Team Building Archives - Saletta Leadership, LLC

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Written by webtechs

16 June 2023

How To Build Team Culture

Good team culture needs to be built and maintained for any workplace to be successful. So, how can you build the right team culture?

What Is Team Culture?

Put simply, team culture involves a shared approach to work based on values, beliefs and attitudes. Team culture truly showcases what is most important to a company and how it impacts their output. For example, some companies will promote a team culture in job descriptions, advertisements, training sessions and company events.

There is no doubt that culture can either make or break a company. A healthy and productive culture will foster collaboration and motivation. A toxic culture, meanwhile, can lead to numerous issues including a high turnover rate.

How To Build A Team Culture

Your team culture can certainly define how your company does business. It can impact relationships inside and outside the company by hiring the right people and creating successful business partnerships. Employees will especially enjoy finding identity and purpose within a solid team culture.

Here are a few of the many benefits associated with good team culture in the workplace:

Low Turnover Rate

Engaged and rewarded employees are far less likely to search for a new job. When employees feel valued within a team setting, they will stay with a company longer. This can save the company on recruiting and hiring costs.

Improved Productivity

It’s no secret that employees who care about the company they work for are oftentimes more productive. This will allow you to conduct more business while not concentrating efforts on recruiting help.

Innovation

Happy, productive and collaborative teams can come together and create new ideas. Innovation is key to business and it will move your company forward in the future.

Teamwork

Teamwork starts at the top. Management needs to create and maintain a collaborative environment. Rather than competing with one another, employees should work toward a shared goal.

Support

Again, starting from the top, all workers need to support each other when work needs to get done. Good support will help to reduce both stress and burnout.

Communication

Ensure their are clear and constant communication lines between all workers. Communication also entails that everyone have the access they need to any information necessary to performing their job.

Common Team Building Challenges

Even high-performing companies and organizations experience challenges in the team-building process. Common issues include poor communication, role confusion and lack of engagement. The issue for these managers is knowing how to recognize the warning signs and how to get the team back on track.

With strong leadership and guidance, your team can overcome any of these common workplace issues. Below, we’ll go over some common problems and ways you can tackle them.

Lack Of Trust

Trust is one of the pillars of a healthy work environment, and it creates a foundation to success. Simply put, a lack of trust between team members can create an unwanted toxic environment. When this is the case, communication and collaboration become nearly impossible.

Trust is not something that simply happens, though. Trust needs to be nurtured and earned over time. These connections should happen naturally as co-workers get to know each other. It’s the management team’s responsibility to give employees the right conditions for this to occur.

How To Solve This Issue:

Always be willing to listen and encourage others to do the same.
Promote regular and open communication with the entire team.
Set clear roles and expectations from day one.

Role Confusion

Overlapping responsibilities tends to cause mistrust and complete chaos in the workplace. Confusion regarding specific roles can threaten the team’s overall cohesiveness and ability to function as a whole. Thankfully, it is possible to overcome this specific challenge.

How To Solve This Issue:

Ensure all team members have defined responsibilities and roles.
Managers should monitor progress, but refrain from micromanaging.
Every task/function needs to be explained in detail and shared with the group.

Unproductive Meetings

One common complaint from disgruntled employees is the constant time-wasting, unproductive meetings. Many staff members will become frustrated whenever their attention is diverted from more important and time-sensitive tasks.

Undoubtedly, regular meetings can serve a valuable purpose. These meetings should be used to discuss communication channels and project management. Refrain from wasting the employees’ valuable time.

How To Solve This Issue:

Plan in advance to make sure every meeting is necessary.
Record the main points of the meeting and distribute them to the team afterwards.
Review your meetings by asking employees for feedback.

Lack Of Engagement

Team members becoming disengaged is an all-too-common reality. The group may have become fragmented, broken down into different fractions. Bringing the team back together is much more challenging than keeping everyone together from the start. Mix things up at meetings to see if new learning activities can unite the group.

How To Solve This Issue:

Try some team building activities like trivia or a scavenger hunt.
Always include any remote workers in conversations or brainstorming exercises.
Go around the room and have everyone share an interesting tidbit about themselves.

How To Reward Employees Without Money

Sometimes it’s not easy to recognize your valued employees with money. Thankfully, there are several other great ways to reward your employees. Check out the 40 best ideas for employee appreciation below.

40 Ways To Reward Employees Without Money

1. Give them new and improved job titles, such as “lead” or “director.”

2. Set up social activities for employees during the workdays or after hours.

3. Offer perks like gym membership or daycare access for working parents.

4. Allow job flexibility, giving employees the choice to work remotely.

5. Encourage employees to use all of their paid time off.

6. Consistently recognize employee accomplishments, even personal accomplishments.

7. Throw parties as a “Thank you” for your employees’ dedication.

8. Provide employees the opportunity to further their knowledge with access to classes and seminars.

9. If requested, give your employees extra responsibility.

10. Have an open door policy or give employees the chance to have one-on-one talks with management.

11. Create an employee lounge where workers can socialize, read or relax.

12. Host annual award ceremonies where employee accomplishments are celebrated.

13. Put a casual Friday policy in place.

14. Have a catered breakfast or lunch.

15. Start an employee appreciation day once per month.

16. Pay for a few food trucks to provide employee some unique lunch/snacking options.

17. Hand out awards or trophies that employees can display in their offices.

18. Give customized gifts to your employees.

19. Allow employees some freedom or flexibility with their hours.

20. Give away movie or show tickets.

21. Have a cake delivered to them on their birthday or work anniversary.

22. Add a few employees to a new company “Wall of Fame.”

23. Give them a day to take off, no questions asked.

24. Give employees some much-needed gas cards.

25. Keep the break room stocked with all the employees’ favorite snacks and drinks.

26. Let employees choose they way they’d like to recognized or rewarded.

27. Send a thank you card to their home address.

28. Upgrade their desk, chair or other piece of furniture in their office.

29. Give them a reserved parking spot.

30. Let them use the boss’s office for a day.

31. Create a prize wheel and let employees spin the wheel to win something special.

32. Send them a personalized message from Cameo.

33. Set your employees up with a meal delivery service for the week.

34. Create a plaque for the employee’s accomplishment.

35. Get them tickets to a nearby sporting event.

36. Create a “Thank you” video from clients and co-workers.

37. Offer them some birthday PTO with zero obligations.

38. Upgrade the break room with a Keurig machine or ice coffee keg.

39. Offer them some stock in the company.

40. Send out a company-wide email to recognize their hard work.

What Is Team Culture?

Culture cannot be a word that is just thrown around in business. Good team culture needs to be built and maintained.

What Is A Team Culture?