Owning a business is a delicate balance, and there are many factors that go into running a successful venture. One of the most important things that can make or break a business is the work culture. If the work environment is stale, unapproachable, or non-collaborative, it can certainly affect other areas of the business.
One of the best ways to boost the culture of a workplace is through team building exercises and activities. In order to get employees to build productive relationships, team building is necessary. Team building can also help employees feel connected with their employers. A Gallup study revealed that employees who engaged with their supervisors boosted the productivity of the company by about 200% more than employees who were not engaged.
The Balance weighs in on this issue, and gives some great information. Team work is a very key component of a business’s success. If employees are not aided in forming relationships with each other, the consequences are not pretty. If team building is not a focus of the company teams can spend up to 80% of their time and energy on relationship building. This leaves only 20% of their available energy for problem solving, according to The Balance.
They suggest celebrating team successes publicly, use ice breakers in meetings, and create a sense of team work in any way possible in situations like meetings and projects. While some employers and business owners are reluctant to “waste time” on building culture, both scientific research and anecdotal evidence abounds that these efforts have a direct correlation with company performance.
In short, culture directly impacts morale, hiring, productivity, and your bottom line, according to Forbes.
Case in point: Brian Scudamore, a business owner who recently wrote an article for Forbes explaining his company overhaul. He fired all 11 of his employees in 1994 to start over from scratch. During his re-branding, he decided people and culture would come before anything else. He gives three tips on making culture a number one priority. Creating a high energy workplace, giving employees time to focus on activities outside of work, and sharing the wealth with the staff are all excellent team building practices to boost workplace culture.