How to Create a More Collaborative Workspace

Collaboration in the workplace is essential to improve productivity and instill a sense of purpose in employees. In addition, it creates a bond between workers, which motivates them to work harder.

Research has proven that improving collaboration between staff can increase productivity by up to 20% to 25%. This statistic shows the importance of promoting teamwork and cohesion in the workplace and why employers need to create camaraderie among their team members.

The best tips for creating a more collaborative workspace are:

Create A Teamworking Platform

For teams to grow, they need to be united on one platform. And it’s a task for employers to create a platform where staff can gather and work together. On this platform, they can work with each other and come up with some amazingly creative ideas.

One way to do this is to use an online brainstorming tool that can help bring all employers on one forum. Through brainstorming tools, every person will have an equal chance of sharing their ideas. Due to that, every employee will feel special and want to give their best performance.

Encourage Team Activities

It’s also good to organize multiple team activities outside office hours to promote teamwork and team collaboration. Activities can be both fun and intellectually challenging.

When employees mingle outside of the office, they get to know their co-workers better and learn to understand them as people and not just competition. While they mix in a new and stress-free environment, they will get acquainted on a personal level. These outings will also lessen the feeling of intimidation and jealousy.

Offer Rewards

Many researchers have found that employee behavior is directly linked with rewards. People’s performance increases when they know their efforts are acknowledged.

Employees should reward both individual and team efforts. Rewards can come in the form of verbal praise or as a gesture of appreciation.

The most common types of rewards are:

• Gift cards
• Restaurant vouchers
• A book
• Magazine subscriptions

You can also make personalized rewards according to your employee. This will make your employers feel special, and they will work with great enthusiasm.

Encourage Open Communication

Communications between different departments should be encouraged to create a friendly work environment that’s conducive to getting things done without any red tape or formalities that can slow down work. Moreover, employees should feel comfortable in approaching each other.

In addition, there should be open communication between bosses and workers. They should easily be able to pass up their concerns. An open communication channel will also allow workers to share ideas which will ultimately help the company in the long run.

Organize Team Challenges

There should be a friendly competition between different teams to push them to work hard. Employers should set a goal between two groups and put a time limit on it. The team that reaches the finish first should be rewarded.

Every person is born with a competitive streak. So, it is a great strategy to keep it engaged in a workplace. Moreover, it will bring team members together and encourage teamwork.

Promote Healthy Interaction

In most offices, employers do not believe in mingling with their employees. But, unfortunately, this strategy does not inspire a healthy and collaborative work environment.

Employers should be comfortable doing whatever needs to be done to ensure the organization’s success at large. If that means confronting a senior officer about certain procedures and policies, then so be it.

The higher management and board should ideally be on a first-name basis with lower management and supervisory staff. They should also have regular informal meetings to discuss employee grievances and problems.

When employees feel visible in front of their employers, it inspires them to be more present and productive at work.

Support Good HR Practices

Human resources are the department that plays an integral part in keeping employees loyal and happy. A good human resource department knows how every employee is feeling.

This department’s job is to resolve any issue a worker might be experiencing. They can also ease their worries. HR department represents the whole environment of the company. So, this department needs to be good.

Create Collaboration Awareness Programs

Everyone knows what interpersonal skills are, but very few try to cultivate and practice them. As a result, employees who do not know how to work in a team will fall short. However, it is the employer’s job to give their people the training and experience necessary to develop the essential skills.

It isn’t just good for the employee but the workplace as well.

That is why companies should organize teamwork and collaboration awareness programs. These programs further encourage teams to practice being their best and do all that’s critical to achieve their personal and professional goals.

 Training sessions can encourage productive communication, teamwork, project management, and interaction among the staff.

Conclusion

Companies need collaboration to reach the heights of success. For this reason, they need to invest in good policies that promote teamwork and productive interactions among their employees. Happy and motivated employees are more effective, and that’s good for everyone.