Team-Building Activities for Success
A united front of hard-working employees is unstoppable - but a set of cliques can bring work to a halt. How does one office gel while another separates as much as they can? The secret is in small, daily activities that bring your team together.
Want to see your colleagues become more than the sum of their parts? Scroll down for solid workplace tips.
- Eat Together
The need to eat is something we all relate to why not take advantage? Do more than schedule a lunch hour - factor in togetherness to help your team get to know and appreciate one another.
Try snack breaks. Invest in delicious, healthy bites to help hard workers feel seen and appreciated. Better yet, put those snacks in the center of a round table with chairs to encourage employees to sit and chat as they nosh. Stay away from fatty, high-sodium snacks and opt for dehydrated fruits, small bags of veggie chips and delicious protein bars to avoid an afternoon crash.
Make sure your office snacks are high quality with a custom box from Snack Club - your local subscription service that ensures your employees are excited about each delivery.
Another option is a breakfast or lunch cooperative. Employees sign up to cook for their department or the office for different days of the week. The rest of the week, they get to enjoy food made by their co-workers. This is a great chance to get better interaction, build trust, and get employees praising one another. Everyone feels better about working with someone new after they hear, “Wow! Your homemade granola is great!”
- Start a Health Initiative
Show your employees you care and give them an extracurricular activity with an office Health Initiative. Contact your insurance provider, nearby gyms, and local nutritionists to see if they can help with discounted services or memberships. Get a few employees together who can lead the way and help keep everyone on track.
Health initiatives can work towards any goal. Workers can drink more water, stretch and walk at least once during their shifts, avoid unhealthy snacks like potato chips or candy bars. Some offices offer a yoga break, running clubs or discounted gym memberships so team members can hit a Zumba class after work.
When a group shares a common goal, people feel closer to one another and happier about their colleagues’ successes.
- Help Out the Environment
Remind your workers it’s essential to keep the earth green and the oceans clean with some outreach within your office. Start small - separate your garbage cans into plastics, papers, organics, and metals. Reach out to a local recycling plant or service to find the best way to dispose of papers and plastics. Ask around to find out how your employees help Earth or find what they want to do as a group. Let individuals give short presentations once a month on how to go paperless, zero waste practices or local groups with an earth focus.
If you can, make the environment your outreach focus for any company projects. This will show the team you want to do more than put out recycling bins. Stay open to ideas from your workers about how to cut back on printed correspondence and energy or water use. Can you switch out the fluorescent lighting for LEDs? Go for it. And make sure your employees have a hand in the decision.
Last, let employees choose plants for the office and sign up for a plant-care schedule. This can be as basic as watering the pots and ensuring each flower or succulent gets the proper light. If you’re lucky enough to have space for a garden, ask your workers for help to plant it. Digging in the dirt together is good for everyone.
- Reach Out
Many offices do this already, but that proves how important it is to connect with your community. Present the opportunity to volunteer regularly, (aim for once a month), and ask your workers for causes close to them. Then, brainstorm about ways to help.
An office can help local nonprofits and charities reach high goals. A fun run for your workers, their families and friends could be a boon for Parkinson’s research. A local children’s hospital would love a day of visits and stories read out loud all thanks to your team. Partner with a retirement home and encourage your team to bring their pets or babies as they get to know a new, wise friend.
An outreach effort does more than promote your brand, it helps keep your employees grounded, encourages them to work together to solve problems and forges friendships. Your team and your potential customers will thank you for taking the time to look beyond your office walls.
Ready to get your business off to a good start? Visit Snack Club’s website today to order your custom box of snacks!
Lindsay Redifer is a food blogger who lives and writes in Mexico. You can reach her here or find her on Instagram as @lredifer.