In every organization, employees are the greatest asset. Without them, a company cannot carry out its day-to-day operations and achieve its corporate objectives. That is why keeping employees happy and productive is a secret to a company’s success. A fulfilled and satisfied employee is likely to perform well and stay with the company for many years.
Because of the positive implications of having a healthy workforce, companies are looking for ways to keep their employees happy and productive. In fact, businesses are now offering entertainment spaces for companies such as exercise equipment suppliers, recreational sports facility providers, craft classes, and outing venues.
Studies show that happy employees are more dedicated, innovative, and creative than their sad and miserable counterparts. According to the Harvard Business Review, a positive work environment leads to significant benefits for the employer and employees. Meanwhile, those organizations that pressure push employees come with adverse hidden costs, such as workplace stress and severe health problems.
To become an effective business leader, you want to know some ways to create a fun and positive work culture. Here are some strategies to create a fun work environment and keep employees motivated and happy.
Create a recreational area
If you want your employees to get their creative juices flowing, find ways to turn the boring office routine into something fun and exciting. A great way to do this is to assign a recreation area. This may include a billboard table, ping pong table, fitness balls, foosball table, arcade area, or a gaming room.
When designing a recreation area, build it in an open space to make it look warm and inviting. You may also include colorful and interesting elements, such as tire ottomans, comfortable chairs, colorful side tables, fluffy carpeting, and other decors that will create a sense of comfort and warmth.
If you notice employees are taking few to no breaks, encourage them to take breaks regularly. This means you have to break them away from their desks and do something not related to their work. A relaxing and fun ‘breakout area’ is a great idea, where employees can take at least 10 minutes of break to let go of the stress and recharge.
Even a few minutes of game time is enough to improve the mood and well-being of employees. Not only will it make them happy, but a few chats over a foosball table will give them a fresher perspective by the time they return to their desks.
Organize fun outings and events
Organizing outings and team-building activities where employees can play and laugh together cultivates a positive work culture. Team building games not only stir the problem-solving skills of employees, but are also inspiring and meaningful ways to foster creativity in the workplace.
Office events can be in the form of celebrations (e.g., Valentine’s Day and Christmas), raffle contests, and sports competitions. Even surprising everyone by simply ordering breakfast or lunch will put a smile on their faces. If you’re running out of creative ideas, encourage employees to pitch ideas every week to add variation on office activities and events.
Office fun days are also a great way to turn a normal working day into something fun and interesting. Some examples are Halloween costume parties or casual Fridays where employees wear anything they want. Friday afternoon is also a great time to have fun talks and share knowledge while sharing bottles of beer. You can also celebrate quirky celebrations every month, such as Pretzel Day or Chocolate Ice Cream Day.
Offer consistent recognition
Motivating the team by offering recognition and praises goes a long way by keeping them fulfilled and happy about their jobs. You can also offer incentives on major achievements at work or celebrate small wins. A work achievement doesn’t mean accomplishing an almost impossible project, but it can be as simple as reaching the weekly quota or getting positive reviews.
Praising employees for making progress in their work influences workplace productivity and happiness. They like to feel recognized and important by making them feel their role has great value to the company.
You may also encourage employees to help their coworkers on certain projects and provide feedback, whether constructive or positive. Employees appreciate feedback coming from their employers and peers as it lets them know that the people around them understand their work. It also fosters harmonious relationships and workplace collaboration.
Another technique is to organize monthly awards for exemplary performance or employees who exhibited the core values of the company. You can create a voting scheme to have everyone involved.
Implementing these programs may require a specific cost, but their returns are certainly worthwhile. Aside from a stress-free workforce, having satisfied employees will result in better work quality, higher retention, and lesser sick days. But before implementing these activities, make sure to consult the employees to get them engaged and connected.
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