Team Building or How To Create A Nice Working Atmosphere

You’ll find no team building theory in this article, only real practice. I’m going to tell you how a nice working atmosphere was created at 111 Minutes.

I have experience working at several companies, and there was a lot of talk about team building at each of them. However, nothing was done. There was still no team, managers were in a different social class higher than regular employees, and I didn’t feel like it was a great place to work. I always wanted to go home quickly. But after working at 111 Minutes, I’ve found out what good team building practice and friendly working atmosphere looks like.

Parties

When I was an university student I worked at McDonalds and we had something like “Employee” day there. Management made all their workers come to the restaurant they work at by 6 am (!) to listen to how employees are important for McDonalds. Then there were some games with prizes (charms and other stuff like a plastic-cotton bag which I won) and a cake with coffee. It’s a really nice idea to start a party at 6 am, huh?

Before starting work at 111 Minutes I was invited to a party there (no, unfortunately not everyone gets a job here after partying). There was an awesome BBQ party at the office and everyone, including (top) managers, was partying. And there are still good parties at 111 Minutes. It is really nice for the team- everyone knows each other better after parties.

Fruits in the Kitchen

Mondays at our office start with finding some fruits in the kitchen. It is nice for team members to have a little break from work to eat some tasty fruits. It is also healthy. I’m sure this positively influences the mood of all employees.

Everyday Meetings

What is happening in your team? What is this guy doing every day in the office? Everyday meetings will answers this and other questions about the team. At 111 Minutes, we do everyday meetings at noon. Everyone gathers and one after another tells others what he/she will do today and what was done yesterday. It is important for team building. You know what your colleagues do, where they are successful and where they require some help. In this case, a specialist who can give a hand will do it and a person who requires help or advice will get it fast and even before asking someone for it. This approach makes a team out of a group of co-working people where everyone knows what others are doing and can easily give a hand to a teammate.

Video Games

There is one more cool thing: a Playstation. If you are depressed or just tired of working, feel free to go and play on the Playstation. You can also challenge your colleagues. Sometimes we even have tournaments on a chosen game. It is good to love what you do; to love your work. But it is also important to have some fun there. So take your gamepad and let the battle begin!

Find three more tips and two more illustrations in the original article at 111 Minutes Blog!