What exactly is team camaraderie? The dictionary definition describes camaraderie as a feeling of trust and friendship, which seems like something we should strive for in the workplace. However, many leaders are met with eye rolls at the thought of company bonding. Today, we will discuss how to turn those eye rolls into enthusiasm. Here are eight ways to strengthen camaraderie in the workplace and build genuine connections.
1. Choose Your Employees Wisely
The first thing you can do to build camaraderie is to hire wisely. As a leader, you must consider how new hires will fit into the team. You want to ensure that any new team members will be well-received by the people they work with.
“Employees are a company’s greatest asset — they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission,” says Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO and chairwoman of Xerox Corporation.
The best way to hire wisely is to understand the culture and personalities that are on your team. While skills and work experience are important factors, you must also look at personality. Consider having a trusted member of your team do a round of interviews with potential hires and consult with them before bringing on any new employees to see if they fit in with the current culture.
2. Be Authentic in Your Connections
The reason so many employees dread company bonding is that it so often lacks authenticity. No one wants to dedicate time to after-hour work events if they feel like it’s a socially draining chore. You can avoid this by making real, authentic connections with your team.
“People value authenticity in all areas of life, but this is especially true when it comes to connections. Showing real authenticity to your employees helps strengthen bonds and trust within the workplace,” muses Dr. Michael Green, Chief Medical Officer of Winona.
Treat your team like human beings rather than social obligations. Let them in on the details of your life outside of work. Tell them about your family and your hobbies and ask them about theirs. If you connect with your team authentically, they will be more likely to form connections with you and each other.
3. Be an Excellent Communicator
As a leader, you should already have excellent communication skills. If you want to build strong relationships with your team, you need to put those communications skills to work. On the business side of things, be transparent and share as much information as you can with your team.
“Transparency is the first step to trust building. Withholding information unnecessarily can come off as a power move and break trust, further separating you from your team,” mentions Dominique Zimmermann, CEO and Head Designer of Bombshell Sportswear.
Transparency surrounding business operations helps your team trust you, which fosters camaraderie. If your team feels like you are withholding crucial information, especially when it comes to their futures, there will be a feeling of “us versus them.”
4. Make Sure Everyone Has a Voice
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As important as it is for you to be an effective communicator, the lines of communication have to work both ways. If your team doesn’t feel they have a voice during work hours, why would they assume they’d have a voice at company bonding events?
“Take time to listen to the concerns of your team. If you are hearing the same things from multiple team members, you’d be wise to consider those concerns. If your team feels like they are not being heard, they will eventually stop coming to you,” suggests Daniel Osman, Head of Sales and Operations at Balance.
Don’t just engage in surface-level “getting to know each other” activities. You want to delve into who each person is and what’s important to them. How do they spend their free time? What do they value? Do they have kids, partners, or pets in their lives? Dig deep and let each individual be heard.
5. Host Brainstorming Sessions
Another great way to show employees they have a voice in the company is to host brainstorming sessions with your team. These can be as often as once a week or once a quarter. Regardless of frequency, make time to sit down and bounce ideas off each other now and then.
“There is no greater way to bond than by sharing ideas. Not only will this help you gain further insights into your team, but it could also bring some bright ideas to the table,” says Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder of SwagMagic.
Brainstorming sessions allow you and your team to understand better how each person thinks and what sparks each person’s creativity. People will come to respect each other more through these types of sessions.
6. Encourage or Arrange Social Events
Once you have established a solid company culture and built good working relationships with your team, you can start to encourage social events. If your team is new to this, you’ll want to avoid scheduling lengthy events outside of work hours. This can cause resentment if they are required to go to work events during their time off.
“Team building activities are a great way to get to know your employees. Before you start planning, take some time to find out what kind of events your team wants to participate in to encourage engagement,” mentions Jeremy Stanton, President and CEO of Haven House Addiction Treatment, one of the top detox centers in Los Angeles.
Don’t get discouraged if your heart is set on a big company bonding event. There are plenty of ways to bond that are respectful of your employee’s time, and you can work your way up to a bigger event. Here are some of the best ways to arrange social events for your team:
Events During Work Hours
Start with events that happen during work hours. These events are always well-received as they occur during the time they already dedicate to working. Try a catered on-site team lunch, or take the team to a local restaurant.
“If your team seems tepid about participating in company bonding, start by taking your team out to lunch or going for a mid-day coffee break together. Start small and build from there,” suggests Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO of Fatty15.
Events during work hours are the perfect way to ease your team into company bonding. They may find that they actually enjoy each other’s company when they are not working and begin to form bonds with each other.
After Hour Events
Once you know your team can bond during work-hour events, you can move into after-hours events. We recommend starting with events that occur immediately after the workday ends that are no more than two hours. Take your team out to dinner or for a cocktail or two during happy hour.
“After-work happy hours are the perfect time to bond in a relaxed environment. They are an age-old bonding tactic that works time and time again,” points out Rachel Drori, CEO and Founder of Daily Harvest, a company known for their healthy meal delivery service. “Just make sure there are options for members of your team who prefer to avoid alcohol.”
It is also helpful to encourage participation rather than require it. Some employees may be juggling a lot outside of work and simply won’t have time to attend after-hour events. Required participation could cause some employees to become resentful of any bonding experiences.
Corporate Retreats
Corporate retreats can be a great way to bond with your team if your company can afford them. When planning a retreat, look to your team for suggestions on locations and activities to ensure everyone will be excited about the event.
“Plan an annual corporate retreat for your team to show them that you value the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year. The experience will build stronger bonds and deeper trust amongst all involved,” mentions Susan Kim Shaffer, President and Co-Founder of Pneuma Nitric Oxide.
Many employees prefer a once-a-year corporate retreat to more frequent, after-hours bonding sessions. If you have a team of young single professionals, they may be more receptive to occasional dinners and cocktail hours, whereas people with families may prefer an annual corporate retreat.
7. Volunteer as a Team
Take your team out of the office for a day to volunteer their time to the community. This is a great way to bond over the values you share as an organization. Volunteering is known to create higher levels of engagement than other forms of company bonding.
“Volunteering is one of the best things you can do to bond as a team. When you are working toward a common goal outside of work, and for the greater good, a stronger connection will start to develop,” says Julia Kahlig-Garuba, CEO & Founder of Herb & Root.
Have your team suggest and vote on volunteer projects so everyone feels dedicated to the cause. If your company has a slow season, plan to do different projects on a monthly basis to get your team out of the office and give back to local communities.
8. Share Your Goals for the Future
People feel more connected when working towards a common goal. Make sure that you are sharing the goals you have for your team with all employees. Ask them for input on how to achieve the goals you’ve set and if they identify any potential roadblocks.
“Shared goals help to drive the team forward. When people have goals that unite them as a group, they will feel more empowered to achieve them,” points out Jaedon Khubani, VP of Business Development at Copper Fit.
Once you have established wider company goals, you can also get into inter-department goals and individual targets. When it comes to individual targets, ensure your team feels supported and backed up should they need assistance.
Strengthening Camaraderie in the Workplace
Survey after survey shows that employee engagement at work has become worse over time. Research also shows that workers tend to be happier in jobs where they have friendships with their co-workers. This creates a more enjoyable environment which then leads to better outcomes for your business.
“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients,” advises Richard Branson, CEO and Founder of Virgin Group.
Camaraderie in the workplace creates a common sense of purpose and a stronger drive for success. As a leader, it’s up to you to foster these workplace relationships. Try some of the tips discussed here to create stronger bonds in your workplace.
