At some point in all our lives, we have been exposed to a workplace that isn’t very team oriented. Matter of fact, I would say that is one of the largest negatives I see when I peruse Glass Door from time to time. You know the place; a big stuffy room with lots of cubicles and unreachable management, where every one is looking out for numero uno.

I often wonder how those companies go anywhere with such an unenjoyable work environment. Molding your employees into a team is one of the most important keys for a small business to succeed. What do you do to accomplish this? After all, a number of surveys have shown that sense of purpose is one of the largest deciding factors among millennials when choosing to accept a job or to stay with one.

Here at thirteen05, we try and empower our employees to make their own decisions and effect real change on every aspect of our company. Now, I understand that we are a small company and this doesn’t necessarily work for larger companies, but for us it works well. Every Wednesday, we have a company lunch where we discuss any issues that have arisen with policy or practice. This way, we all have a chance talk about it out in the open as group and work together to find a solution. These meetings help our team become even more united because everybody feels heard (even if we don’t implement their suggestion).

At a larger company, simply making upper management more accessible to hear your employee’s comments or concerns can go a long way. You would be surprised to hear what junior employees can come up with when given the chance. Besides, I see it time and time again where larger companies have policies written by people who have never done the job their writing the policy for, or haven’t been in the position for so long that they no longer understand the daily ins and out of it.

Building a strong team culture takes a lot of work and the willingness to try many things until you reach the desired effect. However, if you are successful in bringing this type of culture into your company, it will pay dividends in the end. You will see productivity, employee engagement, and employee retention rise. I think we can all agree that these are 3 key metrics in how well your employees enjoy the environment you have built.

Team building takes time and effort, but with the right recipe for success, you will build the winning one. After all, you spend the majority of your life with these people, don’t you want them to be happy?