There is more to keeping your medical staff intact and functioning smoothly than increased compensation. Although competitive salaries are an important piece of the puzzle, creating and fostering a positive team environment can go a long way in keeping your staff from wandering.
According to Huddle, team building can help strengthen all types of teams including groups that already work well together and teams with newer members. Team building exercises can help to enhance and improve communication, attitude, morale, and motivation. The following are some simple team-building activities you may want to incorporate into your next staff meeting or team outing.
Two Truths and a Lie. This is an old favorite that your team may already be familiar with. Each team member is asked to write down two truths and a lie about themselves. They are encouraged to make it so that the other participants have a difficult time guessing the lie. You can keep score or simply enjoy the fun of playing the game. The key takeaway from this exercise is to get to know each other. It may also be revealed that team members have common interests and have some ground to bond over. This exercise can easily be built into a staff meeting.
Board Games. Although team members may initially feel a little silly gathering around a board game, editors at the Muse assure us that a few minutes into the game staff will be relaxed and lost in the game. Games such as Jenga can really build a sense of collaboration and develop support for each other. For those unfamiliar with the game, it involves a stack of rectangular blocks, and a group of people take turns removing the blocks from the structure; with each removed piece, it becomes more difficult for the next player to take a piece without knocking the structure down. After the game, take time to point out how we can all make things more difficult for each other through our actions—or how if we work together, we can create a system to dismantle the block without destroying it.
Escape Room. Taking the team off-site can do wonders for morale and bonding. Escape rooms are a very popular entertainment venue that consists of problem-solving, clue identifying, and puzzle sleuthing. They are ideal for teams because inevitably different perspectives will help to solve the room. Before you book your escape room excursion, make sure to check out the facility and confirm that the gameplay is kept at a high standard.
Rebecca Shover