As a boss, you want everyone at your business to get along. Your office is like your second home, and your employees can feel like extended family members to you. However, sometimes it takes some extra steps to make everyone at work feel comfortable and relaxed. Ideally, you have employees from all different paths, lifestyles and backgrounds, but that doesn't mean everyone can't get along. Here are some ways you can improve office camaraderie in the.
Buy Everyone Lunch
Depending on the nature of your office, people may find that it's hard to build relationships. Sure, two employees can be desk mates for years and still never truly get to know each other. That might be because they have never had the opportunity to have friendships. Well, here's a way to provide that opportunity: catering. Every two weeks or once a month, buy all of your employees lunch. Have everyone gather in the break rooms to eat together (not at their desks). That way, everyone can enjoy one another's company while feasting on a delicious meal.
Note: Make it a rule that no one can discuss work. The less people feel like they're talking with their fellow workers and the more they feel like they're just chatting with friends, the more comfortable everyone will feel.
Initiate Group Brainstorm Sessions
It's important to make your employees feel like they're all working toward a collective goal, not just individually. And while this concept can be hard to tie down, there are some ways you can go about it, one of those being setting up a group brainstorm session. It doesn't matter what the meeting is for, it's just important that your workers feel they're involved and their voices are being heard. The topic could be something big, like how to win over a client, or something on the smaller scale, like what venue to choose for the holiday party. The more you include your employees in decisions, the more they're going to feel like a part of a team.
Stock Your Kitchen
An office should feel like a home away from home. Do your part to fulfill this feeling by stocking the kitchen and the break room. Be sure to load up the pantry and refrigerator with snacks and drinks that everyone will like. Not only will this make everything feel more "homey," but kitchens are spaces where people tend to populate. The more full your kitchen is, the more often your employees will walk in to get something and strike up a conversation with a fellow worker. A full kitchen can encourage dialogue between workers. Food brings people together.
Your office kitchen being stocked is a step in the right direction, but don't forget about a break room either. Be sure to load up the space with comfy chairs, games or even a television so that your employees have a place to de -stress.
Make Company Business Cards
A great way to make employees feel like a team rather than a group of people is by creating company business cards. That way, everyone has a uniform piece of information to hand out. And it will benefit the business too. Now all of your employees have something to give to potential clients.
Buy a Gift
Sometimes a way to improve camaraderie is to make employees feel like they are appreciated. Be sure to buy the office a little present every once in a while. It doesn't have to be over the top. For example, a water bottle with the company's logo on the front could do the trick. It's sentimental and practical, and your employees will appreciate that you were thinking of them.
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