Nothing pulls a team together like a new customer, or some exciting new business. But, if that customer is a little more demanding than you initially thought, keeping everyone on side can feel like a nuanced task. Within any business, throughout the year both you and your team will have ups and downs, tense client meetings, great client meetings; all of which require sticking together in the heat of a difficult project or an unexpected problem.

To keep teams together there are a number of strategies to keep in your orbit, whether that’s virtually or in person. While software hiccups can make for a stressful day, a team that resents working together can make for an agonizing year. All companies are formed of disparate groups of people with different sets of skills coming together.

Problem solving effectively

In times of pressure it’s easy to plow ahead with the leader of the pack’s idea, and then blame that person if it all goes wrong. Defining the problem, doing some brainstorming as a team gets down to the center of the issue in hand and ensures that everyone has their say. Being able to condense the problem down to a single sentence also ensures that everyone is focused on the task at hand. It’s also advised to not define a problem by the solution, for example, ‘The company needs software replaced.’ Instead, you should get straight to the point and say ‘The company’s software is out of date.’ Once you have the problem clearly defined, it’s much easier to generate solutions as a team.

Don’t undervalue training

According to HEFLO, there area number of different types of teams. In the world of information and technology, it’s likely that you might fall into the trouble-shooting team, in which case training is crucial to not only you but everyone you work with. In the same way that you wouldn’t want to run off an old software version, you wouldn’t want your team to be working off training courses that differ in their relevancy. Putting your colleagues through training and development programmes is also likely to make them feel valued as team members, and put your business ahead of others in a competitive market place.

Keep everything up to date

While we’re on the subject of keeping things at their most current version – have you lost count of the number of times that something has broken just as you needed it? Renewing equipment regularly means that sluggish performance, disasters and ‘should have’or ‘could have’ arguments are more likely to be averted.

For example, keeping hardware as current as possible ensures faster processors, larger memory – all of which prevent your company from constantly falling behind the curve. The kit at your business needs to serve all employees, which means their performance will also improve if the technology isn’t a barrier to them.

If you’re a freelancer or on a temporary contract and rely on personal equipment, no credit check loans are a potential go-to for any crucial, high-spec hardware or software that’s needed immediately. Keeping software and equipment up to date is crucial to the smooth running of any team.

Brilliant communication

Colleagues often feel the only place they get to vocalize their thoughts are in long-anticipated meetings, or conversely you might have a team leader who relies a little too heavily on constant meetings, leaving everyone feeling like nothing is getting done.Ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to voice their thoughts and expertise clearly and helpfully will result in employees feeling that the team has their interests at heart. Moreover, having regular check-ins and helpful discussions is always a sure path to reducing future conflicts or resentment between colleagues.

Get to know eachother

Getting to really know each other means you’ll be much less bashful about asking for help or working with a colleague you’re unfamiliar with. But, crucially, team-building exercises needn’t be those group sessions that we all remember and are – more frequently than not – eye-roll inducing. No drumming workshops, trust falls or making bizarre giant shapes – getting to know members of your team can just mean ensuring everyone goes out for lunch once a week or goes for a coffee outside of the office.

Give everyone responsibility

Nothing boosts morale more than ensuring everyone has had their own role in seeing something come to fruition and ensuring that they’ve been congratulated on the work they’ve done. This will make any project far more rewarding in the long run, as everyone will feel that they’ve had a fundamental part to play in the outcome. MIT’s Human Resources department describes this perfectly as “performance is a function of what its members do as individuals.

Keep it comfortable

Whether we like the reality of it or not, the office is a second home for a lot of employees who spend vast amounts of time tied up at work. Impending deadlines and unresolved problems can result in many workers staying in their office well into the evenings. With this in mind, it’s always worth making sure your office is somewhere employees want to be. Pots and Planters & More compiled some figures on how office environments affect employees,and the results are not to be sniffedat. They uncovered a study by the British Council of Offices, which found a 23% increase in productivity when old or uncomfortable office furniture was replaced. Furthermore, the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated annual losses of $81 billion in productivity, due solely to pain. Making your workplace a place that is aesthetically and physically somewhere employees want to be is always a great start.

Every company is formed of differing personalities and temperaments knocking together, and staying on the same page can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle. However, taking the time to communicate and make sure the expertise being used is well placed, things may run a little smoother. Besides, even after a bad day at the office, getting to know your colleagues might result in a better evening at a bar.