Workplace motivation has been studied for decades, and there are a lot of strategies to keep your team environment positive and your colleagues motivated. But it’s not always easy to know which team environment boosters will work best for you. Some people prefer an introverted approach while others thrive on the energy that comes from working in a team environment. Here are 8 ways to boost your office’s team environment!
Give frequent feedback
Provide quick, constructive feedback to your team. That said, make sure you don’t offer too much unsolicited feedback as it can come across as criticism. The sooner you provide feedback, the easier it is to have the conversation and rectify things. Make sure to approach feedback positively and not as judgement.
Arrange a potluck lunch with your team
This is an awesome way to break up any potential monotony. It can help get people excited about coming into work for midday meetings! You can also use this opportunity to celebrate birthdays, holidays, or other notable events that would be relevant in your office culture.
Take time during staff meetings to give kudos
If someone does something really well, make sure they know it by giving them some positive recognition. Letting your team know what you appreciate will help motivate them even more so than if you just focus on their mistakes.
Show support for idea sharing across teams
Encourage your colleagues within different departments or teams to share ideas from their perspective and let those ideas be a launching pad for improving your existing systems and processes.
Be clear-cut about your company values and mission
This will help your team feel like they’re working towards a greater purpose. You might find that people are more likely to work harder if they know what the end goal is. It helps when they understand why it matters for them personally.
Give rule and policies context
Helping your team understand the why behind rules and policies helps improve compliance without feelings of negativity. Gaining understanding of how systems and processes exist to support your team’s efforts and set them up for success is important for improved productivity.
Encourage leadership roles within the company
Assigning responsibility for tasks that will help employees and colleagues grow their skill set and empower others. This may include leading a project or department, serving as a liaison between different teams, or even being in charge of providing feedback at meetings. There’s enough responsibility to go around. Giving people a sense of ownership can help them increase their confidence and give you a different perspective on approaching tasks.
Be on time
Always be on time to meetings and other events to set the tone and be respectful of other people’s time. Also be attentive in group settings, whether they’re work meetings or social. Making people feel heard and respecting their presence goes a long way to feeling good about your environment. Help out with tasks that need doing outside of your job description (i.e., picking up lunch) and find ways to be supportive to your team without being overbearing.
A good working environment leads to healthier work practices as well as happier team members. What are you doing today that fosters a more positive work environment for everyone you work with on a daily basis? How can you do your part to make work be a place people enjoy?