Corporate team building activities can be, well, lame. Truth and a lie, blind drawing games and corporate Jenga are overdone and cheesy. Sure, you can set up a ping pong table in the lunchroom or have a company picnic, but there are other, more subtle ways to build a culture of team work.
Every marketing department knows that custom t-shirts branded with your custom logo are a must-have for employees staffing a trade show booth or as promotional giveaways to clients. But many underestimate the impact that custom branded t-shirts can have on employee culture. Custom t-shirts can help bring your brand to life for your employees. Here’s how:
Give the Right First Impression to New Hires
Presenting new hires with a customized t-shirt branded with their new company’s logo shows your new teammates that they’re now part of the corporate family. Often, new hires aren’t sure how to dress their first week at work.
By providing them with a branded t-shirt or custom hoodie, you’re not only making it easier for them to get dressed their first day on the job, but helping to build their sense of company pride from day one.
Foster a Sense of Belonging
Even long time employees want to wear company swag! Custom branded t-shirts appeal to people’s tribal need to belong. Corporate branded apparel is a physical reminder that you are part of the company. When you’re wearing the same custom t-shirt as your co-workers, you instantly feel part of the tribe, creating a sense of tribal cohesion and belonging that you just can’t get with a game of Jenga.
Celebrate Milestones
Custom t-shirts can be used to celebrate the launch of a new product or service. Limited edition t-shirts from your 2010 company picnic, for example, are a great way for longtime staff members to show their company loyalty and tenure. If someone is wearing a shirt from 2010, they must have worked for the company at least since then to have the t-shirt. Custom t-shirts to celebrate company milestones or events are also a great way to show the company’s history and gives you a talking point when meeting with new clients.
An Unofficial Uniform
Your company custom t-shirts can be a “voluntary uniform”. A t-shirt is more casual and may be seen as less oppressive as an official uniform, yet still has the ability to provide that unified look that you want when people walk into your company offices.
Promote Team Pride
When people are wearing their company logo on their shirts, it signals a sense of pride and commitment to the company. Why not enhance that sense of team pride by allowing employees to take a turn designing your company t-shirts? You can allow each department to create their own unique shirts that represent their group, the only rule being that your company name or logo has to somehow be incorporated in the design.
This exercise can help to build camaraderie among team members, build brand loyalty and is simply a fun way to bring departments together.
Foster Loyalty
Everyone wants to feel appreciated for their work. Custom t-shirts are a great way to celebrate individual milestones. Special custom t-shirts or custom golf shirts are a great way to celebrate employees’ work anniversaries, and are lighter on the waistline than cake.
