Most people don’t associate work with fun — but they should. Many studies have shown that employees who are happy on the job are more engaged, satisfied, and productive. They also miss fewer days of work.
Thankfully, there’s a whole day — National Fun at Work Day (the last Friday of January) — dedicated to encouraging companies to make their workplaces fun and engaging. While meeting business objectives and minding the bottom line are always important, company leaders can also realize the big return on investment of having engaged employees who feel camaraderie with their colleagues.
Do you need some inspiration on how to lighten up your work environment while promoting team building, communication, and engagement? Here’s some food for thought.
Organize Social Activities for Employees
The work environment is evolving to be more open and sociable, and many workers today expect their employers to offer engaging activities that offer opportunities to connect with co-workers. This could be anything from catering a staff lunch or providing a lunch stipend each month, organizing an employee volleyball team, or even creating virtual events for those with a remote team. Every company is different, so ideas for team-building activities that will make sense for your team will likely come from the employees themselves. So, you can ask them!
Break the Ice With Games
To encourage employees to get to know each other on a more personal level, consider hosting some quick, fun games to serve as ice breakers. After all, it’s hard to build trust with people you don’t know. A couple of ideas include trivia in the office or through a video call, or you can have employees provide pictures of their pets or favorite items.
Host Employee Contests
A friendly competition, such as having employees vie for the best desk decorations by submitting photos or come up with project ideas via a bracket, is an easy and creative way you can encourage employees to bond and get to know each other. You can also have employees vote on the winners and have them compete on teams or individually. The prize can be something fun, such as a restaurant gift card.
National Fun at Work Day shouldn’t be the only day of the year you aim to make your workplace fun. You can reap benefits by having team-building activities and social events year-round that encourage your team members to get to know each other.
About the Author
Kelly Spors is a freelance writer and editor based in Minneapolis. She previously worked as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering small business and entrepreneurship.
All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.
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