Why team building is critical (and really fun)

Do the words “team building” induce irritability and eye-rolls in your office? Are you imagining The Office’s Michael Scott screaming, “conference room – now!” while employees slowly trickle in for an over-the-top attempt at collectiveness? 

Obviously work is meant for, well, working, but an office needs to be more than that. Getting out of the office with your team and problem-solving in a more relaxed environment can be necessary for building better working relationships. In addition to increasing productivity, team building can also improve communication and creativity. 

Benefits of improving company culture through team building include: 

Increased productivity 
According to a HuffPost article, most organizations say there is more fear and anxiety than joy and optimism in the workplace. “While success and recognition generate positive attitudes and energy, failure and non-recognition deplete and exhaust people. Organizations’ must get fear and anxiety levels down, and replace those feelings with a sense of hope, the purposefulness of a united and supportive community, and a conviction that the future will be better.” 

Still not convinced? Benefits of team building can improve more than just company morale. Engaged employees are more likely to work diligently in their jobs, increasing productivity – research shows that engaged employees are 17% more productive than their peers. 

Boosted creativity
Personally, I believe a big part of my positive attitude and energy at work stems from my feelings of support and collectivity within our team. For example, our pickleball outing had our office laughing for weeks which fostered better energy and creativity. Our Guinness World Record attempt was an awesome opportunity to work together for a community event, which improved satisfaction in the workplace. Even something as simple as our last minute decision to dress as cows for Chick-fil-A’s free chicken day was a great way to foster happiness on a random weekday afternoon. 

Additional benefits include: 

Reduced absenteeism
Motivated employees have significantly lower rates of missed work relative to disengaged employees.

More collaboration
High employee morale usually correlates with greater feelings of teamwork and shared vision. Comfortability in a collaborative group goes along way and leads to better brainstorming, less fear of sharing new ideas and more. 

Improved communication
When employees are more comfortable, communication can be greatly improved. An organization’s culture has to reinforce the necessity of speaking out in order to solve problems while really listening to the opinions of others.

Looking for a collaborative workspace with a strong sense of company culture? Visit our careers page to learn more about our open opportunities.