This little guy is just the start! (image)
Work isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s the place to roll up your sleeves, get the job done, and bring in the money. Right? Wrong! While the workplace isn’t supposed to be a carnival of games and hijinks, it is still important to bring in the fun factor.
Why?
It will build camaraderie within your team, increase motivation, and fix your staff turnover problem. People will enjoy coming into work each day, rather than resent the infernal ringing of their morning alarm clocks.
So, how can you bring the fun factor into your workplace?
You can decorate the workplace
Allowing people to personalize their workstations. Add bright colors to dull-looking rooms, include novelty items, and stick up posters, calendars, and funky works of art. The more ‘fun’ the working environment, the more enjoyable a place it will be to work in.
Goof around occasionally
When people are getting weary, and stress is taking its toll, implement some fun. Tell each other jokes, start a nerf gun war, or throw a soft ball around. Do anything to break up the monotony, giving everybody some respite from the toils of the day.
Enhance the break room
If the break room only consists of a table and a drinks fountain, then you may want to do more with it. If you have the space, add a ping-pong or foosball table. Set up a video game station. Have a music system to crank up some tunes. Include bean bags in the seating area. Add anything that will incorporate some semblance of fun, instead of being a place that is dull to hang around in.
Reward your team
You don’t have to make grandiose gestures, such as raising their salaries or give them days off for work well done. Well, you could, but there are cheaper ways to reward your team, and some of these can be considered ‘fun.’ From office massages to surprise birthday gifts for your employees, pick and choose from the many ideas listed here. By doing so, you will create an incentive for your team to work harder while giving them another reason to enjoy coming into work each day.
Spend time together outside of work
By having more time together, your team will become closer, and this should make for a more enjoyable work environment later on. So, aside from the odd team building day, have social events that are more than trust games and muddy hikes up mountains. Go for a meal at a fancy new restaurant, have a barbecue in your garden, go paint balling, grab a mini keg dispenser and have a beer night, go camping, take part in sporting activities together… do anything that your team considers fun, and watch as they actually start to enjoy each other’s company!
So, those were our ideas, but what about you? Have you found ways to bring the fun factor into your workplace? Let us know, and give us all the ability to gain more enjoyment at work, whatever business we are involved in.
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