Another LCS Olympics has come and gone, and we’re already looking forward to next year! The perfect example of a successful team-building event—the LCS Olympics is a two-day event for our employees consisting of larger-than-life competitive games, plenty of teamwork, and bragging rights on the line for the winning team. The entire company is split into color-coded teams, giving employees unique opportunities to engage with other people in the company that they may not otherwise interact with in their role.
While the Olympics is certainly the biggest and most-anticipated team-building event of the year, it is far from the only one. Our events team works tirelessly year-round to put on fun and exciting activities at least twice a month for our employees, contributing to our award-winning company culture. Sure, there’s a lot that goes into planning these kinds of employee engagement activities. They’re often massive logistical undertakings, requiring many moving pieces and team members to put together, but we believe that providing opportunities for our employees to have fun together is an integral part of fostering a positive employee culture. And this investment goes a long way to help improve our company, both internally and externally.
If you’re still on the fence about the value of team-building activities, we’ve rounded up a list of the top reasons why hosting events like the LCS Olympics can benefit any organization and overall employee satisfaction.
Improve Employee Relationships & Communication
A healthy workplace culture involves rich, professional relationships between employees. In a small company, your team may be on a first-name basis with everyone in the organization, but when companies grow larger, building professional relationships can become more difficult. At LCS, we have more than 500 employees, and we continue to grow every day. Add in a hybrid work schedule, and there are plenty of team members who rarely see other employees in a different department.
Hosting team-building company events can not only help strengthen existing relationships between members of the same team or department, but also provides the opportunity for employees to get to know other people in the organization they may not work with regularly. Having competitions that focus on teamwork, like the Olympics or other kinds of tournaments, can pair up unlikely teams and allow them to build rapport outside their inner circle.
Improve Employee Collaboration
Effective collaboration is the key to a well-organized business, and for good reason. According to a survey from Gensler, office workers spend approximately 42% of their workweek collaborating with others, either in person or virtually. With all this interaction, your team must know how to work productively with others. In hosting team-building events that focus on collaboration, employees can get a chance to flex their teamwork muscles and learn how to work with a wide variety of professional personalities, including those who may not be on their usual teams.
Foster Morale
In the same vein as improving employee relationships, hosting team-building events can also boost overall employee morale. When team members are invested in their work relationships and the company, they feel more valued and are more likely to have a positive outlook on the organization. In addition to other morale-boosting practices, including regular feedback, recognition, and professional development opportunities, team-building events can help employees feel like they matter to the organization outside of their measurable work output. By offering engagement activities, employees get a chance to be a person in the workplace instead of just another cog in the machine.
Increase Productivity & Reduce Burnout
Employees who are happy and feel valued are more likely to be motivated in their work, which in turn likely improves their overall productivity. Taking breaks during the workday—like participating in company team-building events—is also proven to help improve employee mental health and efficiency. Hosting these activities during the workweek is an easy way for employers to encourage a structured type of mental health break, keeping the team fresh and ready to tackle any challenge that might come their way.
What’s more, providing fun opportunities to connect at work can also reduce the ‘grind’ culture that often leads to burnout. If employees don’t feel pressured to always perform at 110% to the detriment of their mental health, they’re less likely to experience symptoms of burnout. A company culture that values team-building activities and employee participation can help show employees that their overall well-being at work matters.
Promoting Our Award-Winning Workplace Culture with Team Building
At LCS, we strive to make sure all our team-building events and activities, not just the Olympics, provide an opportunity for our teams to collaborate, communicate, and have fun together. It’s a huge part of our workplace culture, and this aspect of life at LCS consistently gets rave reviews from our team year after year. That’s why we’ve been voted a Top Workplace in Cincinnati for 13 years running, and we aim to keep that streak going for a long time to come. If you’re interested in joining an organization that values teamwork, fun, and your personal and professional well-being, LCS is the next step in your career. Check out our open positions and apply with us today.
