When employees are engaged, they perform at a higher level. They want to be at work, meaning they go above and beyond and build strong team dynamics so your business becomes more profitable more quickly.
It also saves you money on hiring: 54% of employees will stay for longer if they feel a deep connection to their workplace.
Team dynamics is one of the key pillars of employee engagement. If your employees can’t work well together, it creates conflicts, unnecessary stress, and slows down processes.
So, what can you do if you want to improve team dynamics? Here are a few suggestions:
Introduce new team members to everyone
I’m not going to lie, the first time someone did this to me I felt like a dog at a show. I had meeting after meeting after meeting with people outside of my team.
But it actually worked out really well.
You see, those meetings broke the ice. We got to know each other.
And so, when I needed something from them, or them from me, a rapport was already established, and we were more likely to want to help the other person because we knew and liked them.
Starting a new job can feel intimidating, but introducing a new team member to people they’re likely to need to work with can help them settle in and feel more like a valued part of not just the team, but the company.
As a result, they’ll get more done faster and be more engaged in their roles. And you’ll see a marked improvement in team dynamics.
Train your managers
While this isn’t a direct employee engagement activity, it will make a huge difference to your team dynamics.
Fewer than half of managers receive any training before they get promoted. 30% of employees feel their managers don’t have any team-building skills. Clearly showing that employees can tell when managers don’t receive any training.
Your managers set your team culture. Without them driving it in an effective way, the whole castle crumbles.
A few hours of basic management training can go a long way toward building a more engaged, efficient, effective team.
And, while it’s an upfront investment, it will save you money in the long run. By investing in training you won’t lose as much to miscommunications and mismanagement.
Start meetings with a human conversation
Meetings can often feel boring, stuffy, and unnecessary. One way you can avoid this is to start them by treating attendees like humans first, instead of workers first.
Ask people how they are, how their weekends were, etc. This humanizes everyone in the meeting to the other attendees. It also helps you establish a rapport and find common ground, both of which are key to team dynamics.
If it’s a larger meeting and this isn’t possible, consider asking a simple question that requires a shorter answer, such as their favorite animal or movie. They can then expand on these answers in private conversations or larger ones in their employee interest groups.
Only have meetings when you need them
You want happy employees? Have fewer meetings.
How often have you sat in a meeting thinking that it could’ve been an email instead? When organizing a meeting, consider which will get you to the solution faster.
Also think about what is better suited to the person you’re talking with. Just because you prefer a meeting, that doesn’t mean they do. Some people have their best ideas when they’ve had time to percolate and can respond in writing.
Don’t leave out your remote employees
Many companies now have a combination of remote, hybrid, and office-based employees. That’s great. It opens up the talent pool to employees from farther afield and makes you a more inclusive employer. As a result, you get all the benefits that diversity brings such as greater innovation and problem solving.
However, to get the most from every one of your employees, you need to support them all equally.
Unfortunately, 41% of remote employees find it hard to integrate with their company’s culture. And just 33% of remote companies take even basic measures to create a sense of community.
So, how can you include your remote employees and boost team dynamics organization-wide?
If you’re hosting a meeting that not everyone can attend in person, don’t overlook the people joining remotely. Get someone to act as call coordinator, keeping everyone looped in and acting as tech support to help everything go smoothly.
Having one person manage the call ensures the meeting host doesn’t have to worry about it, but remote participants still have a point of contact throughout the meeting.
Simple things like including everyone in meetings shows people they’re valued members of the team and that you want their thoughts on important topics.
Set up employee groups
Employee groups are one of the best ways to connect employees from different teams within your organization.
These communities enable people to find common ground even if they’re based in a different country or are part of departments that don’t usually interact.
They also connect your remote and in-person employees so that wherever someone works from, they still feel included in your business.
Want to get the most from your employee groups? Workrowd could be just what you need. We can help you organize your employee groups, programs, and events, boost engagement, and track your impact in real-time.
Conclusion
Team dynamics play a pivotal role in employee engagement. They’re responsible for your employees’ happiness, which in turn is responsible for employees’ mental health and productivity levels.
Failing to consider how team dynamics impacts these things means your business will suffer long-term from high employee turnover and the roadblocks created when people don’t know how to collaborate. As a result, you’ll lose revenue.
Want to prevent that from happening? Workrowd can help you get more from your employee initiatives. Whether it’s ERGs, events, knowledge sharing, or something else, we can help. Get in touch to book your free demo.
