“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford.
Pre-pandemic, we did a lot of activities with our residents that we can’t do right now. We would cook, have multiple residents in the gym, do home assessments, community outings, and have some of the best team building activities in and out of work.
We know why cooking, having the residents together in the gym, completing home assessments, and community outings are important for our patients, but let’s talk about team building.
Especially in healthcare, working together as a team has a positive effect on patient safety and outcomes. You have to take the time to get to know each other in and outside of work to promote trust within the team.
We go through a lot together at work. We take a lot home with us even though they tell you not to. How can you not?! It is so important to grow together as a team and help each other through these tough times.
Pre-Covid, we planned to go out to dinner once a month. We put the effort in, made a plan, and 9 times out of 10, we did it and it was good for the soul. We laughed and joked and talked about our families and learned about each other. We are constantly learning about each person and the more we communicate, the more we trust each other.
During the pandemic, we have found safe ways to complete team-building activities. We go for hikes and walks after work. Not only for team building but also for our mental and physical health. We work together to plan something and now we know when we need it. I will get a text from someone on the team that says, “It’s time for a team builder, we need it.” So we come up with something and we make time to do it.
At work, we have done the skittles activity (https://www.livecrafteat.com/live/skittles-ice-breaker-game/) and a quiz about the facility (Who is the resident that has been here the longest?, Who is the facility employee that has been here the longest?). It’s a nice way to break up the day and think about something else.
My advice: Plan something. Some people might not be able to make it, but still move forward with it and make time. The next time, more people will show up, and then the next time, more and more people and everyone will have an idea.
We all have the same goal in our profession: Progress the resident and help them get better. Team building helps us work together to create a patient-centered teamwork approach. It promotes positivity, encouragement, communication, and increases collaboration within the workplace. There are so many team-building ideas online, I encourage everyone to plan something soon 😊.
