Let employees know we’re all in this together

Using just one word can remind employees that they are not alone in their work but an integral part of the team – together.

New research by Priyanka Carr and Greg Walton of Stanford University has found that people who feel they are working as part of a team are more productive and more dedicated to the task at hand.

The purpose of the study was to identify psychological cues that created a feeling among participants that they were working together. Five experiments were carried out during the study in order to facilitate social cooperation and coordination.

According to a blog on the Harvard Business Review, one of the experiments was conducted by splitting the teams into two. One group was told they were working on the puzzle together with other, however they were separated into individual rooms. They were also told that later on they would receive a tip or prize from one of their other team members.

There was no mention of the word together for the other group, they were just told to complete a puzzle – again in separate rooms – and told the researchers would give them a tip or prize later on. All of the participants were in fact working on the task alone.

Despite this the participants that were told they were working together with others on the puzzle performed significantly better. They worked at the task for 48 per cent longer than the other group, got more of the puzzles correct and were able to recall more of what they had seen than the group who believed they were working alone.

Not only did the perception of working in a team have positive outcomes, it also influenced how the employees felt. Participants in the together group reported feeling less tired and found the task intrinsically motivating.

Overall, the researchers found that cues of working together can inspire personal motivation that turns work into play. HRMS software also helps organisations engage with employees by providing human capital solutions.

So even when employees are working by themselves, it is important for managers and executives to remind them that they are not alone. Everybody is working together.