Building Teams That Connect At Work

Connectedness at workplace includes feeling respected, valued and understood. It is essential for everyone at the organisation to feel so in order to maintain a healthy working environment and yield better results. When people don’t feel connected, it shows up in their results, performance, increased absenteeism, and commitment to the organisation.

The benefits of building connected teams are:

1. Improves professional relations
   Connectedness promotes mutual understanding and instils a sense of trust for one another leading to effective team collaboration. This plays a major role in improving the overall culture of the workplace.
2. Impacts employee motivation
   When teams get to know one another, the feelings of connectedness and shared goals get promoted. It encourages the whole team to come together and perform as one unit. It is known to increase their overall productivity and helps them adapt to the ever-evolving work environment, thereby, promoting self-growth and better results.
3. Promotes open communication
   When there are so many people working under one roof, it is possible for them to feel uncomfortable opening up and having conversations about important matters. This can hamper organizational growth and results. Team building is an effective way to break the ice and help employees speak freely to each other.
4. Resolves conflicts
   Teams with a good mutual understanding have the potential to overcome day-to-day challenges faced due to a difference in opinion, beliefs and work style. Conflicts are an inevitable part of working together, however, what matters is the ability to not overcome them without letting them affect the relations and work.

Both leaders and team members play a major role when it comes to promoting connectedness among teams.

Let’s look at some ways to build connectedness among teams:

1. Be a role model One most important way to build connectedness is to set an example for others. Show respect through your words and actions. Promote positive values such as compassion, empathy, and gratitude.
2. Foster a sense of equity
   When individuals feel that they are being treated in a biased manner, it widens the gap among team members and discourages them. Therefore, treating everyone fairly and with equity is imperative.
3. Build opportunities to connect
   Organise recreational activities and provide an opportunity to connect and engage with one another. When the team indulges in such activities, they learn a lot more about each other’s personalities than they do while working together.
4. Encourage communication
   Promote the habit of communicating freely. For peers to feel one among the others, it is important that open communication is encouraged. It provides a chance for everyone to talk about themselves without the fear of being misjudged.
5. Foster a supportive culture
   Offer help to others for promoting oneness and trust. Step up if you feel someone needs help. Little actions like constantly checking up on them, involving them in conversations, and providing assistance during challenging situations are all means to show care towards others.

Conclusion: Having teams at an organisation does not suffice. What drives the whole team is their ability to engage and feel connected with one another. Fostering a fair, respectful and supportive culture is imperative to promote connection among team members.

To know more about the Fortis Workplace Mental Health Initiative write to us at [email protected] or call on +918588807193.

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