All work and no play is not a sound strategy in business for retaining employees. Tasks employees need to do at work may be repetitive and tedious. Depending on the nature of the work your business does, there may not be much you can do to improve the enjoyment of the actual work. But you can make the workplace environment fun. Research has shown a clear correlation between the work environment and employee productivity. The more fun employees are having, the more motivated they are to work. That is why businesses need to find ways to keep their employees satisfied and constantly motivated. Happy employees create a happy company, and a happy company rakes in happy profits! Here are some simple ways to make your work environment happier and increase the productivity of your employees.
1) Office décor
One way to make the office environment enjoyable is to make it physically fun through office decorations. Inject fun, lively colours to your office décor. According to psychological research, certain colours boost the energy of people and can lead them to be more productive at work. You can involve employees in deciding which office décor suits your company. You could run a poll, let them think of themes, or let them bring in their own décor such as prints, photos or plants from home.
2) Games and activities
Another way to make your workplace physically fun is by injecting activity areas. Consider supplying an air hockey table, table tennis table, pinball machine, bean bags, or lounges where employees can play cards or even video games during breaks. Team games can develop teamwork and camaraderie among employees. Themed activities held monthly such as karaoke nights, card nights, or movie nights can give a social outlet for employees to look forward to. These could be held inside or outside the office, and within our outside of office hours.
3) Incentivise good work
Employees will be more motivated when they know good work will be rewarded. Having an employee of the month award is common among companies. You could also hold team rewards, or fun awards such as ‘goof-up of the month’ to show compassion for those small but inevitable mistakes. One of our clients has a “Go You Good Thing” award handed out at each team meeting. Incentives can be tailored to employee preferences, such as coffee vouchers, movie tickets or iTunes cards. More elaborate rewards could include team trips to a restaurant or amusement park. Conduct a poll to ask employees what they would like as incentive prizes. Whether it’s incentivising good work as individuals or as a team, one thing’s for sure, your employees will be motivated not just to come to work, but to go the extra mile.
There are many ways to make the work environment fun. Investing in the happiness of your employees will bring in positive vibes and positive profits to your business. The goal is to keep your employees happy, increasing their motivation and productivity, which leads to great customer service and happy customers. If you would like to discuss customised ways to inject fun and creativity into your business, contacting Yellow Coaching is one of your smartest moves.