Main Idea
How often does your organization do fun things for the employees? Does your team under-estimate the value of “service with a smile”? Ever wonder how you could add a little spice to your boring meetings to keep your co-workers from snoring? Having fun at work doesn’t mean sacrificing productivity, in fact, quite the opposite is true. Enabling your employees to be creative and allowing laughter in the office is the perfect way to boost morale, which in turn, will positively affect your company’s productivity, not to mention employee retention! But how, you may be wondering?
Expansion of Idea
Celebrate anything and everything that is important to you, your company, or the employees that work so hard for you. Birthdays, anniversaries, company-wide achievements, personal goals met, and new employees are all great reasons (excuses…) to eat cake! Company parties and gatherings don’t have to be dreaded, and they certainly don’t have to pertain to business. Getting your team to have fun together is a perfect team-building activity and what better way to get everyone to relax than to have a party together? If a celebratory bash is just too much for busy employer to handle, start small. Hang balloons around your office before a meeting, add a colorful tablecloth to the break room, or simply use quirky visuals or toys in your training sessions. Implement a funny-quote-of-the-day e-mail, or pass out candy randomly to your top customer service champs. It doesn’t take much to entice a little competition to provide the best service or the highest productivity. Even Charles Schwab understood this concept when he said,
If a laid-back atmosphere makes you feel a little uneasy at first, think of it this way:
If clients see your employees having a good time and enjoying their job, they will want more interaction with your company.
Where to begin?
LIGHTEN UP! Make a priority of smiling and laughing, even if you are stressed on the inside. Set the example for everyone.
Appreciation – Give employees positive re-enforcements to keep up the good work.
Get to know the people you’re surrounded by daily. What will get them fired up about coming to work each day?