How to bring Joy and Fun into the Workplace
We all know that happy employees, and positive employee engagement doesn’t come purely from ‘fun’ and ‘quirky perks’ in the office like table tennis and afternoon drinks, although these things can be great for team building and break times. There are definitely deeper-rooted factors that help to boost employee engagement such as transparent communication, work flexibility, fair salaries, rewards and recognition, and so on.
Still, as we come to the end of the year, we are reminded of the child-like fun and wonder that makes the holidays so special. So, how can we encourage this joy and fun in the workplace too? After all, people with lifted spirits are often happier overall too.
Here is our advice on how to inject fun and joy in your workplace!
Encourage friendships and casual conversation
The number one thing we believe makes a positive impact in creating joy in the workplace is when a team gets along and can become work friends, not just colleagues. Encourage friendly conversation and treat one another as well-rounded human beings (not just that person who helps you with spreadsheets!). Some ways you can connect with colleagues and become friends are:
Asking how people are
Talking about the weekend or life events
Sharing pictures of family and pets
Share funny stories and jokes
Laugh with each other
Be friendly!
Create a routine of sharing appreciation
Maybe in a weekly meeting or every month you can encourage people to share a work or personality related compliment about someone on the team. This can be done anonymously or not; it is up to you how you want to work it logistically! Sharing positive feedback and receiving appreciation is a major mood booster and will 100% without a doubt make people feel good and happy.
Decorate or create an inviting space
Did you know, that one year at Peoplebank during Christmas time, one of our team members decorated their office window as if it was a gingerbread house? Another time, they built a whole box around their desk with a giant bow on top to make it look like a present! These are just some holiday inspired ideas. You can decorate and make your office look and feel great any time, for any reason! A happy, fun space can truly brighten the mood and help people feel a bit better about being at work.
Go to lunch and drinks
Taking breaks is super important and a good lunch, chat, and couple of drinks (they don’t have to be alcoholic!) are a good way to take a nice break and connect with each other more casually.
Have a ‘break’ area
Table tennis, pool, air hockey, couches, a mini basketball ring, some bean bags… whatever the area has, make sure it signifies break time. As mentioned above, encouraging breaks is important as they help us reset and recharge. It’s also fun to play games and create friendly competition with our peers!
Invest in team building or community projects
Team building and community projects are a great way to bond and create memories. It is inevitable that people will get to know each other better when participating in out-of-the-norm activities. Peoplebank used to have every different department host a ‘night out’ in the office, with one year resulting in a Peoplebank’s very own casino night for example. We’ve participated in several activities such as:
Creating fun campaign videos with other departments
Virtual reality game days
Events held at arcades
Walking and cycling for charity
Discuss passion projects and personal hobbies
It’s great to chat and be transparent about our workloads and activities. However, it can help to connect on a more personal level to talk about passion projects and hobbies so that you can perhaps bond over certain similarities, or simply learn about people’s wonderful differences and interests.
We hope that these tips were helpful in helping to inject a little fun and joy into your workplace, or that they can help guide some plans to do so in the future! Let us know how you find joy in your workplace on our LinkedIn page 😊.