Fostering Teamwork at the Workplace: What You Need to Do to Encourage Employees to Work Together

In offices, people have to work together in order to perform their tasks efficiently, brainstorm to come up with out-of-the-box solutions, etc. However, putting employees in one room is not enough to foster a harmonious professional relationship. As the boss, how can you encourage teamwork in the workplace?

Go for an Open-Plan Office Layout

You probably have heard of “open-plan office layout” before. It is popular among newer businesses, especially ones that employ young professionals.

Theoretically, an open-plan office facilitates ease of communication and encourages collaboration among people. There are no cubicles nor walls here, only shared desks and communal spaces where people can come together and share ideas.

Call office refurbishment services so you can talk about adopting an open floor plan for your business.

Office Refurbishment

Use Technology to Encourage Communication

You can utilize existing technology that promotes collaboration. An app like Slack pushes employees to talk and disseminate information among their colleagues. Microsoft’s SharePoint is another software that serves as a virtual workplace where employees can meet and complete their tasks together.

If you have older adults working in your business, it might be more difficult to integrate new technology into your existing day-to-day processes. Make sure that whatever technology you choose will be easy to understand no matter how old the user may be.

Make the Objective Clear to Everyone

Even enemies can work together if they have a common goal. Your employees can overcome challenges and roadblocks ahead of them, act with civility and respect despite their differences, and burn the midnight oil for weeks and weeks if they have a clear purpose and goals to reach.

Be transparent; talk to them about what they have to do and why they have to do it. Vagueness will only cause confusion and might lead to insecurity which will prevent you from fostering teamwork. Create both long-term and short-term goals so you and your team can keep track of achievements that will give your employees confidence and feel encouraged to work together.

Appreciate Everyone’s Unique Strengths

Your employees are not disposable. Although they are part of the team, they perform individual tasks that only they, and no one else in the office, can contribute.

Your team should be able to bring their uniqueness to the table. Everyone should be encouraged, therefore, to come up with ideas and share them with the group. The leader should not be the only one who provides solutions. Everyone has a voice in decision-making. You should make your employees feel that their input is valued to avoid any resentment.

Take Your Team Out of the Office

Team-building exercises have become a part of office culture. Employees go out and participate in activities where they are asked to work together with the goal of, not achieving a professional milestone, but building friendships.

They are a great way to encourage your employees to get to know each other outside of the workplace. However, if you do not have the budget to take everyone out to the beach or lake, there are team-building activities that you can do inside the office.

 

When you want to foster teamwork, it should include you, too. Every one of your employees, from the boss to the cleaners, performs individual tasks but you all should work together harmoniously for the business’ success.

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