Organizational Wellness

Integrate Team Building into Your Company Culture: Long-Term Strategies for HR Leaders

Last Updated Dec 10, 2024

Time to read: 13 minutes

Think back to the last time you felt really comfortable in a job. Not just "I know my responsibilities and how to do them perfectly," but truly felt welcome in your role. Maybe you had a fabulous mentor or a great group of colleagues. Or, perhaps you thought you were in a place to do your best work and had no problem voicing suggestions and ideas for improvement.

Whatever your reason for loving your job, chances are part of it boiled down to the team you worked with. The right team and environment can make your working hours fly by. It makes collaboration straightforward, and conversations around the water cooler aren't a chore — they're a chance to catch up with your colleagues!

Over 20% of employees feel there's a lack of community in their workplace, according to a McKinsey study. If your organization could benefit from a culture boost, consider integrating team building into your long-term strategy.

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The Foundations of Effective Team Building

An organization is the sum of its parts, including each and every employee. Everyone contributes in some way to the company's success. No matter how talented a single individual is, the organization performs best when people work together.

Some organizations integrate policies that encourage team development to facilitate stronger teams and greater collaboration. When people feel part of a supportive team, everyone works collaboratively. Nobody tries to do everything themselves.

Team-building exercises and activities are a great way to establish the foundations for a connected team environment. When organizations hold regular team-building exercises, they become part of the culture, and everyone works toward common goals.

Several core principles underlie a successful long-term team-building strategy.

Clear Communication

Poor communication is at the heart of many disagreements and misunderstandings. When messages get lost in translation between a sender and receiver, it can lead to the wrong results or even workplace conflict.

Say a project manager tells her team to "update the client report by end of day." One team member hastily adds the latest sales figures, while another spends hours completely reformatting the document. At 5 PM, the manager is frustrated to find an incomplete, inconsistent report.

To fix this, the project manager could have said: "Please add July's sales data to section 3 of the Q2 client report and email it to me by 4 PM today. No other changes are needed." This clear instruction specifies exactly what update is required, which document to modify, and when the exact deadline is to avoid confusion and wasted effort.

Whenever you speak with someone about something important in the office, following up with a written response is good practice. That's especially true if your conversation concerns workplace responsibilities or objectives. That way, you're both on the same page and can correct any miscommunication before it escalates.

You can instill productive communication habits in your corporate culture. Talk about ways to communicate effectively and in a way other team members understand. Encourage positive communication habits like re-reading emails before sending them, getting important matters in writing, and fostering constructive conversations.

Trust and Psychological Safety

When employees don't feel psychologically safe with one another or their managers, it leads to a disconnected work environment. Workers may feel uncomfortable taking risks, like speaking up when they believe something's wrong. They may also worry about admitting mistakes or asking for help when needed.

Trust can help improve workplace interactions. Employees want to feel they can depend on their employer in the employee-employer relationship. They expect the same trusting relationship with managers and colleagues. When everyone trusts each other, employees feel comfortable sharing new ideas and taking reasonable risks in their work.

Shared Goals and Vision

While individual employees may have specific objectives they're working toward in their roles, all team members share common organizational goals and a vision. Company management typically sets shared goals and a framework for achieving them. It's critical that executives communicate company goals clearly so everyone understands and the vision becomes a part of the organization's culture.

Mutual Respect and Appreciation

Every employee brings unique traits and strengths to an organization. Some workers may excel in creative, out-of-the-box thinking, while others show strength in motivating their teams or finding solutions to complex problems.

Part of building a robust infrastructure for team development is appreciating everyone's different strengths and fostering an environment of mutual respect. Celebrating those differences creates a positive, supportive team environment.

Key Elements of Team Building Strategies That Last

How can human resource professionals, executives, and managers integrate team building into company culture? Try incorporating a few essential elements into your plan.

Leadership Buy-in and Support

It's hard to create organizational change without support from the executive team. After all, management sets the tone for the organization, and their backing can influence other managers and leaders to promote your team-building strategies. Without support from leadership, you may struggle to get the resources you need for activities, workshops, and other team-building exercises.

