Smith Employees Develop Strong Connections Through Team-Building Activities

Smith’s leadership has consistently fostered a company culture that promotes teamwork and a #SmithFamily mentality. One way Smith nurtures this environment and mindset is by offering employees chances to participate in team-building events.

“Team-building activities are such a great opportunity for our employees to learn about their coworkers and also themselves,” said Mark Bollinger, Chief Globalization Officer at Smith. “This understanding helps to build lasting relationships within our offices that translate to stronger, more effective teamwork and collaboration.”

Recently, employees from our Bangalore office visited a local adventure-themed resort and worked together in small groups to complete a variety of physical challenges. The employees kayaked to develop coordination and played games – such as archery tag and bubble soccer – to improve their cooperation and strategy skills.

“The event really brought out the ‘sporty’ person in each of us,” said Tamali Burman, Smith’s Office Manager in Bangalore. “We got to know each other better and build trust in our team.”

Our Amsterdam offices went on a team-building excursion at a nearby island fortress as part of their year-end celebration. The group collaborated on several different missions, including passing the entire team through a “spiderweb” obstacle without touching the rope webbing – with the extra challenge that each hole in the web could only be used once.

“We had to make a plan as a group to figure out who would go through each hole and in what order,” said Stephanie Szczepanski, Marketing Associate. “It was difficult at times – we almost dropped our VP on his head, but everyone came away energized and ready for the next challenge!”

While big events can have a powerful impact on employees’ interactions, regular activities in the office are also effective tools for bringing together staff members from different departments or backgrounds. Employees from our Guadalajara office spent some time playing classic team-building games, including an activity where each person wrote down three traits about themselves, and the group had to guess which traits belonged to each person. Jessica Ruiz, Trading Manager – Mexico, said that these activities have helped everyone learn how to effectively relate to and communicate with one another.

“Smith is such a wonderful, diverse company, and with that come subtle nuances that can affect the team dynamics,” said Jessica. “When we regularly spend a little time getting to know each other, we not only become more conscientious of our coworkers’ needs, but we also develop shared objectives to reach the same goals.”

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