Six Tips For Encouraging Teamwork In The Workplace
According to a 2021 survey done by the American Psychological Association, 79% of employees may experience work-related stress each month. Burnout, or chronic work-related stress, may cause emotional exhaustion, physical and mental fatigue, depersonalization at work, and feelings of depression among other harmful symptoms.
Those in leadership positions may benefit from learning to recognize the signs of burnout in their employees and implementing stress-reduction techniques, like encouraging teamwork in the workplace, supporting the mental health of their employees, and learning how to increase employee motivation.
Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for individuals living with symptoms related to workplace stress, relationship challenges, or many other reasons. Online CBT may reduce symptoms in individuals experiencing burnout while increasing their coping mechanisms and providing other long-term benefits.
Does building teamwork and being a good team member matter?
Workplace teamwork and collaboration may be important for a variety of reasons. Cooperation in effective teams may help your team get their work done faster and on time. Increasing collaboration through good teamwork may lead to more innovative ideas, critical thinking, and team creativity when working on a team project. Additionally, teamwork may lead to the development of meaningful relationships as each team member gets to know one another, which can increase workplace satisfaction and support employee mental health, preventing employee turnover and overuse of sick time.
In strong teams, team members understand their role and how they can achieve team goals within it. With team members engaged in collaborative teamwork, large tasks become small and the work can get done more effectively as team members differentiate their work instead of all approach things the same way. Teams innovate faster than individual employees working separately. Difficult tasks and new challenges are easier to face with a team rather than through individual efforts.
Developing high-performing teams and a positive team dynamic among remote workers is even more critical. Remote employees do not have the same interaction with teammates as in-person employees. This means that being intentional about developing remote teams may lead to a more positive teamwork environment and employees that burn-out less frequently.
Six tips for building a successful team in the workplace
Developing effective teamwork doesn’t happen by accident; an effective team takes work to create. If you’re hoping to increase teamwork at your place of work, try these six tips to guide your efforts in making a great team and improving teamwork skills.
Tip #1: Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Frequent communication is a crucial element needed to have successful relationships, whether they’re professional or personal. By working to build open communication practices throughout your team, you’ll avoid the drawbacks of miscommunication—such as high turnover, frustration, resentment towards leadership, and missed deadlines—and reap the benefits, like creativity, fresh ideas, and strong morale. Setting up regular team meetings or check-ins can help to ensure that communication is happening and encourage teamwork.
Communication is important not only among team members, but between leaders and teams. For example, you must communicate expectations and business goals clearly, so the team works together on the right priorities. Communicating effectively at a leadership level can also help individual employees understand the importance of teamwork.
Tip #2: Stress the importance of accountability
To enforce accountability, first, ensure every employee is aware of and understands the standards the company expects them to meet. Constructive criticism may need to be given promptly, when necessary. Accountability can lead to better outcomes and improved efficiency.
Tip #3: Show appreciation for your team
If your team doesn’t feel valued for their daily contributions, they may struggle to stay engaged with workplace goals. And if employees become disengaged, they’re less likely to work together as a team to meet goals.
So many teams are bombarded with projects, and when one project ends, they're expected to move right on to the next one. Taking a few minutes to call a meeting to thank your team for their hard work can help improve teamwork and your workplace culture and make your employees feel valued. Use this time to acknowledge not only a high-performing team, but individual contributions and any especially relevant team member's strengths.
In some cases, you may not recognize an employee is dissatisfied until they're handing you a resignation letter. By creating a culture of feedback and prioritizing employee appreciation, you may prevent unexpected resignations and foster a sense of community in your workplace.
Tip #4: Resolve conflicts quickly
In the workplace, it may be inevitable that interpersonal challenges will arise, especially with large, diverse teams. Chances are, there may be a few people on your team who aren't exactly fond of each other. Add workplace stress, tight deadlines, and mismatched personalities to the mix, and conflict in the workplace can quickly flare up. While workplace conflict may be unavoidable, resolving it quickly and fairly can help prevent it from causing divisions in your team.
Listen carefully to each party and offer tangible ways in which you and the rest of the team can help resolve the conflict. Engaging the entire team in the conflict resolution process may help create a culture of openness and availability that fosters communication and teamwork.
If conflicts continue to arise, consider reassigning one of the individuals to a different project or a different team. If reassigning, it’s important to communicate your intentions, as you don't want anyone to feel as if they're being singled out or cause factions to develop on your team. Healthy competition can be useful, but resentment among individual members is not. Any staffing changes should be the result of discussions with the involved parties, not unilateral decisions made by leadership.
Tip #5: Make active attempts to bond during your off-hours
While “mandatory” social events may not meet your goals, especially if your team is already exhausted by a particularly busy season at work, encouraging social interactions outside of the workplace may help teams form stronger, more resilient bonds. Relaxing together socially in a group setting can help develop trust and collaboration in the workplace.
