I think we can agree that throughout this pandemic, a lot of our social skills have been forgotten about. It has been just us, maybe our families or just a pet for large spells over the past two years. Alternatively if you have been working in your office, with social distancing and mask wearing it can be quite difficult to catch up with your colleagues. With social interaction often being limited, it is no surprise that a lot of us are feeling worried or anxious about interacting in the workplace. Whether that be because of the change in routine, being nervous about seeing work colleagues or just not wanting to get up at 7am every day! Which is why, when we do all return to work permanently, we need to work together to integrate ourselves back into the office life.

Teamwork within the workspace is probably the most important thing to have in an office. It is nice to know that when you go into work, you will be greeted by friendly, familiar faces. It is all about having unity in the office. It is the feeling that you can rely on the people you work with to get the job done together. To put it plainly, teamwork is when different people/ groups across a business work together to maximise their efficiency and complete their goal.

There are some amazing benefits to working as team, for you as an individual and for the big boss! Here are a few benefits of teamwork that should encourage everyone to work towards being a better team player.

1. Efficiency; efficiency in the workplace is so important. Ensuring everyone's strongest skills are utilised to achieve maximum results is key. This should allow you to complete any task within the workplace to your highest standard in the most time efficient way
2. Higher morale; if you realise that tasks are not being completed to the standard you expect, try to boost morale within the company. If you want people to feel better about themselves and the job they are doing, get them to work together. When teamwork is a priority, your employees will feel their work is appreciated and that they can contribute to a successful outcome
3. Stronger relationships; when colleagues work together and succeed together, it encourages them to form stronger working relationships. They earn eachother's trust and respect, sometimes creating friendships in the workplace. This is great for the business as it generates communication, support, motivation and co-operation
4. Learning from each other; one important aspect of teamwork is allowing staff to learn and grow from their colleagues. The best way of doing this is to encourage idea sharing amongst the team. This will strengthen communication skills and encourage staff members to gain the confidence to speak up in a group setting. Once all ideas are shared you can plan how best to move forward to achieve your end result
5. Taking responsibility; by dividing a project up into smaller tasks and delegating these to individuals, you allow them to take responsibility and accountability for the part they play, to ensure everyone's strengths are maximised. This will allow each person involved to feel a sense of accomplishment
6. Career advancement; working as part of a team can help you advance your career. By working with others, you are exposed to their skillsets, and you can learn from them and expand your own knowledge. You can also grow your network which could potentially lead to bigger opportunities down the road for you

Creating a team that works in harmony together does not have to be just something you dream of. Sometimes it can be hard work, but it does have very simple solutions. Why not introduce some team building exercises to encourage teamwork! Here are some ideas:

• Pictionary
• Pub-style quiz
• Charades
• Escape rooms
• Two truths and a lie

When you demonstrate that you are trying to build effective teamwork in your office, it is important to involve everyone. That way the team are interacting with all levels of the business which will result in the office being a great environment to work in.

All in all, when a team works together it creates strong working relationships. This strengthens communication, efficiency, dedication, and motivation. As a result, the quality of work improves, and the team feel accomplished and proud of themselves.

Moving forward, maybe try and do things to improve the morale and spirt in your office. Whether that is by making your team cups of tea in the morning or organising a team building activity day. We can all put more effort into making our team run smoother, so why not start today!

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