How to Use Team Building to Eliminate the Negative & Increase the Positive

Posted on Monday, 7th December - 2020, in HOW TO, by Marcus Richards

Nixing Negative Behaviors Will Grow Your Business

The most positive and productive work environments require cooperation and candor from everyone on staff. However, they still encourage healthy competition and constructive conversation. Your business is more than creating products and services, selling to clients, and keeping your books in the black. It’s watching for employee behaviors and team building that start small then grow over time to become issues that affect your company’s output, morale, and earnings.

It’s time to fix these eight negative workplace habits undermining your office and improve your profits and employee retention.

Tardiness

Being late to work, late to return from breaks, and making appointments during the day without letting the boss know is a sign of complacency and carelessness. This habit tells co-workers that you don’t consider their time as valuable as yours. It also sends the message that workplace matters like client callbacks and deadline urgency are for others to deal with, not you.

Procrastination

While some people work well under time pressure, they fail to realize the anger it inspires in others. Some people do not like constantly having to stop their own tasks and accommodate the last-minute rush. Close-to-deadline may get it done, but it makes no friends in the office.

Negativity

The gossipers, whiners, and complainers who respond to every suggestion and innovation with a sigh of disgust, eye roll or “yeah right” defeat the purpose of new ideas. Their counterproductive attempts to build dams of dissent against management, rather than voicing their issues in private, can inspire a feeling of unrest and confusion among the staff.

Lying

Untruths in any form, whether misrepresenting credentials, stealing money, “borrowing” office supplies, using company time to write a resume, padding an expense account, or plagiarizing someone’s work, reflect on both the liar and the company. Dishonesty is the worst form of disloyalty, and it brands the liar as untrustworthy. It also brands the company as improperly vigilant for allowing the behavior.

Social Media and Digital Device Addiction

Most employees have and use personal devices at work; but everyone needs to draw a firm line between the personal and professional use of these devices. Time on the clock is not a game or a time for social media posting. The workplace is no place for taking and posting photos of your job on social media. For those who cannot get through an hour without an Instagram moment or Facebook post, many companies present employees with written policies regarding smart device use and/or ban access to many websites.

The Soloist Syndrome

The office “lone wolf” is efficient, independent, and enjoys working alone undisturbed. Sounds like an ideal employee, but not ideal when it comes to large projects requiring team players willing to work together. Sharing the workload, giving credit, taking responsibility, and fulfilling roles that are not part of their routine job description are issues a lone wolf finds distracting, whereas a team player welcomes their challenge.

Poor Communication Skills (grammar, spelling, phone, email)

Failure to understand basic grammar and spelling highlights both a lack of education and a lack of desire to move ahead in the business world. Phone and email skills are vital to maintaining contact with clients, and coworkers. Engaging in rude or abrupt responses, using immature emoticons, taking too long to respond, or ignoring messages can lead to misunderstandings, missed communications, delayed deadlines, and meeting no-shows.

Lack of manners

The words “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me” matter every day. Remembering to use them reminds coworkers that you know your manners. Not using them reveals rudeness and a lack of consideration for the feelings of others. Good manners include introducing yourself first to a newcomer, waiting your turn to speak without interrupting someone and saying nothing when there is nothing nice to say about a person or situation in the office.

How Unique Team Building retrains the negative brain

Our mission is working with your office staff towards a growth experience that’s fun, flexible, and highlights the positive ideas and common vision they may not realize they share while sitting in an office environment. We derive our inspiration from both vibrant outdoor settings all over Australia, Bali, and Tasmania and more weather-independent indoor settings. Whether you want a half-day cooking challenge or a multi-day hiking retreat to the Outback with team challenge games and development sessions, our staff helps your staff channel negative work habits towards building a core team with the common purpose. To find out how we can help you put your corporate progress on a positive track, contact us for more information and our current schedule.