Team Building is Essential for Talent Retention During “The Great Reshuffle”
Whether you call it the “Great Resignation,” “Lying Flat,” or the “Great Reshuffle,” the fact that large numbers of people are leaving the job market or crafting better work situations needs to be taken seriously.
Employers and human resource leaders must understand that we’re in an employee-favored job market — and look to be for the foreseeable future — and then act accordingly.
So, what will improve retention? What will create loyal, engaged, and productive employees? Robert Cook, the CEO of True Colors International, explains in his article True Leadership Improves Employee Retention that “the truly differentiating variable of any organization is the quality and care of its employees.”
Below are four team building ideas to help your organization care for your employees and retain your talent during this time of high career change.
4 Team Building Ideas for Talent Retention:
1. Lead a Variety of Fun Group Team Building Activities
Many professionals are working fully in-person or on a hybrid schedule. These 10 team-building activities, including ideas such as awards, movie showings, and field days, will boost collaboration and productivity.
Other professionals are fully remote and may value team building activities more for it. Strategically designed virtual team building activities can provide opportunities to communicate outside of the daily responsibilities while also reinforcing a shared team identity and sense of fun.
Whether in-person, hybrid, or remote, the key to successful team building activities is to mix it up. Different employee temperaments will naturally enjoy different activities, so by doing a variety of them you’ll have the best chance of building the loyal team you desire.
2. Schedule a True Colors Team Building Workshop
Every person has their own personality type, consisting of unique styles, preferences, and ways of operating. With people communicating in so many ways, working together as a team can be difficult. This is why team building might be the most important investment you ever make. Effective teamwork builds trust, boosts creative problem solving, and increases efficiency and productivity.
For decades, True Colors has specialized in addressing the primary causes of ineffective teamwork: Miscommunication and conflict. In our engaging Team Building Workshop, we explore the nuances of effective team building so participants recognize the traits of successful teams and stages of development. Our teaching empowers inefficient teams to be more productive and guides efficient teams to reach their optimal performance.
3. Review Roles & Better Align Them with Employee Interests
Employees' interests and skill sets don’t remain stagnant from their time of hire. If you want to ensure you’re building a great team and doing what you can to retain talent, then it’s important to schedule the reviewing of roles and to be willing to tweak and change them as necessary. You need to assign roles that align with a person's interests or areas of expertise.
Don’t pigeonhole a staff member into the one role they were hired for years ago — they won’t stay around much longer in this employee-favored market. If employees are doing work that interests them and challenges them to grow, they will be better motivated to do great work and stay on as a part of your team.
4. Assess Your Own Team Building Skills with An Eye on Improvement
Are you strong in these 7 examples of important teamwork skills: Communication, responsibility, honesty, active listening, empathy, collaboration, and awareness? What area do you need the most improvement in?
“Lead by example” is said so much it flirts with being cliche, but it's said so much because it’s true. If you want to have a great team and retain your talent, it’s necessary you assess and improve your own team building skills.
Not sure where to start? Begin by considering these five self-awareness activities as they relate to your career and leadership style.
Talent Retention Requires Caring for Your Employees
Lead a variety of fun group activities, schedule a True Colors Team Building Workshop, review your employees’ roles, and assess your own team building skills — but above all truly care for the quality and wellbeing of your employees. It will guide your decision making in a positive way and make all the difference when building your team. More productive teams and improved employee retention will be the result, and you certainly won’t regret that.
