Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) has always aimed to be an employer of choice within the Harrogate District and surrounding areas. In order to achieve this ambition, we strive to work closely with all colleagues, at all levels and within all departments, to create a positive team culture, in line with our KITE values: Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality.

One of the tools we have used to encourage this ethos amongst our teams is to involve each colleague in the drafting of their own Team Charter, which each colleague is then required to commit to follow.

Our Team Charters cover all aspects of creating a positive working culture, from specifying effective communication methods and accountability standards, to role specific requirements, such as varying training requirements.

Each separate Team Charter has been designed by the colleagues working on the front lines in those teams, to ensure it covers all essential aspects of their working life. Our workshops were an ideal opportunity to view how the teams work together as a whole, to then review how we can improve this even further.

placeholder image — Positive Team Culture

Over the last few years, we have hosted a series of team workshops with each department, as well as our new Culture Workshops, with the aim of demonstrating a high standard of leadership skills and teamwork, whilst encouraging all of our colleagues to strive to be the best they can be.

These workshops have incorporated exercises designed to highlight where teams could work more effectively together. Our Portering and Catering Team were involved in a teamwork exercises, with small groups working together. With both of these workshop requiring effective communication, strategy planning and execution by the group as a whole.

We then used these exercises to discuss how each group might have been able to work more effectively, with these tips then being used to create a set of qualities and expectations for each team to follow. These documents were then reviewed in their entirety by the teams as a whole at a follow up workshop, before each colleague committed to the terms of their Team Charter.

Since their creation, we are delighted that our colleagues have reported more effective leadership within their departments, better communication between colleagues and increased positivity within the teams.

These exercises are something that our consultancy service is now looking to offer externally to HIF, to help to spread the positive team culture far and wide.

If you would like more information about HIF or the work that we do, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].