The Importance of Team Building in Every Workplace

When it comes to team building, most workplaces fall into one of two camps: those where team building activities are met with enthusiasm and those where they're met with eye rolls and groans of frustration.

Team building efforts are often seen as lame or boring, but they definitely don’t have to be. If you can master the art of team building, you’ll see uplifts in many aspects of your operations. Better collaboration is just the beginning. Let’s take a look at what else a properly planned team building activity can do for your workplace.

Teaches teams how to work together

Team building exercises are about preparing coworkers for critical, real-world problems and situations that require seamless collaboration and communication. They provide opportunities for deeper discussions and genuine connections, and they allow coworkers who don’t regularly interact to build connections.

All of this gives people a better idea of what their coworkers do in their job and the knowledge they hold. This teaches them who to go to when they need help with certain tasks or answers to certain questions. It also teaches them to trust their coworkers’ knowledge and experience and gives them insight on how to approach teammates and avoid conflict.

Improves communication

Tension and misunderstanding amongst coworkers can eat away at productivity, team performance and, ultimately, the bottom line. Participating in fun “non-work” activities allows teammates to get to know each other on a deeper, more personal level. It helps breaks down walls and assumptions and provides opportunities for employees to better understand each other’s temperaments and communication styles. This understanding enables coworkers to work more efficiently as a team and becomes crucial when working on high stakes projects.

Boosts morale

Hosting team building activities, especially ones that take the whole crew out of the office, is one of the best things you can do for workplace culture. When employees participate in team building activities, particularly those that involve competition, they get a boost in confidence, not just in their own capabilities but in their teammates’ as well. They return to work re-energised and motivated to do their best work.

Team building activities can also help increase employee retention. Workers want to know that their employers care about them as people, not just as cogs in a machine. When companies take the time to plan and execute regular team building exercises, they show employees that they are willing to invest in their people.

Brings out people’s creativity and authentic selves

Participating in team building tasks gives employees an opportunity to flex their creative muscle and come up with out-of-the-box ideas. It also allows them to express their thoughts more freely than they normally would at the office. This enables them to connect more authentically with their coworkers, which helps improve the quality of brainstorming sessions and boosts team performance at work.

Make sure your next team building workshop includes activities that encourage people to try new things and work together in new ways. If you’re in Melbourne, browse these venues with team building activities in Melbourne on VenueNow.