Thursday, May 29, 2014

Three Great Benefits of Team Building



Team building in business is one of the more common ways bosses work to get the most out of their employees. There are many different kinds of team building people can try, from scavenger hunts to paintball. However the advantages are many and they come regardless of the activity that is chosen.
Let’s take a look at three of the advantages business owners can look forward to when investing in team building.

Better productivity
Labour productivity is very good in Australia at the moment. This is very different from the lower productivity seen just a short time ago. Productivity is often one of the main aims of planning team building exercises in the first place, and the good news is it is one of the main benefits as well.
Part of the reason for this is that employees get to know each other better through team building activities. This better relationship translates into the work environment and leads to a more productive and copacetic workplace. Productivity increases as employees find and use new ways to work together they may not have thought of before.
Happier employees
It can be hard finding the right employees. Unhappy employees tend to work less effectively and efficiently. If they are unhappy in their job for any reason it can have a knock-on effect on their personal life. A constant lack of rest, worrying about their life and even depression can all affect someone in lots of other ways as well, with some people even driven to self-medicating to try and address the issue. It is possible to work with lots of other people and still feel isolated – and this doesn’t lead to happy employees. We all know our worries tend to rob us of sleep as we lay awake and think about them at night. We awake tired and drained in the morning and in no real condition to do a day’s productive work. However when you decide to introduce team building into the mix at work, it can make a real difference to employees like these who are struggling to get along. It is still essential to provide support and advice in other ways as well of course, but having an opportunity to connect with the rest of their colleagues can make a big difference to how people feel about the way they fit into the workplace. Indeed this type of setting may also make it easier to spot any potential problems within a group of employees if one person seems to be set apart from the rest or is struggling in any way. This can then be brought up with that person in privacy at a later date, to perhaps offer support if and when required.

More potential
Recruiting the right people is half the battle. However it is also good to get away from the constant business meetings that can bore employees. In this latter example it is merely a case of individuals sitting together in a room, rather than getting together and working together in an entirely different setting.
This is why getting out of the workplace and trying all manner of different team building tasks is so good at helping build and extract the potential in every employee. Some will discover skills and potential they never knew they had. Others will learn new skills. Everyone will discover how best to work with other team members, and it is these skills that can be taken back to the workplace and used there as well.
Many employees would testify to the useful nature of team building. There are many services Australian businesses can benefit from, but one of the best assets is clearly something all businesses already have – their own employees. The key is to know how you can extract the most from every single person without draining them along the way. Team building leads to more supportive, engaged and happy employees who have more individual power and are willing to use it to support the business they work for – both as individuals and as a team.
The benefits of team building also continue long after the event itself has ended. Many businesses have regular events like this because they know the advantages of doing so will be reaped for a long time to come. Once you have tried it once you will see for yourself the many benefits of continuing in the future.

Contributed by Emma Love

Friday, May 16, 2014

Things to Look for When Choosing a Team Building Provider


Look behind any successful business and you’ll find a successful team. Having strong teams in place in any business can really make the difference when it comes to achieving everything that your business might be capable of. Not only that, but strong, streamlined teams can also greatly reduce, and successfully manage, risks and challenges and keep your business on a solid footing. Many team building providers will work with you and your employees to create a well oiled, fluid and professional team. As Ace Training state, for example: ‘Our varied and flexible programs can be tailored to suit your company’s objectives, conference theme, group size, venue facilities and time available.’. Of course, there are many team building providers out there, and finding the right one for your business can be tricky. That said, as with many other aspects of business, by researching your providers beforehand, you can ensure you get a good fit for you, your vision, and your staff.

Identifying Employee Strengths
Before hiring a team building provider, it can be useful to identify the elements that make a successful team. Psykol highlights the importance of managers in relation to the team: ‘Managers must recognise that they play a central role in effective team building.’ Once these elements are clear, it can be much easier to decide whether a team building provider is likely to deliver on the requirements you have for your business. As Kelly Services point out: ‘Building a high performance team takes a lot of hard work and skill, to blend the different personalities, abilities and agendas into a cohesive unit willing to work for a common goal. Behind every great team is a strong and visionary leader. A leader whose job is not to control, but to teach, encourage, and organise when necessary.’. Before even considering a team building provider, it can be worthwhile to appraise the basic make up of your workforce - do you have the right people in the right positions? Are there potential leaders waiting to flourish under team building tuition? These are important questions to ask before you commit expenses to team building. Additionally, it's important to remember that the happier and better trained a workforce are, the better they will perform for your business. Employees that know they are well cared for, and are working for a company that is willing to invest in them in order to achieve and maintain its success, will be far more productive and content in the long term. A business can easily provide these aspects through a combination of training, team building vendors, and health cover for employees. In fact, employee health care is often a deciding factor when for potential recruits, as Quotezone explain: 'Group health insurance plans are one of the major benefits offered by many employers'. Ensuring you have solid healthcare for employees, as well as invest in their training and team skills, will all combine to produce a happy, effective workforce. 

Reputation, Qualification, Performance
There is a huge number of team building providers in Australia alone to choose from, and there are some important things to remember. As with any in demand service, there are many providers that don’t meet muster. Sabre offers a reminder that there are good services out there, however: ‘First and foremost, it is important to remember that quality operators with genuine industry experience do exist.’. This simply highlights the need to thoroughly check a providers track record and previous experience before committing. You will also want to ensure that a provider listens carefully to your needs, and is willing to adapt their approaches and methods to suit your specific requirements. It’s also important to scrutinise exactly what skills your staff will gain. While games and exercises are all well and good, you want some quantifiable business skills to be passed on to your team. Much of this can be checked by investigating a providers qualifications and references, along with previous work. If you follow these simple steps, then there are great benefits on the horizon for your company and employees. According to Mindtools: ‘Teams that are highly motivated and positive are not only fun to be part of, but they accomplish more than teams that are struggling with morale.’. Many good providers will also be willing to work with you in terms of location, so if you’re looking for a conference venue for example, a good provider will try to incorporate not only your conference theme but also make use of any facilities you may have hired. Overall, good communication, the capacity to listen and understand your needs, as well as solid qualifications, a proven track record and an established reputation are the key factors to identify before considering any team building provider. It can certainly be worth the time to check all of these aspects, and the potential advantages to your business that can be gained from a high standard provider are long term and lasting.
contributed by Emma Love