Management buy-in signals a commitment to developing a foundation for team development. Executives can encourage other leaders to support team-building initiatives, accelerating the time it takes to realize your vision. They may also actively participate in the activities, encouraging others to do so.

Get More of This Team Building Series:

18 Fun Indoor Team Building Activities

Creative Escape Room Ideas Facilitate Team Bonding

11 Fun Improv Games for Effective Team Building

Team Offsites: How to Plan One to Unleash Creativity, Foster Bonding, and Boost Performance

6 Ways Corporate Team Building Exercises Can Improve Employee Productivity

How to Run an Effective Team Building Workshop: Tips and Tricks for Facilitating

How to Measure the Impact of Team Building Activities

Ongoing Communication and Collaboration

Working in silos, where everyone stays in their own "bubble," rarely works in today's organizations. While there's certainly a time and place for singular work, managers also expect a level of collaboration between teammates, especially when they involve interdepartmental projects or goals.

Fostering a collaborative environment through team-building activities is a good idea. The right strategies can encourage employees to work together rather than attempt to handle everything independently. For instance, managers might hold a brainstorming session with their teams rather than outlining milestones and deadlines for project completion. Getting everyone on board — and soliciting their input — makes employees feel valuable and heard.

Regular Team-Building Activities

One of the best ways to build a close-knit team of employees is by making time for frequent team-building events. While employees may spend most of their time at the workplace handling their responsibilities, scheduling a few hours every few weeks for a fun offsite or group outing can foster stronger bonds. You may also notice a boost in productivity and greater employee satisfaction.

There are tons of fun team-building activities to try, and you don't need to empty the corporate pocketbook to see results. Here are a few examples for inspiration:

Host a board game night with your team
Invite everyone to an impromptu happy hour
Bring lunch to a nearby park, and spend a few hours having a picnic
Take everyone to a local escape room or amusement park
Have a karaoke night, with dinner and drinks included
Volunteer for a local cause or charity

Getting away from the office is the perfect opportunity for employees to forget their work worries and build stronger connections with colleagues.

Focus on Personal and Professional Development

There's always an opportunity to learn something new. No one in human history has cornered the market on knowing everything there is to know. In the workplace, gaining new skills can prepare employees for future responsibilities or a promotion.

As a leader, you can encourage your team to take advantage of opportunities that upskill them for the future. For instance, some employees struggle to speak up during meetings. You might invite a communications expert to visit your workplace and run a short seminar on becoming a confident public speaker. You may share the invite so people can join if they want to.

If it's within the company budget, you might make a case for offering tuition reimbursement or other professional development benefits. Such benefits allow employees to further their skills, and you may find it easier to retain your top performers.

Recognition and Rewards

Team members want to feel that organizations value their work, especially when they go the extra mile. Consider implementing a system for recognition and rewards for a job well done. You might recognize individual achievers, but you can also highlight efforts aligning with team-building goals, such as effective collaboration between departments.

Long-Term Team Building Strategies

It takes effort to develop a positive workplace culture that supports employees and provides an environment where they can thrive. While organizations can offer great pay and excellent benefits, that's only part of the equation. Creating a welcoming culture that encourages collaboration and communication can help retain employees long-term. Here are a few ways to embed team building into your organization.

Reimagine Onboarding

When new hires join your company, they'll undergo a few standard procedures, such as verifying their employment eligibility, signing up for company benefits, and setting up their workspace. However, the onboarding process doesn't have to stop there. You can use the opportunity to encourage new hires and existing employees to develop connections. Consider these options:

Try icebreakers to eliminate awkwardness

A new employee's first day at a new job can feel overwhelming. They may not know any of their coworkers or where to find things in the office. You can use icebreakers to make new hires feel welcome and learn a bit about them. Try including other employees they'll work with so everyone can participate. This works with remote employees, too. Have everyone share where they're based and their role, and then answer the icebreaker question. Let the new employee go last to make them feel more comfortable before speaking.

Offer a team-based project

Rather than sending new hires straight to their desks, ask everyone to complete a team-based project. It can be something simple that introduces the worker to their role so you don't overwhelm a new employee on their first day. For instance, you might ask the new hire and the sales team to review the prior month's revenues and present you with a short summary and visualization.

Team projects provide an excellent opportunity for employees to collaborate and get to know one another.

