As a manager, whether your team works in-house, remote, or hybrid, how you engineer interactions between your teammates is a big part of how work gets done.
A culture that encourages work friendships and bonding between employees is not only good for those employees, but also for the organization’s bottom line, as shown in numerous research studies.
- Employee turnover is less common in companies that promote trust and inclusion.
- 57% of people say having a best friend at work makes their work more enjoyable while 21% say it makes them more creative.
- Highly engaged employees show a 17% increase in productivity.
At Pade, we are committed to developing a platform that helps managers build world-class, high-performance teams. But you can’t build a world-class team if you neglect to strengthen the social fabric of that team.
Here are 4 ways Pade helps to sow seeds of team bonding in your team and workplace.
Celebratory reminders
Who doesn’t love a birthday cake?
Apart from the fact that birthdays and anniversary celebrations can serve as a break from the monotony of work, they also have the valuable benefit of increasing employees’ morale.
Pade tracks the birthday and anniversary dates of everyone on your team, allowing you to celebrate these special occasions with thoughtful gestures and heartfelt recognition.
Celebrants also get automated messages on their special days, reminding them that they are a valued member of your team.
Employee directory and profile
In remote teams where team members rarely meet each other physically and there are fewer opportunities to socialize, it can be difficult for your People to get to know one another.
One way Pade helps teams like this bring the human element to the forefront and promote genuine friendships is through our employee directory and profile feature.
It is easy to bridge the gap between work and play when your team members can discover richly detailed profiles that highlight personal interests, hobbies and fun facts.
So whether it is finding a fellow music enthusiast or finding someone who shares your love for anime, Pade’s directory can become your team’s hub for kindling long-term work friendships.
Employee surveys
Creating an environment where employee friendships thrive lies in listening to your team members. Without a strong feedback loop between you and your team, your people can feel disengaged from the organization.
Pade helps teams prevent this disengagement by offering a polls and surveys feature. Employee surveys allow you to gauge your People’s interests, preferences, and ideas.
Involving your team members in decision making invokes a spirit of camaraderie. They become actively engaged in shaping the direction of the team, and this collective effort strengthens the team’s bond.
Social events calendar
Think of your team’s calendar as a builder’s blueprint, constructing a strong foundation of team bonding events that promotes a sense of community
From team lunches, to knowledge sharing sessions and team-building workshops, there is an opportunity to use Pade to help team members connect beyond work tasks.
When you plan gatherings that align with your team’s interests and preferences (use our survey feature to get ideas from your team), and your team members come together to share experiences, friendships are cultivated and a sense of belonging flourishes.
Conclusion
The average person spends 81,396 hours at work. This means we are more likely to make friends at work than any other way.
With Pade, managers are transformed into architects of friendship, curating a harmonious work environment where colleagues evolve into cherished friends, leading to heightened productivity, collaboration, and unparalleled team spirit.
