Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much….
In the spirit of building a greater team for the betterment of the Ministry and the workplace as a whole, the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs, recently held an end of year team building for each of the entities falling under the Ministry that is;
The Employment Department
The Social Affairs Department
The Agency for Social Protection
Under the leadership of Minister Patricia Francourt, wearing the hat of a team building facilitator, staff of each entity spent a full day in each other’s company, with activities to enhance their capacity in team building and most of all to most of all to build on stronger relationships with the aim of creating a better team ethos.
The team bonding activity aimed at developing teamwork competencies such as communication, understanding, collaboration leadership, and collective reasoning. Various fun exercises were on the schedule, with the objectives of reframing success in terms of group outcomes, and encourage team mates to adopt a team mindset even after the activities end.
Participants were divided into groups and were given different fun tasks that each group had to work together to find solutions. Under the coaching of Mr. Nichole Lesperance and team, assisted by Minister Francourt, each group managed to complete their tasks. With a non-competing mind, as each group completed their tasks they further reflected on the positive aspect they could adopt in their daily routine at work.
Positive characteristics such as;
Improved communication
Increased innovation
Collaborative mindsets
Effective Leadership
were echoed amongst the employees as they expressed what each of them had gathered throughout the day and how they intend to make their work more efficient using these skills.
The team building events were not only opportunities to build skills and relationships, but also a way to show worker appreciation. These events were enjoyable, relaxing, and offer an alternative to the standard work routine.
As the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs closes the chapter for 2022, in a reflective and poignant debriefing, each member of staff had the opportunity to take toll of the learning outcomes of the day; with the aim of transferring the skills in their respective workplace for 2023.
