It’s All About the People
By Dawn Robson
Many people say that one of the reasons that they remain with an organization, and enjoy their job is because of the people that they are working with. Creating an environment where people can connect and build relationships is a key component of organizational engagement.
It is important to understand your team and the dynamics. Does your team work together in one location, or do you have people working from different geographic offices, or remotely from home? Do you have a broad cultural mix amongst your staff and what do the demographics look like? Are there certain projects that bring everyone together, or certain times of the year that are high stress? Are they an active group who enjoys outdoor activity? Are many of a similar age and very involved with young children or teenagers? Is computer-gaming a common pastime? Are you continually working to accommodate time off requests for elaborate or exotic vacations, or for family needs?
Based on your business model and situation, you should be able to help set the stage for the people connections that suit the needs of your team. While a company social committee may be a good place to generate ideas and organize activities, here are a few basic ideas for consideration.
Lunch or activity room – The need for a break, in both physical space and mental focus, is important and a community room could encourage people to connect over a meal, cup of coffee – or a game. Food and beverages can be provided on either an ad-hoc or ongoing basis, and you could post items of interest for review and reference. (This could include the strategic plan, first aid kits, H&S minutes, where to park – or coupons from restaurants nearby.) This space should be a comfortable area where team members can share interests, which could either related to, or external to their jobs. These conversations, and discovered commonalities encourage improved connections and will make a refreshing break from the challenges of the job.
Heading Out – Sometimes it is nice to get out of the office with your employee or a co-worker “just because”. This could take the form of a walking coffee break, lunch at a new restaurant in town or heading out for a drink on a patio after work. It could also become an office or department tradition to celebrate a birthday or work anniversary.
Family fun day – It is good to recognize and appreciate the life that your employees have outside of work. Their partners and children play a very significant role in their lives and activities, so it is nice to provide them with a bit of fun. If the ages of the children are similar, you can provide activities that work for the age group. Bouncy castles, face-painting/balloon animals and outdoor chalk can provide some good entertainment for the children and lawn games like giant jenga, bocce ball or ball toss can add interest for the adults. Food is always a key component and for an outdoor event, a BBQ complete with salads and nibblies is usually a popular choice.
Goodie Day – This is a great way to show off some creativity and cooking skills, and is a tradition here at Chemistry! One day per week, someone is assigned to bring goodies for the office. These could be picked up from Cobbs or Thrifty’s – but the expectation is, that if you have time and some skill, you will bake something at home. We have had some great squares, cookies, cakes and brioches! It is fun to experiment and use the team as your guinea pigs – especially when you know you will not have to try to eat all of it at home. The team at Chemistry always looks forward to Goodie Day with great anticipation!
Business Trips – Business travel and conferences are often a requirement of companies as they endeavor to expand their client base and increase market share. Providing a similar opportunity for cross functional staff or high potential candidates (that may work into the role) could provide both an opportunity for learning the business as well as helping to foster increased camaraderie and collaboration.
Retreats – Retreats are sometimes provided to a senior leadership team so that they can focus on such things as strategic planning or business direction, while getting away from their day to day responsibilities. While these trips away can provide some great business results, they can also help to foster a shared understanding of their colleagues at a much deeper level.
As so much of it is “all about the people you work with” – make sure that you do all that you can to foster those relationships!