Is your team environment producing the best results possible?
A surprising statistic posits that only 20% of team members are “engaged” in their work. The other 80% find themselves emotionally detached from the company mission, watching the clock all day, and seeking to eke out as little effort as possible day by day. It’s no surprise that this mindset isn’t exactly conducive to excellence. (Although, admittedly, most of us do quite enjoy the 20 minute, phone-scrolling sponsored bathroom break from time to time.)
Beyond matters of active engagement at work, many work teams also battle with hidden currents of disharmony, frustration, and friction. Creating an efficient and connected team environment can be difficult, especially following work culture adjustments that may have arisen during the pandemic. Changes to the way we work has brought new challenges and struggles for new teams seeking to improve.
If you want to increase cohesiveness and efficiency in your team, here are 5 tips that will help.
1. Never Say “That’s Not My Job”
We’ve all had times where we wanted to say this. When you’re hired for specific roles and responsibilities and your coworkers or boss ask you to do something outside of that— it doesn’t sit well. Being asked to do something that doesn’t fit your job description can range from mildly inconvenient to downright infuriating.
However, saying “that’s not my job” is the last thing you should do when trying to build a good team environment. Reacting this way can create division and make your teammates distrust you.
When you are working in a team environment everyone is expected to contribute where the needs are. You will build trust with your teammates by accepting the roles you are given. Sometimes the team just needs something done and you are the person available to do it.
So when you work with a team make sure to put on a smile, roll up your sleeves, and pitch in where the needs are. Is your team having a hard time keeping track of who is in charge of what jobs or projects? The Todo Cloud teams app is a very affordable way for teams to sync up on what tasks belong to who, and which projects have uncompleted tasks. Your boss will thank you!
2. Setting Realistic Expectations and Goals
Effective team communication starts with defined expectations and goals. Your team members should know what their job is in order to effectively work in a team environment.
Gallup reported in 2016 that setting clear expectations is the most foundational element to having engaged employees. They said “Only about 50% of all workers strongly indicate that they know what is expected of them at work. Expectations — or a lack thereof — have the power to make or break worker engagement.” US employees engagement at work sits at 33%. Companies that don’t address this problem are leaving money on the table.
Setting expectations and goals for the team and for each individual member of the team will show everyone the confidence you have in them. It will also lay out a clear path to success for them. When everyone knows what they need to be doing they are going to be happier.
Team members that have clear realistic expectations and goals set for them are more engaged.
Team members that are more engaged in the team are more efficient, more present, and more productive.
3. Creating a Wholesome Team Environment
Let’s face it, work isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s boring and frustrating. You can help keep your team motivated by creating a wholesome environment for them. When the environment is wholesome your team can tackle boring and frustrating tasks without becoming bored and frustrated themselves.
Here are 3 ideas to ensure a wholesome team environment:
- Be positive!
Positivity is infectious and will help the team to feel safe around each other. Remember to give each other compliments and celebrate each others’ wins.
- Be respectful.
We live in a time where raging on twitter is commonplace and many people feel insecure about sharing their ideas and beliefs. Try to cultivate an environment where coworkers know that they will be respected even if disagreements come up. Having this respectful environment will make your team more confident when they need to communicate and make decisions together.
- Be fun!
We said work isn’t always fun, but it should be fun! There are all kinds of things you can do. You could play some team building games together or order food for your next meeting.
4. Giving Regular Updates
Create a system for each team member to provide regular updates.
Regular updates keep team members accountable to each other. When team members know that they need to check in it creates a greater sense of urgency. It’s also a great way to see who might need some extra help and maybe even an extra set of hands for their tasks.
Regular updates are also a great way to make sure that you’re not surprised by anything when you complete your project as you work in a team environment. Having multiple touch points throughout the process will help the team leader to make sure everything is coming together the right way.
ToDo Cloud for teams is an excellent way to keep track of your team’s progress. The program lets you assign tasks to individuals, create smart lists, and keep track of what everyone is working on in real time. Whether your team is working remotely or in person, ToDo Cloud gives you the tools you need.
5. Using Tools to Cut Unnecessary Meetings
Unnecessary work meetings are a real drag. Sadly, they’re very common. You can use software tools to increase your team’s efficiency and assign important tasks without having to waste time.
Meetings in person or over video calls have their place. Especially at the beginning of a project it’s a good idea to get everyone together to understand the goals and objectives of the project. They can also be good for collaborating, but if you’re having meetings every day or even every week, you’re wasting time. There are many different options for communicating with your team that are asynchronous and much more efficient.
Instead of making everyone get on a scheduled Zoom meeting, try using apps like Slack or Volley for more efficient communication.
Instead of assigning daily tasks in your meetings, try using an app like ToDo Cloud.
ToDo Cloud enables you to assign tasks and send messages to your team. It has powerful emailing features and even integrates directly with Slack. By combining ToDo Cloud’s powerful task management software with these communication features, you’ll save hours of unnecessary meetings.
Check out ToDo Cloud’s prices and download the app to start making your team more efficient and connected.
