The Best Startup Office Rituals

Rituals in a startup can be an important factor to boost performance and cultivate a team culture. However rituals should be implemented carefully and not only for having rituals for rituals’ sake. They should reflect the goals of the business and fit in naturally.

We summarized our favourite rituals we’ve seen with startup teams and that can fit with any company:

Team Lunches

Not only is food an important part of our life and well-being, but it’s also a great way for team members connect with each other. There are many ways to create a lunch ritual, from taking the team out for lunch once a week (Important: it has to be always on the same weekday) or cooking together in the office. Another fun way to have lunch together, which we heard is common in South European cultures, is for every team member to bring a dish to the office and share it with the team. Don’t worry if you’re not big of a cook, takeaways also count.   

Standups

Daily or weekly standups are a common ritual to check in on the team’s progress. However, there’s a big difference between good and effective standups and those that are less so. We have a few tips to make your team standup a desirable meeting to attend.

Start with audio signal (e.g. Bob Marley’s Get Up Stand Up) to trigger your team members like Pavlov’s bell and start the meeting on a lighter note.

Add a personal note – at Airbnb, generally meetings start by asking every participant to check in first with their mind and heart. At Buffer’s standups each person shares their personal “improvements”, something they’re working on to improve themselves.

Actually stand up! This may activate your body and helps to enforce keeping meetings short and to the point.

Celebrate Victories

May it a big or a small win, celebrating achievements is a great tool to keep you and the team focused and motivated. Closing a deal, a new hire, shipping a product feature – it’s all worthy to raise a glass.

Ring a bell or gong, hand out awards to hardworking team members, get donuts for the team, take the team out for a team event, these are just a few examples to show appreciation for your team’s work.

Get Active Together

Spending all day behind computers, can be not only mentally but also physically draining. Break the cycle and appoint someone in your team to be the health captain and organise sport activities. From having a running group once a week to attending yoga classes in a nearby studio. You can even order a massagist right into your office to release your employees’ back tensions.

Whatever you chosoe to be the right ritual for your team, don’t forget, rituals are not rituals if you don’t perform them with 100% reliability.