Beating my Boss in Go-Kart Racing
The Effect of Team Activities in the Workplace
I am on the last lap of the final race. I just passed my boss after he took a turn too wide causing him to hit a wall and slow down. I took the lead, carefully weaved through the course, and finished the race in first place. My very competitive boss congratulated me in front of the team on having the fastest time of the day.
Before this team activity, I did not interact with to my boss much. I was afraid to approach him or talk to him. He had the big office in the corner and I was just an intern. The go-kart race was one of our monthly team activities. This particular day changed our work relationship. I felt comfortable talking to him, asking questions, and chatting with him. I was able to get work done faster and at a higher quality because I was better friends with my boss.
This story shows the impact a single team activity had on my work relationship with my boss. Team activities are important because they (1) create culture, (2) strengthen relationships, (3) improve communication, and (4) boost positivity.
1. Company Culture
Company culture is all about how people feel at work. How people feel is based on their relationships with their company, coworkers, and customers. A company with strong culture takes care of their employees, cultivates a sense of belonging, and builds a community.
Team activities are a way to create a feeling of belonging and community. Intentional team activities give employees a chance to engage and bond with their coworkers.
Why should you care about company culture?
Hiring and training new employees takes time and money. When a company has strong culture, employees are “more likely to work hard and remain with the company for the long haul” (Daley, 2022). Company culture increases retention rates and saves you money.
2. Strengthen Relationships
Employees are always going to have to work with people different from them. Employees have different backgrounds, skills, and departments.
Team activities give employees the opportunity to meet people they work with from different departments and understand their jobs better. Employees can also make connections with their coworkers and possibly make a new friend. Figure 1 below shows us the impact that team activities can have on building office relationships.
Why should you care about strengthening relationships?
Strong relationships between employees improve individual engagement and satisfaction. For teams it improves their team dynamic, creativity, and productivity levels.
3. Improve Communications
Everyone communicates differently and those differences can cause challenges. The only way employees will get better at communicating is by practicing.
Team activities require employees to practice communicating, listening, and empathizing. Research shows that team socialization improves communication skills to over 50% (Pentland, 2012).
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Why should you care about improving communication?
Teams that communicate well are 30% more productive and produce better work This in turn saves your company money because poor communication leads to mistakes, restarting projects, and late work. On average, miscommunication costs companies with more than 100 employees $420,000 a year (Barraclough, 2023). Improving team communication will reduce this number and save valuable time.
4. Boost Positivity
Everyone is in the pursuit to find happiness. As humans, we spend about an one-third of our life at work (Camiloti, 2021). If employees are not happy, they will go somewhere else to find it.
Team activities are a way for employees to make friends. About
“57% of people say having a best friend in the workplace makes work more enjoyable” (Kaado, 2023).
Team activities also give employees a chance to take a break from work. Whether it is a fun or relaxing activity, it promotes a healthy work life. Burnout is one of the biggest challenges for employees.
Why should you care about boosting positivity?
Happy employees “are 20% more productive than unhappy employees” (Preston 2017). If they are happy at work, they will work harder and more efficiently. Happy employees also stick around longer, increasing retention rates.
Conclusion
So what are you waiting for?
Whether you are at big or small company, your team can benefit
from spending time with each other. To start off simple, pick a day to invite your team to go out for lunch. Use that luncheon to get to know your employees. Find out their interests and hobbies to help you plan your future team activities.
Planning intentional and frequent team activities will help your employees feel unified, make friends, improve their communication skills, and enhance their happiness.
Team Activities Ideas
Researcher connecting Economics, International Development, and Environmental Science
1 年Way to go! Thanks for sharing.
Experience Designer | Aspiring Event Coordinator | Enthusiastic Bridge Builder | Innovative Producer
1 年Such an interesting article Taegan, thank you for sharing these great ideas!