Team building in an HR department or a small business does not come easily. The reason is that it takes planning, and because planning takes time, team building often goes down the drain. However, team building can and should be done – whether an HR department, a small business or any other department within a Fortune 500 business.
Try these small starts:
1. Tailgate Meetings
No company or HR department is too small to come together. Meet first thing every Monday for 15 minutes at the coffee machine or ‘water cooler’ to delegate priority tasks for the week and first thing every Friday to measure the outcomes of these priorities. The meetings must occur at set times, and there must be follow through and follow up. Notes are mandatory to confirm agreement on conversation.
2. Team Activities
Integrate team activities or competitions into regular staff meetings. There are thousands of short activities out there. You do not want anything that lasts more than 10 minutes or that will offend or tax members. Select a team building activity that furthers business goals, the activity should not become an end in itself. In other words, do not overdo it; keep activities to one or two scheduled meetings a month. If it is on the agenda, it must be played.
3. Workable Solutions
At the end of an activity, you need to draw a connection between the activity and its importance to the business. You must give the activity context, or it will seem a silly waste of time. They must see how the activity will help them get better at their jobs and how it will improve the business. This reinforces feelings of belonging and the connection with customer values.
4. Something Big
Depending on your business headcount, schedule a team-activity for some annual or semi-annual event. Ironically, athletic events tend to favor aggression and individual competitiveness. Look into something low impact like rope games or trivia contests. Everyone needs a role in something and because of that everyone wins. The emphasis is on the sharing and the collaboration, not the victory. OK, sometimes it is about the victory – but keep it calm.
Admittedly, it takes preparation. Even the tailgate meetings fall flat if there is not at least an unspoken agenda. Other activities may require some supplies or a time clock, or you may want to award silly gifts. But, the planning connects the activity to your business purpose. You also have to consider timing and the need to adhere to a calendar. These things do not happen without plan or purpose, and all this can be planned a year ahead of time. If you start this in HR, you can begin the process of ingraining it into your corporate culture and that is a company win!