Unity at work is vital to the success of any business. A cohesive workforce can be the difference between a business that thrives and business that falters. But how can you create a team that functions as a well-oiled machine? Here are five ways to help create unity at work.
1. Always Give Feedback
There is no way to make a worker feel more like a replaceable cog in a machine than by not giving him or her personal feedback. Whether he or she made a great contribution, or fell short of what was necessary, ensure that you address the worker’s efforts in a timely and personable manner. If the worker did a great job, tell him or her just how happy you are with their performance. If a worker did a not-so-great job, give him or her constructive feedback and let them know that you still appreciate their efforts. Make sure you do this in person. It will make the worker feel like they’re accepted and important to the success of the business.
2. Plan Laid-back Group Activities
Being in the office and getting work done is obviously the purpose of work. But making time for fun is just as important. Workers will be more willing to go the extra mile for someone they know on a personal level, and fun group activities give workers the opportunity to see and interact with each other in a less formal manner. Schedule a pizza party, or have a company banquet. Let workers celebrate each other’s distinct personalities so that they can grow as a family of sorts.
3. Make sure everyone knows their Role
Things can get messy if workers start overstepping their boundaries. Because of this, it’s necessary to assign exact, specific roles to each member of the team. Team members will get along better if they’re not taking responsibilities away from each other. Having a clear role will also give each worker a sense of purpose. They will take their job more seriously because they will know that their individual success directly affects the overall success of the team
4. Have a Team Building Seminar
At many companies, workers feel as though they’re on an island. They have very little communication with people sitting just a few feet away from them and they feel disconnected from the project that they’re working on. This is bad for team morale in that team members feel no obligation to each other. They do their work and go home without any thought as to how it affects someone else and feel meaningless in the process. A team building seminar can show workers the value of their unique contribution to a project. They’ll learn how important their work is and see how it affects everybody else’s work. This focus on individual importance will inspire workers to make their greatest possible contribution to the overall team.
5. Schedule Team Meetings
At least one team meeting should be scheduled for every week. It’s important to know how far each member of the team has progressed so that they know exactly where they should be on the project. Important updates about overall team success as well as the progress and future of the project are vital parts of a successful team meeting. Every team member should feel as though they are in the loop. A worker can feel discouraged and left out when important information is withheld from them.
The members of a team with strong unity will go out of their way for each other and will do what is absolutely necessary to make a project come together. By utilizing these 5 methods, you will foster an atmosphere that allows such a team to grow.
