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Please can you help me with Team Building/Morale Boosting ideas for our office?

70 replies

Kara198 · 12/11/2021 22:11

Long story short, our team at work has grown from approx 40 to over 100 since the first lockdown.
We do a mix of home and office working and half of the staff still don't know each other.
Morale is low, we were such a close knit team before always out for big lunches, nights out etc.
Too big to do this now.
I've been tasked with trying to fix this but I have no idea where to start! Especially as not everyone is in the office on the same days.
What works well in your companies to bring back that "team spirit"?
Thanks!

OP posts:
SoniaFouler · 13/11/2021 17:55

@NeverDropYourMooncup

From my point of view;

None of the above.

Nights out cost money. Transport costs money. It's too cold and dark to stand around at deserted bus stops whilst everybody else is picked up by their husbands after drinking tap water all night and causing an atmosphere because I refused to split the bill for food I can't eat even if I could afford it (celiac) and drinks I didn't have.

Beer and pizza kits - nice if you know for a fact that nobody in the house has allergies, celiac or an alcohol problem. Or is Muslim/teetotal. Who's going to be asking this incredibly personal information and keeping a record of it? Doesn't have to be 'is your husband an alcoholic?', just the fact that they don't want a bottle of wine is enough for assumptions to be made.

Bottle of wine - can you give me the money instead? Might want to check that nobody has an alcoholic partner at home or has allergies/is Muslim/etc as well, as they probably don't want it broadcast around the building.

Walking a mile - so how are we ensuring that people with disabilities aren't made to feel bad about not being a teamplayer here? Are we assuming that only those with visible disabilities and walking aids are unable to do it? What about those who have already done twice that to get into work in the morning unlike those in nice, warm cars?

Online quizzes - oh dear, I seem to have connectivity issues every night. It's intrusive. I'm not in the pub with you because quiz nights are usually packed to the gills, plus all the other things about not being able to afford/drink/eat.

Dogs - awesome. Love dogs. Don't have one though, so I'd just be looking at them, wishing I could. And probably hearing other non dog owners bitching about how unhygienic and/or how dangerous it is.

Yoga and meditation. Love the idea. But I don't get a break at the same time as everybody else. Is the teacher a good one? Are they insured and qualified? Are they experienced in teaching people with physical issues? Are they experienced in helping people if emotional or psychological issues come out during meditation? Have you got a warm, quiet, spacious room with proper mats, equipment and with a bolt so that nobody is disturbed by another member of staff with an 'urgent' phone call?

Scavenger hunts. Who is going to be actually setting them up, running them and then tidying up afterwards? They usually involve a fuckton of work for somebody else on near enough minimum wage.

From my point of view, getting a brilliant deal on a gym membership so that it is significantly cheaper than a mid range gym would be great. But that's not suitable for everybody.

Seriously, what is more use is more money. Give them the cash without it being tied to length of service or performance and they can decide. It'll probably go towards the increase in food, fuel and travel costs for the lower paid staff, but at least some will see a tenner here or there out of it after tax and NI and UC deductions.

Do you work in Health and Safety?
MsPootle · 13/11/2021 18:01

Team building can be a bit "Marmite". Also not sure team building can boost morale?

Instead might be worth sending out an anonymous staff survey so that senior management have an idea why morale is so low and use that feedback to guide you. Good luck.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/11/2021 18:01

I have done before now, yes. Those large events where people didn't die in a crush or of electrocution or gantries falling down on anyone's head? Some of those were down to me.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

SoniaFouler · 13/11/2021 18:17

@NeverDropYourMooncup

I have done before now, yes. Those large events where people didn't die in a crush or of electrocution or gantries falling down on anyone's head? Some of those were down to me.
Ah ok. It was just a hunch I had.
Hawkins001 · 13/11/2021 22:25

@ChristmasPlanning
It was in-house, plans based on inspiration from shows such as spooks, the unit, alias, covert affairs ect, stories that were in the episode that then could be tweaked and ran in our groups.

NotMyCat · 13/11/2021 22:28

I can say don't do an incentive that includes playing monopoly. Especially when your team is sales based, so you know, competitive...
it descended into utter chaos with secret trading and bickering and my boss had to retrieve the monopoly and hide it BlushGrin

jesusmaryjosephandtheweedonkey · 13/11/2021 22:36

Forcing "fun activities " on people to team build is not going to help.
Why is moral low?
Wages?
Hours?
Flexibility?
Cost of living?
Work life balance?
No one gets a moral boost from a zoom quiz.
A pay rise or an afternoon off yes!

LindaLooky · 13/11/2021 22:37

I think some of these ideas are a good starting point.

