Let’s face it — while work can be inherently rewarding, few workers ever describe their jobs as fun. Or at least, that was the traditional way of thinking. In the past decade or so, businesses have begun rethinking the experience of their employees, and have taken proactive steps towards making their offices more enjoyable places to be.
There are good reasons why businesses should invest in fun for their employees. For one thing, it can lead to increased productivity; one study found that happy workers are 13% more productive than those who dislike their job. Plus, it can also boost your employee retention rate, which again positively impacts productivity and also helps with the bottom line — happy employees are more likely to stay, which means less money spent on finding, hiring, and training replacements.
Your office won’t become a bastion of fun all on its own. You’ll need to make it a reality. In this post, we’ll run through some helpful tips that’ll add more than a hint of enjoyment to your workplace.
Hire Good People
Ultimately, businesses hire people on the strength of their skills and experience. But there’s value in looking beyond the resume when considering who you’ll hire for your business. A bad-tempered employee can have a disproportionate impact on team morale, which could lead to a negative atmosphere in the office.
The solution? Hire positive, friendly employees. While you might give most weight to their capabilities, someone’s spirit should definitely be a factor.
Host Get-Togethers
Going to work is more fun when it feels like you have friends in the office. While office friendships might blossom naturally at the coffee machine, most workers need a little bit of encouragement to get to know their colleagues. Hosting get-togethers is a fantastic way to allow your employees to talk in a more relaxed fun. You can organise team outings if you like, but even hosting after-work beers in the office can be a good starting point. Just remember that attending these events should be voluntary — no one likes to feel like they’re being forced to have fun.
Train Your Managers
All employees contribute to the overall energy of the workplace, but some are more influential than others. Your management team will set the tone for the office, so it’s best to ensure that the tone is positive! Sending your management team on leadership training courses can be a handy way to ensure that good energy flows from top to bottom.
Brighten Up The Office
Most offices are pretty uninspiring places to work. If your office is all grey, grey, grey, then it’s not realistic to think that your employees will be a ray of sunshine when they walk through the door. A little bit of colour can go a long way toward brightening the energy of the space. Consider making personalised posters that inspire your team to work well, add artwork to the walls, and get a few office plants. It’s also recommended to look for ways to add more natural light to the office — it’s simply much nicer to work on those beautiful sunny days when the sunshine can shower the office with warmth.
Create a Social Area
Creating a social area in your office offers an array of benefits. It’ll give your employees somewhere that isn’t their desk to have a coffee, for instance. Plus, it’ll also allow workers to catch up and nurture the friendships they’ve been developing during your after-work drinks events. The added benefit to your business could be increasing collaboration among your most talented employees — after all, you never know what might come from the conversations that your employees have over their morning coffee.
You can lean into this concept even further by adding some comfortable seating to the area. Nothing makes an employee happier than having a relaxing space to unwind when they need to take a quick break from their work.
Encourage Time Off
Some workers feel guilty about taking time off. And while that might, on the face of it, seem like a good thing for your business, it is not. Employees who don’t take time off work are at increased risk of stress and burnout, which, as you will be aware, are not conducive to a happy work environment. It’s best to remove any pressure from the employee by having mandatory time off work. Closing the office during the holidays is another good way to ensure that your staff can get the rest they need to be at their best when they’re at work.
Celebrate Employee Milestones
Your employees have a life outside of work, and from time to time, they’ll hit a big personal milestone. Perhaps they’re getting married, or they’ve just given birth to their first child. At these moments, be sure to make a fuss, and celebrate the achievement in the office. Decorating their desk with balloons and presents is a surefire way to show them that you care.
It’s also recommended to give your employees a gift on their birthday. It doesn’t have to be anything major — it could be a voucher for a local restaurant or a spa day, for instance. In fact, one of the best gifts you could give them is simply an extra paid day off work.
Celebrate Randomly
Really want to increase the fun levels at your office? As well as celebrating employee milestones, look at celebrating random holidays. For example, if there’s a global donut day (and there is — it’s November 5th), then why not invest in a box of donuts for the workplace?
And of course, you can also celebrate the major holidays (Christmas, Halloween) by decorating the office.
Allow Staff To Bring Their Pet To Work
Allowing your employees to bring their dogs to work has multiple benefits. For one thing, it allows your worker to avoid the problem of having to somehow look after their dog while they’re at work, which is something they’ll very much appreciate. Second, those loveable creatures will also have a broader impact on workplace morale. There’s much to love about being interrupted at work because a cute animal is asking for some attention.
Buy Some Board Games and Toys
Your employees might need a little motivation to have fun. Well, there’s no better way to provide that motivation than by picking up some board games and toys, and leaving them near the coffee area. Spending fifteen minutes engaging in a fun activity can be a really great way to refresh a mind that is becoming tired during work. Plus, there are board games that encourage teamwork, so you might find that providing this type of fun is a great way to boost overall team spirit.
Give Recognition
Finally, remember that there’s no substitute for showing your employees recognition for a job well done. It’s one of the most motivating things that a business can do, yet oddly, the vast majority of employees say that they’ve received zero recognition in the past year. If there’s an employee who has delivered excellent work, then shout it from the rooftops.
Conclusion
As we said at the beginning of the article, there’s a lot of value in working to increase the happiness levels in your workplace. Your staff will simply be more willing to put in hard work — and remain with your business — if they’re having a good time while they’re at work. Throw in a good salary and opportunities for growth and development, and you’ll have a winning strategy for attracting and retaining top talent.
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