Resources - Team Building
Businesses are increasingly viewing team building exercises - employees working with local organsiations on projects that the whole community can benefit from - as an effective way of combining staff development with Corporate Social Responsibility.
Employees learn new skills and develop better relationships; voluntary organisations are supported and enabled to extend their capacity to take on more ambitious tasks; and the community profits from the outcome.
Volunteering in Hertfordshire
Within Hertfordshire, businesses looking for team building opportunities are supported by volunteer centres who are:
- In touch with local organisations and understand local needs
- Involved in developing awareness of the potential of ESV (Employee/Employer supported Volunteering) with their local organisations
- A database of company challenges will be available on the Volunteering Herts web site within the next few months.
- Facilitate introductions between companies and non profits for a very modest fee
- Arrange local press coverage (as most have good relations with their local newspapers)
- Possess details of on-going volunteering opportunities, so that companies can encourage staff members to volunteer as part of their individual personal development programmes
A database of company challenges will also be available on the Volunteering Herts website within the next few months.
Top Tips
Investing in Human Capital
As the most valuable resource within an organisation, developing your employees' skills and experiences through team building activities maximises the business benefits of CSR.
- Variety. Encouraging employees to take on projects that require a different range of skills or simply necessitate a different context can support their development.
- Swapping roles. Team building activities provide an opportunity for employees to experiment with different roles, both developing a new skill and providing a new perspective. Role reversals (for example, lower level staff becoming leaders) could be insightful for both parties. A collaborative project could be valuable for employees used to working individually.
- Transferable skills. Team projects can develop the transferable skills which are valuable to all organisations. Flexibility (working in a new or unknown context); communication (sharing ideas and working together) and organisation (carrying out a task to fruition) are just a few of the capacities that will be utilised.
Contributing to the Community
Team building activities provide an opportunity for businesses to take on larger projects which whole communities can benefit from.
Working with voluntary sector organisations can:
- Increase the capacity or available resources
- Identify groups or locations that would benefit from this type of support
- Support relationships between businesses and the community
Some examples for projects that other businesses have undertaken are:
- Gardening projects: design or overhaul a garden for your community
- Decorating or painting projects: Is there a new community centre that needs a touch of DIY? A wall that would look great with a new colour?
- School Partnership projects: Could you develop your future workforce through running taster days or events for local schools?
- Team building away days: If the more conventional away day still appeals, why not consider joining up with a local charity or VSO and developing relationships as well as teams.
- The Apprentice: Why not run a competition for groups within your community by lending them money to invest in an entrepreneurial idea that raises funds for a charity - and gets a team working together!
Team building team spirit:
- An element of competition can be healthy - providing that it does not divide people or work against a sense of team spirit. Make sure that you strike the right balance, either electing for a joint pursuit of one objective, or competition in which all outputs reach a level of success. For example, a race to paint a wall will at least result in two walls being painted!
- The right atmosphere: Team building exercises are most effective when all participants are enjoying themselves. Employee involvement is crucial in this respect - and also the identification of a project or initiative that is presents opportunities for enjoyment and creativity.
- A range of skills: One way of ensuring that the enjoyment is shared by all is by selecting a project that requires a range of skills. Instead of painting a wall, for example, decorate a room - if people don't like painting, they could arrange furniture or get involved in chosing decorations.
- Multiple benefits: Businesses benefit from team building projects; communities often benefit from the outputs - and the participants should benefit as individuals, thus reaching the full potential of Corporate Social Responsibility. If new skills are being learnt, consider skills that employees may also find useful in a personal context as this will ensure their engagement and increase the value of the exercise. For example, if cooking a meal for an event is the selected exercise, employees may appreciate the chance to improve the culinary skills that they can use at home; if they are supporting the development of a resource, they may welcome the opportunity to learn decorating or painting skills that would also be value in a personal context.
Case Studies
- Vocalink and Watford General Hospital
- HSBC Bank and Iain Rennie Hospice
- Cadbury Schweppes and the Three Rivers Gardening Project
Vocalink and Watford General Hospital
The Starfish Ward, at Watford General Hospital, provides for children needing one or more overnight stays at the hospital. Vocalink, the payments company, based in Rickmansworth transformed the adolescent room in the hospital's Starfish Ward. In addition, Vocalink also decorated throughout the ward using stick-on marine pictures to complement the starfish theme. Vocalink staff commissioned a series of specially designed murals of sea creatures, including turtles, jellyfish, octopus and seahorses in the baby cubicles and a fantastic starfish mural in the reception area.
Anne-Marie Kesselman, from Vocalink, said: "This has been an important part of the corporate social responsibility programme at Vocalink. Our work on Starfish Ward was made possible through a combination of Vocalink staff fundraising and volunteering time. Our hope is that it will make a lasting and positive difference for children and their carers during their time in hospital."
Caroline Dilks, Matron for Starfish Ward said: "The murals are really wonderful and both children and visitors comment on them when in the ward. Their hard work and thoughtfulness have really created a special ambience on the ward."
This project has been a great success. In addition, Vocalink has agreed to provide training support for equipment in the adolescent room as well as design, print and donate special bravery certificates for ward staff to give to children following their stay in hospital.
The project has been communicated to Vocalink staff in presentations via the company's intranet and has received coverage in the local press.
HSBC Bank and Iain Rennie Hospice
With the support of the local volunteer centre, Sally Keane from HSBC Bank in Hemel Hempstead led a team of volunteers to refurbish the Iain Rennie Hospice Shop on the edge of the town. They painted the walls, installed new laminated flooring, raised £283 for new shop signage and collected clothing for the shop to sell.
Even though HSBC are a global business they say "We are currently focusing our support towards smaller, more local charities where we can have a major impact on the valuable work they do."
Cadbury Schweppes and the Three Rivers Gardening Project
23 executives and their line managers spent a day clearing a site for an allotment to be used for training people from all sectors of the community but particularly those with learning disabilities. The work involved enclosing the land, removing weeds, building raised beds and covering footpaths with wood chipping.
Cadbury Schweppes covered the cost of materials and organised lunch, shade (a gazebo) and on-site toilets. Feedback on the day was very positive. The employees spend much of their time out of country and seldom meet as a team together. As well as satisfying the Cadbury Schweppes ethos of supporting the community, they also benefited from a strong team building event.
Useful Links
BlueHat UK : The Team Building Company of the year
The Training Tree: Growing your resources
Grass Routes: Management Development and Training - Community Projects and team building activities with a CSR focus.
Different Travel: An organisation which helps businesses to meet their CSR and team building objectives through travelling.
Fresh Tracks: An organisation which can help identify projects that will support businesses in working as a team and contributing to the community.
