Running a company with a diverse staff might require quite a bit of bonding. A team that is bonded feels comfortable working together and asking for help when needed. Forcing bonding can be quite uncomfortable as the staff will recognize this. Hiring is the first step of helping the team bond as company culture fits are immensely important. This doesn’t mean hiring underqualified people just because they seem like they would be fun to work with. The following are ideas that you can plan to help employees bond with each other.
Take A Trip And Work Remotely
A company or department trip once or a few times a year can work wonders. Working remotely is the new normal for a number of businesses for a variety of reasons. Being able to hire people from all over the world can drive up the average quality of employees. Working together on a trip to a location that is warm during the winter is a great idea. These trips can be given to departments when they have overperformed and are far more profitable than anticipated.
Go Play Paintball
Getting the entire staff to go play paintball together can be a way to increase the quality of teamwork. People are sometimes uncomfortable asking for help if they haven’t interacted much with a coworker. Communication during paintball is essential and it can bring out the competitive nature in some employees. Finding a paintball course to play on should not be a challenge as this can even be done on a large piece of property. Great paintball establishments have a number of things to hide behind and even certain vehicles to shoot from behind.
Potlucks Can Help Show Others Sides Of Individuals
Potlucks are a great way to showcase various cooking skills or lack thereof in the office. This can be a great way to encourage people to share meals together. The rest of the time, people might just want to be left alone or go out to a favorite restaurant for lunch. The trick is to have people list what they will be bringing so there is a balanced meal. Doing this around the holidays is quite common but it can be a great way to dodge the monotony of work.
Company-Sponsored Happy Hours
Happy hours that are sponsored by the company can be a great bonding experience. People like to unwind with a drink but might not want to spend time after work with coworkers. Letting employees out an hour early to attend this event can be a great idea. You don’t want people to feel obligated to hang out outside of work. The one aspect to watch out for is when people see a drop in their productivity due to nursing a hangover. The work hard and party harder mantra can be a dangerous one to foster at your company.
Team bonding might happen naturally over time but encouraging it is imperative. You want a team that enjoys being around one another even when times at tough at work.