Years ago when you spoke of team spirit, you thought of football teams and cheerleaders doing their thing down on the field alongside some sort of humongous team mascot. Today, team spirit has become a ubiquitously used concept referring to office bonding or team building in your average work situation. Basically, it means getting to know your fellow employees in the office so the work environment can be lighthearted and stress free. And since we all know the effects of stress and anxiety, team bonding is as important as a new Galaxy S7 smartphone or the latest Apple MacBook laptop.
Introducing a new startup after months of hard work and research requires tremendous originality and creativity and companies must find ingenious ideas for creating an office atmosphere where workers feel just plain good. Breaking the ice up front and setting a tone of cheerfulness is not always easy. But it can be done and it should be done right from the get go.
Why Team Building
So, what’s the key to team building? Why is so important?
Feeling comfortable with each other and letting down their hair allows team members to communicate more easily and this friendly environment encourages increased cooperation. Startups need to move ahead straightaway or lose their edge. Team bonding techniques that are put into action immediately help set the stage for instant momentum.
A calm atmosphere in the office generates easy socializing and making friends in the workplace is one of the best ways to increase productivity in any firm. With heightened morale, co-workers can solve problems and come to an agreement quicker and more efficiently. In fact, recent studies have shown that the team bonds boost employment satisfaction by 50%.
Team building events expose our strengths and weakness which normally would take years to reveal and hasten our ability to work closely with others. And let’s face it. The more comfortable we feel with each other and the more we feel we are an important part of the team, our motivation to produce good results surges. We are no longer individuals acting alone. Whatever we do, it is a part of the larger picture. This sense of togetherness automatically increases production and output and isn’t that the name of the game?
Team building activities at work can—and should-- be lots of fun. Many of the popular ways to build a close knit working team in the office involve various types of parties and game playing and hey, who doesn’t enjoy having a good time! Especially at work.
There is a variety of game-playing techniques that revolve around some sort of friendly competition and don’t we all enjoy pitting our strengths against others in a healthy, fun atmosphere? Outdoor contests often include hot-car marathons or basketball hoop tournaments. The latest challenge is the escape room which sets several groups against each other.
Video races, board games and mind dares help break down hang-ups and create personal attachments which may never happen otherwise. In fact, acting out spontaneously, without inhibitions, can lead to some interesting situations where we laugh out loud, sometimes at ourselves and sometimes at the other members of our group. But in either case, laughter itself does the body good and it is known to cure many a physical ailment.
At the end of the day, office team bonding offers a quick and effective means for social interaction and enhanced company efficiency, while providing a fun time for the members of the working crew. Indeed, it is a win-win situation.
