events are brought online. Online drawing classes, code-breaking sessions or escape rooms are all great examples.

 

During this time, companies offering virtual team building events and services saw a 2500% increase in enquiries. This demonstrates that there is a huge demand amongst businesses to maintain the connection between their employees.

The great thing about bringing your team building online is that it can be cost-effective. In fact, organising some of these team building events doesn’t have to cost a penny! You simply need to send out e-invites and ensure that everyone has a strong and reliable broadband connection to gather your employees for a simple meetup or quiz. Feelings of employee isolation can reduce productivity by up to 21%. Finding a way to bring your employees together and connect will have a positive impact not only on their morale but also on your output. This is something that all businesses, no matter their size or their budget, can achieve.

 

Will Employees Really Benefit?

There are many benefits of team building with your employees. These benefits apply whether you choose to undertake teaming building online or in a real-world setting. Here are some of the most significant benefits and rewards your employees could reap:

Increased Productivity And Morale

This first one is something we’ve already touched on, but is without doubt the biggest benefits of hosting team building events. This will have a positive impact on employees at all levels.

Develop Leadership Skills

Hoping to move into a leadership position within your organisation? Many employers and managers use team building events as an opportunity to identify employees with strong leadership potential. Being removed from your normal environment will enable you to display and develop leadership skills that you might not ordinarily demonstrate.

Improved Confidence Levels

Team building events or away days often push employees outside of their comfort zones. This can be a good thing. This gives them the courage and confidence to try new things. It will also give them confidence in their colleague’s abilities. This in turn will help them to work more cohesively together in the workplace.

Improved Mental Health

60% of employees have experienced mental health issues as a result of work. Taking part in new activities, being exposed to new environments, and interacting with people are all great ways to improve your mental health and wellbeing. These are all benefits that can come from a corporate team-building event.

Improved Physical Health

Work in a sedentary environment where employees are frequently stuck behind a desk?  Getting employees out on active away days could help to improve their physical health. This will in turn increase business productivity and reduce the number of man-hours lost due to poor health.

Team Building Events Are Fun! 

Finally, it should go without saying that one of the main benefits of hosting team-building events for your employees is that they are a lot of fun. Creating a fun environment between colleagues and co-workers will make them feel happier to come to work. This will create a better working environment that everyone enjoys spending time in.

 

Is Team Building Right for Your Business?

Wondering whether your business and your employees would benefit from team-building investment? Perhaps one of the best ways to find out is to (anonymously) survey your employees. This will give you a better idea of their current morale levels, as well as what they would like to achieve moving forwards. These could be in the form of e-surveys or phone surveys, and they are a great way to get a better idea of what your employees really need.

Team building is often a great choice for your business if your employees work long hours, work in a sedentary environment, or work in a high-pressure environment. Removing them from their comfort zone, injecting a little fun into their everyday routine, and encouraging them to think outside the box will all create tangible benefits that they can bring back to the office with them. Team building is also a great perk to offer to your staff and could help you to bring talented new team members on board.

Here at Yo, we’re all about Improving Business Success through telecoms, technology and other means. Get in touch with one of our team to find out how we can help you and your business today!