Team Building for Independent Pharmacies - Who's Your T.A.G.?
Here at PDS, we’ve started scheduling more “play time” into our busy work days. No, it’s not because we don’t have enough work to fill our calendars. In fact, everyone from our Implementation Specialists to Pharmacy Marketing Team have been extremely busy planning our February Pharmacy Business Development Conference and launching new ideas like the Shop Local program.
We’re dedicated to team “play time” in our South Florida office because we’ve realized that in today’s time-crunched, chaotic work world and society there’s a high chance that we could burn out and team relationships and work quality may suffer, ultimately effecting our pharmacy owners.
According to TeamBonding, there is a growing mountain of evidence characterizing people who have fun at work as:
- more productive
- more creative
- healthier
- more motivated
- more flexible and resilient
- better able to meet job demands
Each day we are subjected to conversations, frustrations, and tedious tasks with our colleagues. These types of interactions may allow us to never really understand who are teammates are and why they may act a certain way…which often tends to cause friction in the workplace. Not only is play time an awesome job perk, it also helps us recognize the social qualities of an individual and apply those to the relationships inside the office.
As Plato says, “You learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a lifetime of conversation."
Whether it be a kayaking excursion or hosting a simple breakfast cook-off on a Friday morning, over the past few months we’ve grown as a team and there’s a positive mentality in the office.
How to Host Team Activities in Your Pharmacy
The activities do not need to be large, highly planned events. They can be as simple as getting lunch together once a week or going to see recent hit in the box office.
As a pharmacy owner, you already have a lot on your plate - let one of your employees do the planning for you. Just be sure to let your Team Activity Guru (T.A.G.) know your budget and how often you'd like to host an event (we recommend at least once a month).
Team Bonding Ideas for Independent Pharmacies
- Cook-offs (chili, pizza, chocolate dishes, breakfast, etc.)
- Movie night
- Game night or lunch
- Community outreach (Habitat for Humanity, soup kitchens, local hospitals, etc.)
- Sporting events
- Spa day
- Mini golf
- Bowling
- Kayaking
- Train for a local race
- Karaoke
- Team training (understanding personality traits, effective communication, conflict resolution, etc.)
Tip: Go to a coupon site like Groupon and sign up to receive a daily email with local deals ranging from cheap baseball tickets to outrageously inexpensive spa packages to under priced gift cards for local restaurants. The deals listed will help save you money and constantly give your T.A.G. new ideas.
Do you "play" with your team? If so, help us build our idea list!
