20 Nov

5 Ways To Create Fun Working Environment

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 20.11.14 by John Meloche

Leisure at workplaceThe end-of-year holiday season is a very interesting time. For most of us, it’s filled with joy and excitement. And for many others, it’s a time of stress and worry. To be honest, most of us actually fall into both categories! There’s a lot of money to be made for business owners, but it also requires a lot of work. At the same time, there’s a lot of money to be spent and a lot to prepare for. Celebrating the holidays can really be tough!

It’s important to remember that your commitment to growing your business during this time of year will take quite the toll on the members of your staff. Don’t forget that they have a lot on their plates as well. And adding stress to their lives due to added responsibilities and demands in the workplace won’t help for your company to thrive in the coming weeks. So what to do? Make work fun!

It’s often been said that a happy staff is a productive staff. And arguably, there is no better time of year than now to make your staff happy. They’re likely to be busier than ever due to an increased demand from customers. But since the holiday season is quickly approaching, your team members will also want to take part in all the joy that the holidays tend to bring. On AGCareers.com, Jody Urquhart provides steps to creating a fun workplace. Here are five.

1. Give up the notion that professionalism means being serious all the time. It’s not impossible to run a successful business and have fun at the same time. As we alluded to, keeping things light around the office will actually help for your employees to work harder, not less. “It’s possible to take yourself lightly and still be competent and productive,” writes Urquhart, “Start to promote the benefits of humour at work.”

2. Define what fun is in your workplace and what it is not. Of course, it all can’t be fun and games at work. It’s important to lay down ground rules to make clear to your team what is and what is not appropriate. You want your employees to enjoy their days at work, but you’re not looking for anyone to goof off. As well, you don’t want anyone to get offended. Urquhart writes that you should draw the line at sexual humour and other off-colour jokes.

3. Add fun to meetings. Business meetings provide great opportunities to relay to your staff all of the various tasks that need to be completed during each day. Meetings, however, also provide great chances to promote team-building and a fun working atmosphere. “Bring in fun things such as Nerf balls, a basketball and hoop, or party blowers,” suggests Urquhart, “Start a meeting with a humorous story or joke.”

4. Collect and share your favourite cartoons and jokes. There’s no way to help the fact that when people work together every day, they’re going to interact and get to know each other. Consider just how much time your group of employees spend with each other. Encourage them to get to know each other in fun ways. And make sure that you’re part of the action! You can even “create a Joke Board or a Humour Newsletter,” says Urquhart.

5. Let customers know you are a fun company. A big part of making sure that your employees enjoy their work days is how it translates to your customers. Involving your customers in all the fun will go a long way in shining a favourable light upon your brand. “Do something just for fun (organize fun customer events, dress for fun, share funny things with customers),” suggests Urquhart, “and give employees tools to create a fun relationship with customers.”

Be sure to check back for tomorrow’s blog as we continue to explore this topic and unveil more of Urquhart’s tips. Have fun at work today!

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