Regular team meetings are a necessary part of the job and are a perfect opportunity for managers to not only discuss work-related progress and deliverables, but also explore their employees’ levels of motivation and overall satisfaction.
Having motivated employees is key to maintaining productivity in the workplace and ensuring absenteeism and employee turnover rates are minimized. It can also increase employee engagement, which can foster creativity and innovation at work. It can create a more inviting and positive work environment and contribute to the overall success of an organization.
In this article, we share great examples of how managers and leaders can go beyond their regular team meetings to increase employee enthusiasm and productivity.
Have a virtual Happy Hour
Since the pandemic, many companies have opted for a remote or hybrid working model. While this is great for allowing employees to work from wherever they choose, work meetings held on digital platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams can get a bit boring and uninteresting.
To overcome this problem, managers can host a virtual happy hour with employees to boost morale and give the team something to look forward to. To do this, choose a date and time that everyone can attend and cover drinks and snacks with a virtual credit card and set a spending limit.
Invite a guest speaker
Whether you’re bringing your team together in person or remotely, consider inviting an industry expert as a guest speaker to grab your employees’ attention. You can encourage your team to ask questions and have a healthy discussion about career trajectories and industry trends with the guest speaker, which can allow them to expand their knowledge and gain unique perspectives on their field of work.
Share a Team Victory
A great way to start team meetings is to recognize team members’ accomplishments and reward them for their contributions. That reward can be something as small as a coffee voucher, lunch with senior executives, or a company-wide email blast. The goal is to increase your intrinsic motivation and increase the team’s overall confidence and enthusiasm to increase your productivity.
create a tradition
If you’re looking for a way to connect with your team and increase your attendance at team meetings, consider creating and adopting a tradition or ritual. It could be something like taking five minutes to discuss after-work activities or even setting aside a few minutes to meditate once in a while. The goal should be to make your team members feel relaxed and comfortable, ensuring they stay motivated and engaged during the team meeting.
Change meeting location
To change things up and break the monotony of virtual or office meetings, change the meeting location by holding the meeting somewhere scenic or new. It could be in a park or even a cafe. The very idea of going out and having a team meeting in a different location can increase your team’s level of attention and increase their enthusiasm and motivation to contribute positively to the meeting and their work.
bring snacks
Bringing snacks to a meeting is a fantastic way to motivate your employees for meetings that are too early, too late, or potentially time-consuming. These snacks can be anything from cupcakes and coffee to little sandwiches for team members to snack on and can actually work really well for keeping your spirits up. Alternatively, you can turn this into a ritual and ask each team member to bring something from time to time so everyone looks forward to team meetings.
Do team building activities
Try to boost your team’s morale by introducing fun team building games and activities, like going on an office scavenger hunt, hosting a sports game, or volunteering on a weekend. It can help your team members connect with each other, improve their communication and teamwork skills, and increase their motivation and enthusiasm for meetings and teamwork.
the bottom line
Having productive and engaging team meetings is a great way to keep employees enthusiastic and motivated on a regular basis. Make sure you have a well-planned agenda for each meeting that you email your team ahead of time. Also remember to always invite all team members to provide feedback and raise any questions and concerns they may have. This will make employees feel heard and valued and keep their workplace morale high.