Home topics workplace recruitment-blogs Expert Recruitment Small Business Expert On board, raring to go and driven to succeed: the value of creating a culture of team-ship Sharon Williams November 7, 2016 A managing director arrives at her desk to a bottle of wine and a ‘thank you’ note from her team. They’re expressing gratitude for a fun afternoon away from the office celebrating the Melbourne Cup as a team. No leave time was recorded – the out-of-office activity was a gesture of goodwill. The managing director understands the importance of developing a culture of team-ship in the office with down time for her team. Critically, the morning after the festivities, the team are in, on time, at their desks raring to go. It’s a rare scenario in many companies and an ideal one. It is not usual to be offered ‘’time out’’ just to have fun, it is rare for the boss to be “thanked” and it is pretty special when people don’t take advantage. While not condoning entire workforces clearing out of the office for Melbourne Cup, the story above conveys an important lesson; namely, acknowledgement, trust and reward lead to commitment, respect, and a workplace culture that is likely to maintain productivity and a contented staff. It doesn’t always work of course and I long gave away the job of ‘’Chief Happiness Officer’’ at my own company. It is simply impossible to keep everyone happy all the time. Business owners are not in business to make people happy.