There are a lot of ways to feel out of place at work, whether you just got hired, just got promoted, or just haven’t met a lot of people yet, this article can help you bond with your co-workers, especially if you’re not all working together all the time.
1.) Bring in food
Everyone loves food, so bringing in some food to the office for everyone and leaving it in the break room or at your desk can be really beneficial. This can spark a topic of conversation between you and your coworkers and help break the ice for you to meet them all. This works no matter what new position you find yourself in. If you are just starting a new job, it can be a great way to start meeting people you’re going to start working with. If you are a supervisor of people you haven’t worked with before, it can help them get to know you and respect you as their supervisor. If you are working on a team and you don’t typically socialize much with the people around you, bringing in food can help break the tension so that you’re able to talk to them. The possibilities are endless, plus, if everyone starts doing this there is going to be a lot of free food–and who doesn’t like free food?
2.) Host a viewing party for a popular show
Maybe not something you’ll do in every situation, but hosting a viewing party at an office after hours, or at your home, could be beneficial for meeting new people. Obviously it might not be smart to invite a bunch of people you don’t know to your home, however, there are a lot of different ways you can present this kind of bonding event.
3.) Host an actual party
Everyone loves a party, so take advantage of different holidays! Everyone loves holiday parties, so this is a great way to get people to come and socialize or interact with one another. Some ideas for this include: holiday party, Super Bowl party, etc. Again, the possibilities are endless, so get some food and have a good time!
4.) Have a team dinner
Pick a local restaurant and go out for a team dinner. This will help you get to know people that you are working with in a more casual situation. You’ll be able to relax without having to worry about being in the workplace and needing to get work done. It will also help break the ice because you’ll be sitting in a group with the purpose of the event being to talk, rather than meeting in the break room and trying to have a conversation in the 5 minutes your shifts overlap.
5.) Go to an escape room or other team building place
Much like a team dinner, this takes you out of the workplace and puts you in a situation where you need to interact. An escape room is the perfect place to learn how to work together as a team in order to solve a problem. This not only helps you bond with the people you work with, it can also translate back into the workplace. If escape rooms aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other variations of team building camps that you can attend that will result in the same level of cooperation and teamwork.