It’s simple, having fun at work through group activities and team-building games leads to a great company culture.
It’s no secret that having a great company culture boosts productivity and has a major ROI from a financial standpoint. As workplace happiness pioneer Tony Hsieh put it;
“Happiness is a business model.”
Now more than ever, companies are going all out to provide a wonderful experience for their workers, ensuring that they’re happy, engaged, and having fun at work. Work-life integration is becoming common for companies of all sizes.
Companies are even investing in work tools that are “funner” to use. Being that over 80% of the United States’ workforce has admitted to feeling stressed over work, gamified apps for offices are taking over as the next big need for enterprises, as they’ll allow employees to get work done in an efficient manner while allowing them to enjoy themselves. Check out these examples of using gamification in business. Get inspired and try testing it out at your workplace.
So it’s important to have fun at work, but to really understand this you have to truly dig a little deeper and find what goes into building a great company culture.
Your Work Honeymoon Should Never End
Have you ever thought back to the first day that you started your job?
It almost feels weird, you’re excited to be in this new environment, but feel anxious because you don’t know the atmosphere, yet. You’re meeting all these new interesting individuals, while learning the duties that will hopefully make you the next superstar employee. You’re scared to make mistakes and you’re getting so much information, it’s like trying to take a small sip out of a running fire hydrant.
At the end of the day, you begin to tell your friends and family how great this new environment is and how you’re ready to take this workplace by storm.
That feeling of excitement should NEVER die out.
Unfortunately, after a while people feel burned out and this comes from lack of change and a “not too exciting” office atmosphere, which basically means that the job has become too redundant (not challenging) and employees aren’t having fun.
This can be changed if a company were to mix things up every now and then. Give employees more autonomy, change up the seating arrangements to allow different people to collaborate or host an event outside of the office.
Whatever the case may be, find something that will allow for more collaboration and give employees the opportunity to have fun at work.
Create An Atmosphere That Embellishes Your Company Culture
Create the right office atmosphere for your business!
Honestly, I wouldn’t expect to walk into a law firm or government building and see the employees shooting Nerf guns at each other (although it would be pretty awesome) or having beer days (Fridays at my office!).
Every company has its own culture and it’s your company’s job to really make the most out of the atmosphere. Creating a strong atmosphere will allow you to collaborate easily and have fun with the people around you. Something as simple as switching from cubicles to open desk areas can be all the change your office needs to get the most out of its environment.
Become An Expert At Fun At Work
I’m sure you’ve heard of the company culture Mecca known as the Googleplex.
Well did you know Google has revolutionized the “People Operations” industry, by simply using data to find different ways to keep their employees happy?
It’s a bit complex, but if you know anyone within the tech industry they’ll be the first to tell you how important data is in terms of finding the solution towards problems. Well, you may not have the resources that a company like Google has, but there are new ways to find out how to create a better vibe within your office.
Tech companies have become pioneers in the “fun at work” field, as they’ve found there are plenty of benefits in having a strong company culture. They’ve come up with all sorts of crazy ideas to make their offices better; slides, pool tables, sports facilities, even nap stations. All they’ve really done is take time to learn about their employees and see what interests them.
So be sure to learn about your employees, for all you know something as simple as a scavenger hunt will boost the spirit in your office.
Are You Having Fun At Work?
How do you think having more fun influences company culture? Do you think group activities and team-building games can boost productivity? Let us know in the comments below.
