building a team

Creating a positive office environment is essential in building a team that gets along. A workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and appreciated will lead to better collaboration, communication, and productivity. To achieve this goal, it’s crucial to encourage teamwork by organizing events such as team-building exercises, brainstorming sessions, and social gatherings.

Establish Roles and Expectations

Establishing roles and expectations is one of the most critical steps in building a great office team. It’s essential to ensure that everyone knows what their responsibilities are and what they’re expected to achieve. Doing this can avoid confusion, misunderstandings, and disagreements over who should do what.

  • Creating job description that outline test and responsibilities
  • Hold regular meetings where everyone shares updates on progress
  • Celebrate successes as a team

Communication Guidelines

Establishing communication guidelines is one of the most critical steps in building an office team that gets along. The purpose of communication guidelines is to develop clear and concise methods for communicating with each other, both verbally and non-verbally. This ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them when communicating with their colleagues.

  • Identify common challenges or issues that arise
  •  Work together as a team to develop strategies and guidelines for addressing and preventing future issues
  • Regularly review and updating policies and procedures
  • As your office team evolves and grows, so will your communication needs.

When it comes to staff conflict, it’s essential to understand the issue’s root causes to address and resolve it effectively. Read More on How to Handle Staff Conflict.

Collaboration and Cooperation

Collaboration and cooperation are essential for any team to function effectively. Building a team that gets along well requires creating an environment where people feel comfortable working together, sharing ideas, and expressing their opinions. Collaboration can be encouraged by setting clear goals and objectives for the team, providing opportunities for brainstorming sessions and idea sharing, and promoting open communication.

Nurture Trust and Respect

Building an office team that gets along is essential to nurture trust and respect among the members. By intentionally focusing on nurturing trust and respect within your office team, you can create a more cohesive group that works together effectively towards shared goals.

  • Trust is built through open and honest communication and following through on commitments.
  • Team members feel confident in their roles and responsibilities by being transparent about goals and expectations.
  • Valuing each member’s unique skills and contributions and treating everyone with kindness and professionalism.
  • Create a safe space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas without fear of judgment.

Get Social

Hosting social events can be valuable to building camaraderie and teamwork in the office. Whether it’s a happy hour, team-building activity, or charity event, these gatherings allow employees to bond outside work hours. This can lead to stronger working relationships and better communication during business hours.

How to Plan a Successful Event:

  • Consider your colleagues’ interests and preferences.
  • Send out a survey or poll to gauge the most appealing event type.
  • Ensure the event is inclusive and accommodating to all team members.
  • Understand that not everyone will come.

If you have an employee outing, encourage authentic sharing of this from your page to their personal networks. Your team can be your best brand ambassador at recruiting events. Learn more about Employee Advocacy: Get your Employees to Recruit for You. 

Encourage team members to share photos or memories from the gathering on an internal communication platform like Slack or email chain. This will help extend the positive vibes from the event into future workdays and further foster a sense of community among your colleagues.

 

About the Author Brittney McDowell

I have worked in a variety of roles within marketing, recruitment, and communications over the last 15 years. Supporting organizations with their recruitment and branding strategy is truly my passion. There is nothing more rewarding than supporting those who prioritize and deeply value their teams and employer brand.

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