Teamwork can be a great way of increasing productivity, as each member of the team can use their strengths to help others and to achieve the best outcome. However, it seems that a lot of businesses in the US lack this team spirit, and if yours is one of them, you may be wondering how you can foster it.
Team Leaders
If you look at a group of your workers, you will probably notice there is always one that people approach if they have a problem, and who sorts thing out for the other members of the workforce. People like this are often natural team leaders and it is worth giving them the chance to do the job properly. Talk to your employees and tell them that this person will be their team leader from now on.
Usually, you get a good response from the workers and the new team leader by doing this as they realize that you are aware of them after all, and are not just sitting in your office taking no notice.
Be One Of Them
Your employees will work better for you if they feel you are working with them, as one of the team members. This can be done in several ways. You can help them with some tasks when they are busy, for instance, or you could make sure they all have a coffee and cake at break time, by bringing them to them yourself. Putting yourself above your employees will not encourage a good atmosphere, and will make it very much a ‘you and them’ workplace.
Dress Codes
Even in factory and warehouses businesses, you could introduce a type of dress code. It could be that each team wears a different color, and you could ask the staff to help you design a tshirt that they can all wear. This can have the effect of making them proud to work for such a forward-thinking boss, and that will help to increase your product producing levels.
Be A Good Communicator
Being a good communicator is not just a case of talking to people, you have to be able to listen as well. Unless you have a meeting, you should have an open door policy where your workers know they approach you at any time.
They could have a problem within the workforce, but also they could have ideas that will improve your product or speed up the processes of dealing with it. You have to remember that is them that are actually doing the work, and they are more likely to spot improvements or problems you might not have noticed.
Always listen to what they have to say, and at the very least make sure you tell them you will consider what they have said, and make sure you do.
Team Activities
Teamwork is considered so important by some companies that they have team activities to encourage it. This could be as simple as a gamed before they start work one morning or an evening at a pub quiz. Some of them are much more complicated and involve weekends away. As long as they show your workers that they can work together, it does not really matter too much what they are.
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