A big part of feeling comfortable at work is having a couple of work friends. So you dont need to know all 100 people but if you have a few mates that you feel able to call and chat with, it really helps work feel like a good place and you have a sounding board for any issues etc.

Maybe put people into mini teams and do a scavenger hunt in the local area. Fastest team wins. Gets people out and about, in a group and chatting.

WomblingKnobhead · 13/11/2021 22:47

Sounds like you've identified lack of work social relationships as a source of morale issues. Lots of people enjoy work for camaraderie and friendship. 100 is too many to manage. Identify small groups and arrange small meet ups. Face to face best. Can be in work (as a place) or out but within work time is best.

Just meeting for coffee without any games is often enough to get people chatting and socialising which sounds like your goal

Gladioli23 · 13/11/2021 22:54

If I think about what actually helps team building:

  1. A genuine shared purpose. I've been working on Covid stuff for the last 18 months and have worked with different teams over that time. Each time, the shared goal combined with time pressure that forces you to rely on others is what turns us into a team.
  1. Caring about the other people. That means getting to know them. So it's offers of time to get to know people while on work time, realistically, or offers that they'll really want to take up if it's not on work time. Yes, not all the options will work for everyone, but each additional bit of togetherness will help, so the answers don't have to help everyone. For these bits you need to divide people down into groups: at first I think keeping it really small is good, because you want people to be able to have the natural chit chat that facilitates proper getting to know each other. I think you can then build that up to larger and larger teams til everyone gets to get together - I don't actually have any evidence of that, I just know that working in small groups - either going away or having lunch with a small group of people was how I really got to know coworkers properly and stops people getting left out the way it can if you just have a whole group thing with loads of old people and some newbies.

Lots of the suggestions are ways of doing either one or two but I think they are the underlying principles you need to keep in mind.

AChickenCalledDaal · 13/11/2021 22:58

What works well in your companies to bring back that "team spirit"?

A shared goal that requires us to work together, but not to work ourselves under the table.

IT that works.

Managers who notice and acknowledge the effort that people are putting in.

Social opportunities for those who want them - understanding and tolerance for those who don't.

Teams that are small enough for people to notice when others are struggling and a culture that it's OK to admit it.

Absolutely no compulsory quizzes/karaoke nights/team building days.

mymumwouldntapprove · 13/11/2021 23:04

I have actually been asked to be part of a small team doing exactly what the OP has been asked to do, in almost exact same circs. Team has grown from 35 to 80 in last 12 months. Lots of hybrid working, new staff joining at different times, zoom etc meaning that all sense of cohesion has gone.
Everyone saying "give them a pay rise" and "give them a bonus" etc is really unhelpful, as we are public sector - we can't just ask for money and get it, and there's no cash for staff reward events, no subsidised Xmas parties etc.
So what do we do? How can we build a team and boost morale, without all the events and activities you say are cringey, and without getting a pay rise?

jesusmaryjosephandtheweedonkey · 13/11/2021 23:43

@mymumwouldntapprove just ask them.
Ask them what would help with team cohesion

CruellaDeVilla · 13/11/2021 23:58

This is specialist change management and morale stuff

You need to first of all identify the problem you’re trying to solve. Properly - how can you do this?

Then you need to find out what people are feeling and thinking, anonymous feedback sessions or surveys are a good way but you need to ask questions very specifically to get some good data

Then you’ll see some themes emerge.
Tackle the top 3.
Involve people.
Keep asking for honest feedback

It’ll take time. This stuff is hearts and minds so it takes more than “take them to lunch”

HighHeart · 14/11/2021 00:05

Set up an anonymous Google Forms survey and ask two questions:

How do they feel about work?
What would make work better?

DentalWorries · 14/11/2021 00:11

This is what we do in my company (start up very very quickly scaling so similar issues with size)

  • Team lunch once a week for everyone in the office on a certain day
  • Having a dedicated Slack channel to show appreciation for coworkers. This is very much encouraged by management who regularly post and tag people who have achieved something or helped someone out that week
  • Team day organised at the end of every quarter which doesn’t eat into non working time. We usually do some sort of free team building activity ending up in the pub financed by the company. The most successful day was putting everyone into teams and giving them 2 hours to go around the local area finding as many things as possible on a list. More points were given for harder to find places/things.
  • Lunchtime zoom sessions run by team members on something they are interested in. We’ve done meditation, yoga, Zumba, calligraphy
  • Company wide bonus at Christmas which is based on performance so everyone has a vested interest in ensuring they contribute via their role to make sure we get as big a bonus as possible

There’s never an obligation to attend any of these activities but they’re always very well attended and for a team who wfh the majority of the week, it’s the most supportive and welcoming company I’ve ever worked for

Kite22 · 14/11/2021 00:13

@Purplewithred

Before rushing to things like games etc (which personally I would hate and avoid like the plague) are you sure you understand the root off the problem? You say morale is low - why? Just because people don't know each other? or something else?
This ^

The LAST thing the majority of people want is to be forced to be jolly with colleagues.

