STORY TIME!

Not too long ago, we were on a team retreat. We had just enjoyed a day of fun, laughter, and more than a few awkward date stories. That evening, when we were sitting down to eat, our waitress asked what we were celebrating (v typical question when people see a big group of women clearly having fun together). We answered, “We’re a virtual accounting firm on a work retreat!” Her jaw dropped, her eyes bulged, and she said, “What? NO WAY! But you are all so happy and nice!”

She’s right! We ARE happy here, even and especially when we’re working. In fact, we’re known for our positive company culture. It’s been mentioned by clients, employees, family members, and even strangers (like our new waitress friend). We work really hard to create and maintain a culture of JOY in the workplace. 

So how did we do it?

OUR TOP TIPS FOR TEAM BONDING 

1. Establish a company culture. This means first deciding what you want the culture of your company to be. You’re the boss! You get to decide! To help you nail down that perfect atmosphere, ask yourself the following questions: What matters to you inside and outside of work? What matters to your team inside and outside of work? What do you want your team to experience day-to-day? What are your company values? How is that being portrayed in your interactions with your team? Obvi there are so many more questions you can ask yourself but this is a good starting point. 

2. Hire for culture AND talent (but mostly culture). While these two things are incredibly important, they’re also incredibly different. Talent is something that can be built upon, learned, and developed over time. Culture? Not so much. At the root of it, your company culture relates to what employees value. At Patton + Co., we are all about that Boss Babe/mompreneur/go-getter mindset. Is everyone we hire a mom? Definitely not. But does everyone see value in having a life inside and outside of work? Yes! So the company value resonates with them. Therefore they’re likely to perpetuate that culture. Think about what your business stands for-do you see prospective hires standing up for those beliefs? 

3. Start team meetings with a chat. We know, we know. Nobody likes a long meeting. BUT, nobody likes a dry meeting either. When we start by shooting the breeze, we’ve already opened up the floor in a pressure-free way. So later, when it comes time to participate in work related topics, that ice has already been broken. Plus, it’s fun to work alongside your friends! But in order to become friends, you have to start by getting to know each other. Use 5-10 mins at the beginning of every team meeting to get to know each other, build friendships, and foster a work family environment. 

4. Make time for 1:1 meetings. These private 1:1 meetings are a time for you and your report to discuss anything important to them. As a manager, you often have the floor, but your report has little time on a day to day basis to feel heard and seen. That’s why these meetings are all about them and what they need. Whether it’s about work or their personal life, dedicating time to hold space for them is extremely important to a strong company culture. 

5. Go on a work retreat. We’re gonna give it to you straight…retreats aren’t cheap. Yet, you find we still prioritize them once a year. Why? As an entirely virtual team, we hardly get to see our coworkers much less chat at each other’s cubicles or go out to lunch together. Retreats are our way of making up for lost time. After our first retreat, we found that teamwork came more naturally, meetings were more effective, and our employees were generally happier working. And to us, those benefits are priceless. 

6. Have a watercooler chat. Like we mentioned, we do retreats once a year, but what about the other 362 days a year? We want our team to share about their family Halloween costumes, their daughter’s performance at school, a new baby, the best zucchini bread recipe, or even just a really cool thrift find. For these everyday (and not so everyday) moments we created a watercooler chat on Slack. In this chat we solidify friendships and give each other a place to be human, not just a robot pumping out work.

7. Learn Together. This tip is both a work tip and a company culture tip. Continuing education is important in every profession, but learning together and fostering an environment where you learn from each other can have a huge impact on company culture. Here at Patton & Co, one of our fav ways to learn and grow together is through out company book club. We choose books that will help us both in the workplace and in our personal lives. Participation in the book club is entirely optional, but as an incentive, we offer a bonus to all who come and join. Our book clubs have brought us to tears- sometimes from laughter and sometimes from sadness – but it has been essential to building a positive company culture. For an idea of the books we’ve chosen before, check out our blog post about Book Club. 

These are just a few tips that have worked for us… but the point is that you do whatever it takes to establish a family in your small business. Doing so will bring you greater employee retention, happy customers, an impeccable work ethic, and the greatest friends you’ll ever have.