Without teams, the workplace would be nothing.  Imagine if each employee in an office had no form of communication with the other employees- it would be absolute chaos, and no work would get done.

Maybe your workplace isn’t as bad as this, but you may feel that there isn’t enough camaraderie between your employees. It could be as simple as a lack of bonding on breaks, or maybe even a loss in productivity due to lack of communication.

Either way, we’ve compiled some tips and advice to help you ensure that you and your team are achieving their absolute best in the workplace, and out of it.

Boost your team’s morale the right way.

When people think of team-building, the first image that is likely to pop into their head is one of cheesy, patronising ‘team-building’ games. Besides not looking out of place at a child's birthday party, these exercises can more often than not do the exact opposite of their intent, and alienate employees from each other.

Face it, if you were forced to play games like ‘show and tell’ in front of your boss and a group of people you barely know, you’d probably want to cower and hide from them afterwards, too.

Thankfully, there are much better, and much more efficient ways to boost your team’s morale without making them feel too silly.

Celebrate accomplishments

This should be a fairly obvious one, but many employers forgo this.

Working extremely hard on something only for another to discredit or shun it is extremely disheartening regardless, but in the workplace, it can often have massively negative consequences.

Encourage your employees to share achievements with you no matter how big or small, in or out of the workplace, and celebrate them!

As well as boosting confidence and motivation, it gives everyone something to bond over.

In a smaller workplace, why not give employees the option to sit where they please instead of having a set desk?.

If you’re still struggling, invent a reward system.

A basic example would be that for every 10 reports completed, the individual that completed them earns so much on a bar tab that is paid for at the end of the month, etc.

Or perhaps base rewards on a time scale: for each month of work completed, the team earn one meal or night out somewhere. Be creative, and stress the reward system frequently to your employees. 

Strike up a balance

Don’t expect employees to work a full 40 hour week without showing some signs of tiredness and disinterest at some point- no one has that much energy!

Finding the right balance between work and other parts of life can be extremely difficult, but it’s also essential. As an employer, or as anybody else with a very high level of responsibility within a business, it can be easy to overlook this, intended or likewise.

One way to assert this balance to your employees is to organise some sort of day off each month. It could be a trip to some form of external leisure activity, such as a sports match, or it could be an in-work video game day, for example.

If preferred, one day each month could be used for employees to focus on other, more personal projects. The aim is to make employees feel that work is much more than simply working, and that it’s about a sense of community and teamwork also.

Also, encourage employees to take regular breaks, as long as all work is completed adequately. It’s all well and good powering through 8 hours a day, but if you feel like hell after it, it can be detrimental to work. Allow employees to go for walks on their breaks- it’s amazing what a small amount of exercise can do to the brain.

Rid yourself of routine

Being stuck in a seemingly endless routine is draining for everyone. No matter how much someone may enjoy their job, and no matter how many perks may come with it, having a set, strict routine is enough to do everyone in eventually.

Make sure to mix things up a bit from the average office cubicle and meetings routine.

In a smaller workplace, why not give employees the option to sit where they please instead of having a set desk? A small change of environment can cause a massive surge in productivity. 

If your workplace is slightly bigger, why not arrange sets of desks or floors into teams?

Tie this in with a points or rewards system, and you’ve got a workforce that’s raring to go.

If you’re still at a loss for how to get your team feeling more like a team- you have the perfect opportunity to do so by calling everyone together for a meeting of sorts, and gathering their opinions on what productivity-boosters they would like to see being implemented into the workplace.

Jenny Pink is director of Accomplished Events, a specialist in team-building, corporate events, and more.