As has been said, you need to
a) focus on why morale is low, and tackle that
b) find a way to get honest feed back from people about how their worklife could be improved. The 2 issues with that are
i) convincing people it WILL actually be anonymous, or at least, not held against them if they are honest
ii) then having the power to make any difference / to bring about the changes that will make a difference. ..... For example, being able to work more flexible hours is seen as a positive by most employees - would you have the power to bring that in, if that is what people request? If not, then it is not only a waste of time, but will be seen as an even more negative things than leaving the status quo. Do not ask what people want if you cannot actually follow through with some of it.

TyrannosaurusRights · 14/11/2021 00:44

@mymumwouldntapprove

I have actually been asked to be part of a small team doing exactly what the OP has been asked to do, in almost exact same circs. Team has grown from 35 to 80 in last 12 months. Lots of hybrid working, new staff joining at different times, zoom etc meaning that all sense of cohesion has gone. Everyone saying "give them a pay rise" and "give them a bonus" etc is really unhelpful, as we are public sector - we can't just ask for money and get it, and there's no cash for staff reward events, no subsidised Xmas parties etc. So what do we do? How can we build a team and boost morale, without all the events and activities you say are cringey, and without getting a pay rise?
You make people feel valued. You acknowledge and celebrate their successes. You clear work roadblocks. You give them what you can - clear feedback, a pathway to advancement if they want it, the ability to flex working hours/location if you can. And, as the boss, you have their back. You manage fairly and you support your team.
Newhorizon21 · 14/11/2021 04:25

@Purplewithred

Before rushing to things like games etc (which personally I would hate and avoid like the plague) are you sure you understand the root off the problem? You say morale is low - why? Just because people don't know each other? or something else?
I'm so glad you mentioned this...
Rainbowqueeen · 14/11/2021 05:51

Agree that the survey is a great idea. I’d make it really clear that you want to improve morale and would appreciate ideas. Also must be completely anonymous.

Could you give everyone an afternoon off in addition to normal leave to prepare for xmas? Have some rules ie no more than 2 people in each team to be absent on the same day and teams have to work together to agree on who is off when. Present it as a Christmas bonus for all staff as appreciation for their hard work. It might show that you are serious about boosting morale not just talking about it
Then I’d get managers to work on boosting morale in their own teams. My manager brings a box of quality street or donuts to our monthly meeting. Recognise each team will bond in different ways.

Have whole firm drinks at 4pm every now and again Make it a different day of the week each time so everyone can have the option to attend.

When someone new starts make the effort to introduce them around

ItsSnotFair · 14/11/2021 09:35

Act like a social secretary, arrange things that people can put their name down for
Trips to local markets, craft fayre, cinema, theatres, NT properties
Paint balling
Quiz nights
Family /group treasure hunts
Organise a dart/football/netball team
Start a book/gaming club
Have a book swopping area
Keep everything fun and away from work

mymumwouldntapprove · 14/11/2021 09:56

@TyrannosaurusRights I'm not the boss. I'm the same grade as most of the staff, in a public sector office where we have no control over any of the things you mention and nor do our line managers, or their line managers. I'm just a member of staff given a hard job to do to save the skins of some senior leader somewhere, but actually I'd like it to work because I'd like my workplace to be happy.

LucentBlade · 14/11/2021 10:01

Food

A mutual hatred of something, copyright changes, the home office insisting on attendance record returns, a change in the online teaching system used where I worked all spring to mind as unifying. A hatred of one of the vice chancellors who was an absolute ..... I attended events where staff from other Universities would remark on the misfortune of having him as my VC.

Iamanicepersonreally · 14/11/2021 10:01

Please don't inflict team building activities on people
How about an anonymous survey (Survey Monkey) or similar so you can guage how people feel and what they'd like to see happen? If you can get ideas for changes and implement at least some of them, I think people would appreciate it more than a team building exercise.

SpookyScarySkeletons · 14/11/2021 10:27

We just had a steps competition at work. Split into teams of 5 and added up all our steps for the previous week each month. Teams had their own slack chats where they would spur each other on then a slack channel for all teams where the totals were announced. The team that won were treated to a fancy lunch out.

Some people are so competitive but it was lots of fun and plenty of banter and joking over slack so the WFH people weren't left out.

It was fun rather than "forced fun" shudder