The phrase “work can be fun” may seem like an oxymoron. But it doesn’t have to be! Now it doesn’t mean we all should start coming to work in Hawaiian shirts and drinking mai tais at the office (as fun as that may sound). But we all can certainly make work less monotonous in a few easy ways — and help motivate your team as well.
One simple way to boost morale is to throw a potluck. We frequently do this at my work to celebrate promotions, new babies, weddings, etc. Everyone on the team contributes, so it’s a nice way to celebrate relatively inexpensively. We usually set it up in the office so people can stop whenever they get a moment. This way, people can take a quick break from the normal workday, but it doesn’t cut into productivity. Plus, it’s just a nice way to make your co-workers feel appreciated!
I also love Barbara Corcoran’s idea of “surprising” your office or team with something fun. Corcoran is a successful businesswoman and judge on the show “Shark Tank”. In her article below, she described how she got some of her best ideas while “playing” outside the office. Of course, she has the resources to rent hot air balloons or camels to ride at the company picnic. But I don’t think the surprises have to be grand. It could simply be letting everyone wear costumes to work for Halloween, or buying the first round of drinks at the company happy hour.
One thing I would not recommend is cutting “fun things” from the budget, especially when times are tough. I know it may seem like an easy way to save money, but it can really affect morale in the office. A few years ago, management decided to cut out the annual holiday party. When they made the announcement, it was like someone had let the air out of the office. People complained for days about how unappreciated they felt. I also remember the level of animosity toward the management. Luckily, a few astute supervisors saved the day by putting together an “unofficial” party at a nearby restaurant. But it really affected the mood of the office for weeks.
So the next time your team needs a little motivation, take some advice from Barbara — and go have fun.
I completely agree! The budget for “fun” group activities like a holiday luncheon or an end of fiscal year toast, for example, quickly get cut out of our budget before anything else. And it does more harm than good.
It completely destroys morale by cutting even simple (relatively inexpensive) events. Not to mention, those activities are what creates the corporate culture and your culture is what convinces a top employee to work for you.
Funny, I just had this conversation with a few coworkers today. It’s been a little tense at work recently, and in one of our meetings today people started to get into it. After the meeting, I was discussing the issue with one of the parties involved, and I mentioned that maybe we all just need to have an outside the office get together, like a barbecue, white water rafting trip, etc. Of course, white water rafting may not be such a good idea since someone may get injured….especially after today…. The short of it is, I totally agree here – we all get too wrapped up in our day to day and forget to see the real people, the personal people, behind the daily work attire.
I agree, I think that seeing your co workers in a non business setting reminds you that they are real people.
Work without fun is a job. Work with fun is a career. A large majority of your waking life is spent at work. There is absolutely no reason you should be in a job you do not enjoy. As many have mentioned, it can be the small things that go the furthest. When you have some fun non-work related events, it really helps connect the employees and people are naturally more willing to work harder for people if there is a stronger connection.