What does your company do to bring people together outside of work?
Two week ago, we came together for after work cocktails and appetizers. One of the wives of a coworker sells Arbonne products, so this was her opportunity to show each of us (more importantly our significant others) what her line of work entails. We all received facial masks and had our feet soaked in exotic, vegan beauty products.
I can’t say I’d be excited to sign up for party like this, but the opportunity to chat with my coworkers was there so I took full advantage. I’m glad I did. It’s rare that we all hang out without work-talk dominating conversation.
One of the guys and I had a very similar path to SOUTH and we connected over our previous experiences. Another one reminds me of a dear friend I’ve kept for years. I can’t help but be drawn to the parallels I see in the two of them so I was pleased to find out more of their stories. In the end, I had multiple relaxed conversations and got to know the men I work with on a deeper level.
Don’t Force It
You don’t have to mingle with your coworkers on a regular basis, but low-pressure gatherings once in a blue moon will help bring a team together. After weeks and months of knowing each other, it took facials & a foot bath for me to get to know my coworkers on a deeper level.
Team fellowship is important. It cannot be forced, but it should be encouraged. The company that enables it’s people to like each other outside of the office is the one for which people will compete to work. SOUTH took a step forward with our culture because of this gathering.
Certain companies have regular happy hours and social gatherings, but sometimes these can feel mandatory. Obligatory social time sounds like a great idea for a company that wants to build it’s culture, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Don’t take the bait, keep social gatherings optional.
When it’s optional, people who want to come will come. When it’s forced, the conversation of “well am I getting paid to be there” dominates the conversation. If it’s optional, the pressure is off. The people that are present typically enjoy themselves and always go back to the others that DIDN’T show up to tell them what a good time the missed.
Compassion Builds Passion
When you deeply care about the people next to your, you’ll fight for them. Opportunities like this allow coworkers to get to know each other and their spouses.
This creates bonds. Not only bonds between coworkers, but bonds between significant others, and bonds from coworker to significant others. After an event like this, a significant other may ask about work in a different manner, “So how is Chris from the Arbonne party? How is their newborn baby? Did her ear infection go away?”
Instead of potentially generic questions like, “How was work today?” your significant other is now more invested in what you do and with whom you do it. They are able to put a face with the names you tell them. They now know the people behind the stories you tell. They are more invested in your career than ever before.
You see the people for whom they provide and you can’t help but want to give them the opportunity to do so. As an employer a sense of empathy begins to form. As an employee, the fabric of your relationships becomes stronger.
One of the lessons I learned early in life from my football career was about teamwork. When you know the person next to you deeper than surface level, you can’t help but care about them.
Knowing the people you work with is a reminder that you’re all in this together. If the person next to you doesn’t do their job, the whole company looks bad. But if everyone is on point, the company’s potential becomes unlimited.
Your compassion for your co-workers can create passion for the work you’re doing.
Contrasting POV
Imagine that same scenario, but make it happen 2-3 times each week. The compassion that began to grow on you turns to an annoyance. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Yes you should want to get to know your coworkers, but after a certain point, you need separation.
You don’t need a daily or even weekly gathering of people in a non-work setting. In fact, some people argue it’s harder to have many close relationships at the office. But if work relationships are mostly based on work with a sprinkle of personal, you’re able to find out what motivates people and figure out how to inspire them. If you don’t know them personally, you’ll never know what drives them
If your company doesn’t have a Christmas party, it’s time to plan one!
The relationships that form help bring people together. It shouldn’t be mandatory and people’s spouses should always be invited. No pressure, just a fun time with eggnog (spiked or not is your choice) an a good ol fashioned white elephant gift exchange!
Obviously a single event isn’t going to bring your team together and fix all your problems. But just like this blog, everything starts with a first step. If you make a concentrated effort to bring your community together, you’ll be blown away by the results.
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So when’s your next team gathering?
Leave me a comment or chat with me on Twitter, I’d love to hear from you. Have a great week!
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