Provide a mentorship program

New hires can benefit from the support of a mentor who introduces them to their role and the organization. A mentor can guide employees during their early days with the company, explaining their responsibilities and the intricacies of the workplace environment. Over the long term, working with a mentor may improve employee growth.

Create a Team-Building Activity Calendar

When work gets busy, it's easy to push back activities that don't have a specific deadline, like team-building. Instead of only hosting team-building events when there's extra time, consider planning them in advance and sharing the dates with employees. Here's a sample team-building activity calendar for inspiration:

Date	Activity
January 17	Trivia Night at a local restaurant
February 23	Volunteer day for a charity
March 15	Group lunch
April 18	Museum day
May 16	Board game tournament
June 14	Visit a local park
July 18	See a sporting event
August 21	Get ice cream at a local parlor
September 25-27	Annual company retreat
October 25	Halloween dress-up / candy exchange
November 20	Paint and sip
December 11	Office holiday potluck

You can plan team-building activities as frequently as you like. While you may not have time for lengthy events every week, you could host sporadic 10 to 15 minute activities that liven things up and get everyone laughing. For instance, a quick game of charades or a trip to the local coffee shop gives everyone a fun break without taking too much time away from their workday.

Performance Management Revamp

Most organizations provide an annual performance review that evaluates employees' workplace contributions. The performance review may form the basis for a raise or bonus. However, you can incorporate team communication and collaboration into the performance review process to encourage more teamwork. Consider trying out these options:

Peer reviews: Instead of leaving an employee's performance review entirely up to their boss, ask for feedback from colleagues, too. When workers know their peers may evaluate their performance, they may be more willing to develop positive relationships with coworkers.
Team goals: Set a few objectives for everyone to work toward and evaluate each employee's contributions.
Collaborative problem-solving: Provide an area in the performance review for managers to highlight any specific group collaborations the employee was a part of.

Data-Driven Success: Measuring and Optimizing Team Performance

As you embed team-building into the workplace culture, evaluate whether your efforts are paying off. That way, you know whether there's an improvement in group dynamics and collaboration or if you need to reassess your strategies. Fortunately, there are several ways to monitor team-building success.

Employee Engagement Surveys

An employee engagement survey asks workers how they feel about their jobs and working environment. Letting employees do so anonymously helps them feel more comfortable sharing honest insights. You can include questions in the survey to measure employee engagement, collaboration, and communication.

You may administer the survey at different intervals to see how team-building events impact employee's responses. For instance, consider sharing a survey before you begin hosting team-building activities to set a baseline. Then, send another survey a few months into the program to see if your team's responses change. If you see improvements, you know you're on the right path.

Productivity and Performance Data

There are different ways to measure workplace productivity and performance. You might look at changes in overall profits or sales within the company or track more specific metrics, like time to complete particular tasks.

Turnover Rates

High turnover within an organization is sometimes an indicator of employee unhappiness. Something is causing workers to leave, which may be a lack of community in the workplace. Measure your turnover rates before and after initiating a team-building program. If you see a drop in turnover, it's a positive sign that employees are starting to feel more connected.

Qualitative Feedback from Employees and Managers

It's not necessary to rely entirely on numerical data to monitor team-building improvements. Try asking for qualitative feedback from workers and supervisors, too. Informal and formal conversations and one-on-ones may provide insights into how teams feel about the initiatives and whether they think employees are forming stronger bonds with coworkers.

A Supportive Environment Promotes Employee Wellness

A well-paying job and excellent benefits are just two components that can improve employee satisfaction in the workplace. Another critical element is a positive workplace culture where workers feel supported by their team and leadership. By implementing a long-term team-building strategy, you can improve the workplace environment and provide the foundation for employees to develop stronger relationships.

Approximately 74% of employees believe they have healthy workplace relationships, according to Wellhub data. But there's always room for improvement. If your employees could use a little extra support, consider adding Wellhub to your benefits program!

Through Wellhub, employees can access a variety of benefits to reduce stress, increase physical activity, and improve overall mental wellness. To learn more, speak with a Wellhub Wellbeing Specialist today.

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[*] Based on proprietary research comparing healthcare costs of active Wellhub users to non-users.