Team Building: How to Have a More Inclusive Staff

Do you remember when, on the first day of school, the teacher would gather everyone around in a circle and ask you to answer one to three questions about yourself? That (for many people) was one of the more annoying aspects of the first week back at school: you didn’t learn anything and it didn’t connect you with your peers—it was just another exercise.

You don’t want to make this same mistake with your staff.

After nailing down salary pay, vacation time and workers’ compensation insurance for your employees, you will need to help them become better acquainted with one another. Having a game of question and answer doesn’t quite do that.

Here’s the real way to do team building exercises that will actually get your staff excited:

In-House Fun

Team building exercises, contrary to popular belief, are not lame—at least if you do it right. Forbes writes that “activities that overtly aim to draw in leadership lessons or practical takeaways are less powerful. Spending time together, sharing an experience or working towards a common goal allows bonding to happen more organically and far more effectively.”

Plan a day in the office that is 100 percent dedicated to team building exercises and give your staff advanced notice—nothing is more stressful than being given an hour head’s up when you have a project due by EOD.

After notifying your employees of the scheduled events, it’s time to decide what sort of team building exercise to do.

Work management company Wrike tells business owners that playing games is a good place to start to build team trust. “A team that works well together is more effective, more productive and more successful—not to mention more fun to work with!”

The games don’t need to be puzzle-solving or jeopardy-like. You can play Pictionary, Clue, Jenga or even sponsor a karaoke or airband competition, with the winners scoring a free lunch or extra vacation day. When your employees are appreciated and rewarded for their efforts, they’ll work harder for your company.

A Day at the Office…Or Not

Though the office is definitely the most convenient location to conduct team building exercises, it is still your and your team’s place of work.

Instead of going around the room asking employees to share something about the project they’re working on, look for a change of scenery. Take them out of the office to a fun destination that supports camaraderie and bonding. This can be done by exploring a museum together, going for a nature hike or even enjoying cocktail hour at a new bar in town. When employees are removed from the office, they feel more free to be themselves. These adventures will help your staff get to know one another better!

It’s easy to get lost in the work day’s doldrums. There are meetings to sit in, emails to answer, prospective clients to schmooze and a host of other responsibilities. Because of everyone’s workload, it’s very easy to disconnect. To build a strong company, you need a strong team—team building will help you do that.

Don’t forget to protect your staff too; get workers’ compensation insurance with CoverHound!