Schedule team-building activities in advance so the whole team can enjoy time together—whether it’s coffee, a movie, the theater, an arcade, a sporting event, or any other fun occasion that has nothing to do with work. Building stronger relationships can also build teamwork and improve collaboration. For instance, your team may be more likely to help other employees achieve their goals at work, meet deadlines, or stay after hours to finish projects if they enjoy spending time together.
Tip #6: Lighten up on the micromanaging
If you’re prone to micromanaging, you may be unknowingly suggesting to your team that you don’t trust them to achieve progress on their own. Providing employees support that they need to succeed and recognizing their competency may show your team you respect them and may encourage collaboration to more to solve problems.
For example, in a brainstorming session, you might want to sit back and let the team come up with new ideas on their own, rather than trying to dictate what's next every step of the way.
Also, developing a reputation for having a good workplace environment may help you attract the best talent to your team in the future.
Online therapy can help prevent or reduce employee burnout
Teamwork is an important part of a successful business, because it can reduce burn-out and ensure that all employees are on the same page. Burned-out employees are less productive, less engaged, and less likely to stay in their job. Whether you or your employees are experiencing burnout, treatment can help you overcome your symptoms and regain workplace balance. While mindfulness practices like meditation, exercise, and a healthy diet may help reduce symptoms, in some cases, targeted burnout treatment may be necessary.
If burnout-related fatigue makes it difficult to get out of bed or leave the home, you won’t need to miss a therapy session, since you can log on and get support from your therapist wherever you are. Additionally, online therapy is traditionally more cost-effective than in-person therapy, since it doesn’t involve transportation costs and added overhead costs from the therapist. Beyond this, clinical trials have proven online therapy to be just as effective as its in-person counterpart in treating common burnout symptoms and consequences such as depression or anxiety.
If burnout caused you to leave your former position, online therapy may be a supportive treatment option for you during a period of reduced income.
Takeaway
Thoughtful workplace practices, like incorporating teamwork into the workplace, may help employees stay engaged and minimize their risk of developing burnout. If you or your employees are experiencing burnout-related symptoms like depression, anxiety, fatigue, or disengagement, online therapy may help. BetterHelp’s licensed online therapists are available when you are to support your mental health and help you overcome symptoms of burnout.
If you could use additional support in your leadership role, online therapy may help you learn how to develop confidence, motivate your team, or fuel positive team building in the workplace. For targeted guidance and advice on how to make your team one of the most cooperative teams in the business., schedule an online therapy session with BetterHelp.
Why is teamwork important in the workplace?
Developing a cohesive team is an oft-sought goal for many workplaces. Although it can sometimes be challenging to find the right team balance, putting in the effort to ensure a team works well can have many benefits, a few of which are outlined below:
- Diverse perspectives can solve problems quicker. One of the advantages of teamwork is the ability to source innovative ideas from team members quickly. When teams operate openly and encourage feedback, it is more likely that new opinions and fresh ideas will be discussed.
- Teams often improve productivity. Many tasks can be performed substantially quicker when multiple people are involved. If work is appropriately divided within a team, they can potentially accomplish work much faster than if each person worked alone. It is also likely that teams innovate faster due to the free exchange of ideas.
- Teamwork cultivates strong work relationships. Effective and healthy teams have the potential to significantly strengthen relationships between coworkers and increase employee engagement. The effect is likely much stronger when teams are encouraged to communicate openly and genuinely. In addition, stronger work relationships have the potential to decrease work-related stress significantly.
- Teamwork promotes healthy competition. Healthy, productive competition can potentially boost performance, increasing the productivity of team members and the team as a whole. Healthy competition may also increase job satisfaction among team members.
What is teamwork in the workplace?
Teamwork in the workplace refers to productive cohesion between coworkers, managers, and other staff. A great team can significantly reduce the workload of all members and increase productivity and efficiency. Teams are often small groups but can be as small as two people and, in some cases, as large as dozens. There isn’t one size that perfectly predicts whether a team will be cohesive; the needs vary based on team members and the project they are working on.
What is teamwork and its purpose?
Teamwork refers to work completed by a team, a group of people who have a common goal and divide efforts among themselves to complete it. Teamwork can significantly increase productivity and performance in the workplace. It also has the potential to substantially increase the cohesion between coworkers and significantly improve communication.
Teamwork can also increase the chance of favorable outcomes by ensuring multiple people can check and maintain the team's goals. It may be difficult for one person to catch an error quickly, but it may be more apparent if several people are looking at the problem. In this way, teams form a “safety net” that can significantly reduce the chance of errors and lapses in judgment.
What are examples of good teamwork in the workplace?
