How Team Buildings Help Nurture Employee-Employer Relations

Working in the corporate world can sometimes get really stressful and intimidating. With the constant stream of work coming and going, some employees are engulfed with their tasks and responsibilities, hindering them from appreciating the people they work with. Unfortunately, this scenario can sometimes put a strain on an employee’s demeanor and composure and may even lead to a fragmented relationship with their bosses.

Thankfully, organizations and human resource personnel are proactively looking for innovative ways to keep the workplace running efficiently and peacefully. Team building activities are an effective way to create strong bonds in the workplace that tears down walls and builds camaraderie among co-workers, most especially among employers and bosses.

In this article, we look closer on how team building activities help improve and nurture employer-employee relations.

Helps get to know each other

During a job interview, an employer will normally ask information and focus on items that are related to a potential employee’s professional career, with a few personal questions along the way. Once a person joins the company, they’ll most likely just build a professional relationship with their bosses or employers, and will likely get acquainted better with co-workers as their friends.

This is where team building comes in.

Activities in a team building trip don’t only help improve communication and coordination among co-workers, it also aims to blur the lines between bosses and employees. Since you will be immersed in group activities, employees who are grouped with their employers or bosses would have a unique opportunity to chat and get to know them at a more personal level.

Discovers strengths and weaknesses

An employer-employee relationship based on helping one another allows the team to be more efficient and effective. This means every person in the organization, most especially bosses and employers, must have each other’s backs.

However, this may be hard to achieve. You see, in order for a colleague – much less your boss – to have your back, you’ll have to lower your guards a bit and show your weaknesses. Most employees, especially new ones, will find it hard to do this in the office.

On the other hand, a team building activity fosters collaboration that discovers both strengths and weaknesses. During activities, employees would most likely be too excited to pay too much attention on how they compose themselves, allowing their co-workers, and possibly their employers and superiors, to know more about their real capabilities.

Allows switching of roles

If you have been to a team-building exercise before, you’ll know that anything is possible. If at work, your boss gets to call the shots, you might be surprised to be put into a position where you’ll have to lead a team with your employer in it. Since team building activities take no regard for existing office positions, all participants are treated as equals and may open up leadership opportunities for a select few.

This scenario most often occurs when a group needs to choose or appoint a leader. In essence, leaders should have initiative and confidence, which can definitely be justified when an employee volunteers as a leader. This is a great opportunity not just for employees, but also for managers and supervisors to spot budding leaders that can be very helpful for a company down the road.

Helps talent to be uncovered

Aside from leadership, team building activities also allow hidden talents to shine and get uncovered. You see, a team building activity can compose of a wide range of activities that provides a chance for everyone to enjoy and participate. Some activities may incorporate creative or playful acts such as singing and dancing, or even other skills like public speaking, writing, and photography.

While these talents will usually not be very beneficial in terms of work, these serve as special traits that will allow you to be easily remembered by your co-workers, bosses, and employers. It can also be ice-breakers that will stir conversation and bonding among the team. Imagine bumping into your boss in the pantry back at work after a team-building activity – if they remember you as the girl who’s great at taking photos during your team building activity, you can then strike a conversation and make your encounter a bit more meaningful.

Provides a free space for discussion

Most employees find it hard and intimidating to start a conversation and raise their concerns with their employers and bosses at work. While this can be naturally hard to do depending on the type of your supervisor, raising serious office-related concerns outside the office can make employees feel more comfortable. Without the confines of the workplace, employers and their subordinates are able to create a free exchange of ideas that may benefit the organization as a whole.