Fostering a sense of community is integral to the success of business. When your team feels a sense of belonging to the business, studies have shown that job satisfaction and engagement increases, while turnover rates decrease. Put simply, happy teams = engaged teams. In fact, a 2018 LinkedIn workplace culture study showed that the #1 factor keeping people at their current company for the next 5+ years is “a sense of belonging and having people at work they can be themselves around.” The bottom line? Feeling part of a community is a big deal for your team. Let’s dig into some strategies that support culture leaders and champions in the workplace!
▶ SKIP AHEAD 🚀
Fresh Takes: 3 Fun Team Building Ideas!
Why Community Matters
As human beings, we’ve always tried to align ourselves with a community or group looking to achieve a common goal. And history bears witness to what successful communities have achieved. Creating a sense of community and enthusiasm towards your business can lead to amazing benefits. For example:
1. Higher Employee Satisfaction
When you like who you work with, you’re generally happier and work is more fun. This means that employees will feel content with their work lives and that’s good for all stakeholders of the business.
2. Increased Innovation
When people come together, amazing things happen. Create the circumstances and watch your employees steer your brand toward greater heights.
3. Lower Turnover Rate
Put simply, happy employees are engaged employees, and engaged employees report greater workplace satisfaction. Accordingly, employers with engaged teams report lower turnover rates. Engaged teams are brand champions, living your company values and proud of their contributions. Invest in their happiness with a token of your appreciation, and we’re confident that you’ll see an ROI for the WIN.
4. Better Quality of Work
This goes hand in hand with innovation. Since your team likes working with each other, the quality of work coming out of your team will definitely be of a higher quality. It’s easy to test this out. If you’ve got more than one team working on similar projects, try getting some background on the better project (one of them almost always is). Chances are, that particular team gets along well with each other.
5. Building an Authentic Brand
So you’re a brand and you’ve got some values that’s reflected on all your marketing material. Building a community at the office is a great way to realize these values. After all, your employees make your business and when the employee community reflects your brand values, your business is on a whole other level. Community is a great way to celebrate, honor, and support the humans behind your company, bringing out their voice as an extension of your company brand and beliefs.
And that’s why you need to build a community!
There’s lots of ways to foster it. Communicating well, creating and encouraging a great work culture and encouraging employees to take ownership of their work are a few excellent methods. Another superb method is of course, using swag. Using custom branded merchandise is one of the easiest and fastest ways to nurture a winning community.
Sounds good? Here are a few featured swag picks to make it better.
Fresh Takes: 3 Fun Team-Building Ideas!
1. Scavenger Hunt
This one’s easy and flexible enough to accommodate folks working remotely, in-office, via hybrid means! Make an “I Spy” list of common and not-so-common household or office items, and task your team with hunting them down. Bonus points for most creative proof of success (selfies, wearing found items…you get the gist). Award small prizes or incentives to your winners, and you’ve got a low-effort, high-engagement way to boost community!
2. Team Outings
Whether you’re headed out to reservations at a nice restaurant, pizza around the corner, or even a local arcade, team outings are a great option for celebrations, anniversaries and send-offs.
3. Virtual Team Building Events.
Organize a happy hour during work (or at a convenient time after hours) for a simple way to unwind as a team and celebrate your successes. With a little planning, a happy hour can even include a call in from a standup comedian, or even a few rounds of bingo with a celebrity host! Making relaxation a group activity increases connections with your teammates, and is a welcome escape from the daily hustle.
Sometimes we’d like someone to do the work for us, so here’s a couple swag packs for you to order off the shelf.
#teamswag: 2 Fresh Pack Picks
🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK
The Rebrand+
THE CREW SAYS:
Chock-full of SwagUp team faves, the Rebrand+ has classic swagger and style to spare. Customize every detail, from the mailer box to the insert card, for a community-building power pack that will engage and delight your team!
SWAG HIGHLIGHTS: Silo Bottle, Triblend Unisex Tee, Classic Dad Cap, Holographic Stickers, Custom Socks, Custom Mailer Box, Insert Card
🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK
The Road Warrior
THE CREW SAYS:
Our newest preset pack is a crowd favorite for keeping folks warm, hydrated, and prepared when they’re on-the-go! Outfit your team’s road warriors with a pack that keeps up with their schedule.
SWAG HIGHLIGHTS: Gravitis™ Wireless Car Charger, Contigo Byron 2.0, Slim Soft Cover Journal, Sport-Tek Endeavor 1/4 Zip, Custom Mailer Box
Summary
In today’s market, it’s essential to have a dedicated community amplifying your brand. This guide has discussed the benefits and advantages of building a brand community alongside featuring some solid swag to help you with building one.
You’re now all set to grow a fantastic community. Next, get in touch with a Swag Expert or get started on our pack builder today!