There are many traits of a good team, but they will likely differ based on the team members and the work they are doing. Although the exact recipe for a good team is likely at least partially dependent on individual factors, there are common themes of cohesive teams that regularly appear:
- Good teamwork requires open, honest communication among team members. Every team member should feel comfortable discussing their opinion or solution to a problem. Communicating effectively is likely a crucial element of a successful team.
- The skills of team members should complement each other. Combining individuals with different strengths can make the team significantly stronger as a unit.
- High-performing teams succeed and fail as a unit. Responsibility is diffused throughout the team, and everyone has equal responsibility, which likely helps prevent conflict between team members.
- Good teams tend to be close-knit and have members who know and support each other. There is a strong sense of team unity present during all team interactions.
Good teams may also function independently and likely need little direct leadership to function well. Each person has a role that they understand well. Team members feel comfortable and safe imparting their ideas, suggestions, or criticisms.
Why is team unity important?
Team unity can help ensure that teams are productive and cohesive. Strong teams usually have close-knit members who are comfortable communicating openly with each other. Open and honest communication is likely the greatest benefit of high levels of team unity. When teams communicate well, each member is more likely to volunteer ideas, offer suggestions, or note areas for improvement. A team meeting is likely much more productive when cohesion is high.
Team unity may also create a sense of togetherness that motivates team members to succeed. If teams succeed and fail as a unit, it not only diffuses responsibility among team members but likely adds an extra source of motivation. Each individual team member wants the team as a whole to succeed, not just themselves.
How do you build an effective team?
Evidence suggests that a team leader who promotes cohesion is likely to build the foundations of an effective team. When planning team-building activities, it is important to remember that it will take time for members to get to know each other, speak openly, and trust one another. While it may take some time for a team to reach high levels of cohesion on its own, an effective team leader may be able to encourage teamwork quicker than an ineffective one.
Some common themes regarding team-building are outlined below:
- Encourage open communication from the beginning. When setting up a team, remember that each member’s ideas are valuable. Encourage trust and cooperation among your team members by facilitating non-judgmental communication and leading by example; an effective team will likely never emerge if team members are uncomfortable discussing their thoughts and suggestions.
- Establish team values and goals. Every team member should be on the same page regarding what constitutes success. Communicate expectations like the goals of the team and how they can contribute to achieving them.
- Strive for consensus. Teams work best when each member feels that their voice is considered. Team members should voice their opinions and discuss the merits of different directions until the team mutually agrees on how to proceed.
- Encourage brainstorming. Effective teams have a “no stupid ideas” approach to collaboration. Ensure each team member feels comfortable discussing ideas, and encourage them to strive for outside-the-box thinking. It is likely important to create an atmosphere of acceptance and non-judgment for brainstorming to be effective.
- Set ground rules. Every team member should know which norms indicate success. You might consider ground rules like respect for team members’ time, respect for discussing ideas, and conflict-resolution guidelines.
How does teamwork improve efficiency?
Teams are considered more efficient because tasks can be dispersed among team members. Reducing the workload of each team member helps the entire team achieve progress faster overall. However, evidence suggests that teams are only more efficient if they are cohesive and members work together well. If a team is ineffective, efficiency can possibly be reduced. In addition, poorly-functioning teams may produce less quality work than an individual may have produced.
How do you show teamwork is important?
The evidence surrounding the importance of teams to a successful business is significant. One of the best examples of the importance of teamwork is likely demonstrated by the roles teams play in high-reliability organizations (HROs). HROs exist in hazardous environments where the consequences of errors are high. Because of this, reducing the occurrence of errors is a high priority for HROs. Evidence suggests that teams significantly reduce the number of errors in high-risk environments by diffusing accountability and responsibility throughout every team member.
How do you apply teamwork in real life?
Applying teamwork in real life can happen in almost any setting. Much of the literature surrounding the effectiveness of teams investigates their utility in the workplace, which is one of the most common venues where teamwork is applied directly. Applying teamwork often begins with an effective team leader, regardless of the setting.
An effective team leader applies the principles of teamwork by ensuring open communication between team members, enforcing an atmosphere of respect that is free from judgment, and establishing ground rules for how the team should function. Ensuring team members feel free to express their opinions openly is likely essential when applying teamwork strategies.
Can you give me an example of teamwork experience?
A highly effective team functions cohesively and independently. Once the team is established, they may need little oversight to complete their objectives. An example would be a spontaneous brainstorming session between team members. It is likely that teams whose members feel comfortable approaching each other to discuss and debate ideas are high-functioning.
Another example of a high-performing team may be how leadership responds to team members. An effective team leader listens to the team members and does not judge or restrict their ideas. This is especially important when teams manage high-risk situations, and open communication can significantly reduce the number of errors the team experiences. If team members feel uncomfortable discussing their opinions with leadership, mistakes are less likely to be pointed out and corrected.
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