According to Livestrong, “Employees who work as a team have improved communication, greater productivity and mutual respect for each other.” That being said, it is extremely important to make sure your employees don’t lose sight of your business’s mission. There are many creative ways to instill a sense of teamwork in your workplace.
In part 1, we discussed team-building exercises as a way to improve your team bonding. Although they are incredibly beneficial when taken seriously, there are other ways to bring your team together.
A day in their shoes
If you really want to get creative with your team-building and have the ability to make this happen, it would be great to have everyone help in another role for a day. Plan a schedule where every team member works in another position at least once per year (with supervision). Perhaps the accountant do delieveries for a day, or the warehouseman works with sales. This gives everyone a chance to see that “the other job” is not so glamorous. Pick the jobs out of a hat to ensure randomness.
It would also be beneficial to have everyone work with the boss for a day. For one day a year, everyone gets to work with “the boss” and do what they do. On this day, they should also accompany the boss for lunch, which will give them a chance to get to know each other better and will also make the boss seem more approachable.
Reward the team
In kitchen and bath industry (like most other companies) the sense of “team” is commonly lost due to competitiveness of positions. Salespeople usually receive commission based on individual results, and often this will create envy or even resentment toward others on the same team. In other departments as well, overall goals are overshadowed by individual goals. Take that “I” away! You’ll be amazed how much your team can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets credit.
Here are a few areas to experiment with while striving for team mentality within your company:
- Pay commissions to teams, not individuals
- Reward job completion times by teams (including warehouse, delivery, and field personnel)
- Recognize job accuracy by teams – accurate sales orders, purchase orders, delivery, etc.
- Calculate service costs by team with your industry specific software.
There are so many areas where teamwork can be instilled. Start with one idea and go from there. Make sure not to limit activities by departments or job functions; including everyone will eliminate feelings of alienation and allow employees to work together who may have otherwise not even had the opportunity to meet. If you’re looking to find other ways to streamline your operations, access our free guide below.
