Team building conjures thoughts of rafts, ropes, dragon boat racing, solving meaningless problems and generally getting wet.
They all seek to promote and develop teamwork but do they really help you get to know anyone and, therefore, work better with them?
At SilverDoor we’ve taken a different approach to our team building through our SilverDoor ‘Night In’ which happens quarterly. We’ve swapped hiking boots with themed evenings and a cabin in the woods for table football and pool tournaments.
Having joined the company in June, I was looking forward to my first ‘Night In’ last Friday. The theme was beach and the weather obliged with Caribbean-esque temperatures throughout the day and into the night where staff relaxed and chatted amidst various competitions and ice-cold refreshments.
After an evening of chatting and socialising staff are able to better develop more meaningful relationships with one another, instead of the polite acquaintances formed over small talk while making tea and coffee. Staff also get to know the business more thoroughly by getting to know employees across the different areas of the company. This breaks down the cliques that can form within companies, allowing employees to provide better customer service as they are able to respond better to a wider range of client issues.
For us, the end result is that employees feel happier around their colleagues, are more relaxed in their jobs and are far more productive. When our staff perform and feel better about their work, our clients also feel better about their business with us. In our opinion, when an office atmosphere is an enjoyable one, clients receive a better holistic experience from the moment that they pick up the phone.
Whatever your experiences with team building excursions they are almost always about relationships. Call me old fashioned but I believe you get to know people a lot faster over a drink than a dragon boat oar. In this way we build a friendlier, more comfortable workplace and are able to pass this on to our clients through exceptional customer service.
