Fresh employees can bring new ideas and energy to your company, but they can also disrupt the balance of your team’s dynamic. This statement is especially true in a small office where employees are tight-knit. These excellent ways to help new and existing employees bond will help you protect the dynamic.
Share Your Cultural Work Norms
When you’re hiring new employees, the term “good fit” will come up often. It’s vital to relay tidbits of information to new hires to help them bond with current employees. This is especially crucial for small businesses with a niche environment or companies that don’t have a lot of employees. For example, if your business has an all-hands-on-deck mentality, but a new employee isn’t aware, it could create a hostile environment.
Have an Open Door Policy
Let employees know that they’re free to come to you about any concerns as soon as they arise. You want to address issues to get rid of resentment straightaway. If a veteran employee feels like they’re picking up the slack or a new hire feels ganged up on, you should be clued in. You want to know what’s happening between others around the office to help smooth out the wrinkles before they become more significant problems.
Host Fun Events
Ask your employees about some fun things they’d enjoy doing as a team. These don’t have to be elaborate events. You can cater in lunch a few times a month to show appreciation for your team’s hard work and encourage bonding. You can also host a company-wide BBQ where employees can bring their families for a good time. Listen to your workers and present them with events they’ll all love.
Be Clear About Job Duties
The animosity between employees can grow when a veteran believes that the newbie needs to perform all the grunt work. It can also be challenging when roles overlap. For example, a team member in sales may believe that new client presentations are their responsibility, while their colleague in business development is under the impression that they’re responsible for this task.
Collaboration between employees will improve with time. Team members won’t need to waste time discussing who’s in charge of what and will be able to get straight to work on the task. It’s your responsibility, as the boss, to clearly define who’s responsible for each role among the employees.
Understand Each Employee’s Work Style
One reason coworkers may not mesh is that they don’t understand each other’s work styles. There are online tests to determine each employee’s work styles and habits. These quizzes will show an individual their strengths and challenges. Having every team member take these tests is an excellent way to help them understand each other better.
Helping employees bond doesn’t have to be a challenge. Following the above advice will help new and existing employees bond.
