How team building exercises can really benefit organisations.
In these times of austerity, every company is looking for ways to improve their profitability, and that inevitably leads to asking less staff to do more. Team spirit is therefore becoming more and more important as you lean on those staff members. One popular way to improve that all important staff morale is through team building exercises. However, with margins becoming tighter and budgets reduced are they an expense you just cannot justify?
There are numerous different methods of team building; in fact the list is pretty much endless. They can range from a simple office quiz on a Friday afternoon to charity walks to adrenalin activities like bungee jumping and everything in between. It doesn’t really matter what the activity is, as long as the desired result is achieved. But what can companies expect as a benefit from team building.
The main purpose can be argued to be that staff members feel they are valued, that they are cared about and in return will go that extra mile for the company in return. It is also a good way for new staff members to meet the rest of the team and get to know them outside the work environment. This can help bring them out of the shell quicker back in the office, help them settle in quicker and therefore be more productive.
Team building also provides a unique experience for managers to assess their staff out of their comfort zones. They can often throw up scenarios people are not use to and test their abilities to co-operate with others and test their inter-personal skills. They can also build confidence in the individuals themselves, as they do things they couldn’t realize they could, which only helps when they are back at work.
Christmas parties can often serve the same purpose as team building days, but come March the goodwill these have generated can be soon forgotten, and a top-up is badly needed.
Good staff members are hard to find so keeping the ones you have happy whilst working them as hard as possible is a fine balancing act. Team building exercises will certainly help with this. They may cost a bit to organise, but they do not have to, numerous cheap alternatives are available. Even if you do plan a big adventure day, it will turn out cheaper than losing key staff to your rivals because they feel they are undervalued.
