Adapted from Safety Compliance Alert.

Just say the words “team building” and most managers who’ve been around a while want to roll their eyes. That's understandable. Many team building exercises deserve the bad rap they get.

Consultants will try to sell you on the notion that people playing “tug of war” or having “amoeba races” are also having fun and laughing, and that makes them open and receptive to one another. Right?

Maybe, at least while they’re tugging on the rope. And don’t misunderstand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a day of fun, if that’s all you really want.

But team building takes more than that. What happens the next day when people are back on the job? Are relationships strengthened? Or does everyone just go back to their old habits, grumbling over perceived snubs and practicing passive-aggressiveness until they get what they want?

For real team building results, a day of shooting paint balls at each other may be fun, but it’s a hit or miss exercise — pun intended. And mostly it’s miss.

What does work? Trust building! And the best thing about trust building is it hasn’t changed over time. Trust still comes from the same place it always has, it starts on the inside.

Consider this very practical example from the field of workplace safety. People need to be able to trust that those around them will do their jobs safely. To help foster trust quickly, good companies use techniques that encourage people to get to know one another personally, and to recognize the things they have in common.

For instance, nothing brings people together faster than a common enemy, like a serious safety hazard. Assigning employees to come together to identify and eliminate hazards is an excellent trust builder.

Many managers are surprised to learn that one of the of the most well-established and proven trust building techniques available is the employee newsletter. Publishing and sharing items on a regular basis, like employee birthdays, graduations, weddings or anniversaries, hobbies and interests, and adding personal touches to these stories, provides the basis for trust building and teamwork.

It lets people see they have a lot in common, that they share many interests, and that they’re all in this “work thing” together. It makes them one, like a good team.