Achieving a strong team spirit with Wazzup meetings

I believe that the team is the heart of the company – like the human heart in a body, the team pumps up the blood in the veins of the company. The team should therefore work for a common good and feel the same team spirit. We’ve managed to achieve just that. How?

If I had to pick one activity or event that lets us stay connected, my first thought would be our Wazzup meetings. We carry them out every Friday at 3 p.m., when our heads are already daydreaming about the weekend and when the beer in the fridge is practically begging us to drink it.

Even though the word “Wazzup” is usually used when asking a person about their state and wellbeing, we’ve managed to take it one step further.

This is the time when all employees who are in the office gather in one place and we always keep a record for all those who may be missing. My colleagues and I prepare the agenda for that day, which is placed on the board, where everyone can see the topics for discussion. The agenda also puts a time frame on the topics so that the meeting doesn’t last too long. Every employee tries to find the best seat on our couch and our Wazzup can begin!

At this point I would also like to thank my team for their discipline and for always showing up on time. You rock!

Every meeting is carefully planned.

Wazzup from A to Z

Presentation of new colleagues
The so-called “on-boarding” is of crucial importance for the newcomers because it’s easier for them to integrate themselves into the company. The newcomers have a couple of minutes to present themselves, after which we ask them a question or two and wish them a successful start with an applause. This also benefits the other employees, so they can get to know them, maybe connect with them through their hobbies, etc. This way, we also avoid unpleasant surprises on Monday morning when we see a new face in the office, not knowing what they are doing there and what is their function.

Team reports
The most time-consuming item on the agenda are reports by team leads. WordPress, Magento, Marketing, Designers and Sales recap the events of the passing week and present their plans for the upcoming days. This way, another colleague may recognize the opportunity to help with the project or suggest someone who could contribute to it. Being open often leads to new opportunities for cooperation.

News and changes
People are usually pessimistic if we don’t know the backstory of a certain action, so it is especially important to notify all the employees of possible changes in the company. Everyone should be kept up to date. With this, we avoid unnecessary friction, the feeling of mistrust among the employees and a wrong interpretation of events. In a company such as ours, changes occur on a daily basis so weekly reports are more than necessary. This is also the time when we inform everyone about upcoming teambuildings, board games (again a huge thank you to Urška, Anže S. and Anže H. for the greatest contribution) and other similar activities.

Your opinion counts
Every employee is given the opportunity to state their opinion. Sometimes we have a problem that requires the opinion of the entire team; this is when we exchange our thoughts and sometimes even resort to voting. Two heads are better than one and we feel it’s important to respect and take into account other opinions. There are no wrong answers.

We like to squeeze. :)

The award goes to …
Sometimes, we like to spice up our meetings with symbolic awards for anyone who:
● Wrote an article that got the highest number of applications for our mailing,
● Showed self-initiative with everyday chores (e.g. changing the lightbulb or informing us about a broken coffee machine),
● Has more than successfully completed a project,
● Had their birthday :).

Failure of the week
We learn from our mistakes. This is why once a week we challenge everyone to share their failure of the week, to describe it, tell us how they fixed it and what they learned from that experience. Why learn from our own mistakes when we can learn from others?

There’s always room for a “thank you”
We like to finish our meetings by saying our praises. We encourage our co-workers to thank those who were extremely successful at their job in the passing week (or who brought something from the home oven). It feels good when your hard work is also noticed by others!

We share our success

A common feature after every item on the agenda is clapping. The neighbors must sometimes think we’ve lost our minds. :) However, the goal is to show each and every one of us that we appreciate them and are grateful for their work and their contribution to the common goal.

And how do you achieve a stronger team spirit?

Miha Lavtar

CEO

Founder and CEO of Optiweb, who started his entrepreneurship journey at the age of 19. My vision is to build companies with heart and soul which was already recognized by 5 different HR awards.

Wazzup from A to Z

Miha Lavtar

CEO

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Achieving a strong team spirit with Wazzup meetings

Wazzup from A to Z

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Miha Lavtar

CEO

Don’t miss out on similar articles

Employee life cycle

Need Measure Summit 2022 notes? We’re happy to share

All roads lead to Škofja Loka