Can having fun at work boost productivity? Professor Babis Mainemelis from London Business School thinks so, his study with Sarah Ronson found that: “Play at work improves employees’ motivational and cognitive processes and diversionary play fosters creativity.”
innocent smoothies are a very successful company and they enjoy promoting a fun and creative workplace
And the Institute for Social Research found that companies with high employee engagement saw a 13.2% improvement in net income growth over a one year period.
Innocent smoothies grew their business from nothing to £100 million in just eight years with grass flooring, table football and an indoor picnic area, review innocent success by clicking on the link and see how.
So here are 5 fun ideas to get your team working smarter:
1. Move the meeting – rather than meeting in a conference room go for a walk or out to a bar, park or museum. It will be more memorable, more creative and you’ll very likely have more meaningful discussions
2. Have a dress up Friday – most organisations now have a more informal dress codes or ‘dress down days’, so why not ring the changes with a ‘dress up day’ Come to work in Black Tie and Ball Gowns. Decorate the office with chandeliers and drink sparkling water from champagne flutes. Why? It will raise some smiles and break down barriers between departments.
3. Run a lunchtime pub quiz – with the right topics and questions it’s possible to communicate key facts about the business in an entertaining way
4. Re-introduce tea breaks – years ago at 10.30 a bell would ring and everyone would down tools and take a tea break. In an age of 24/7 working most offices don’t have set break times, consequently people have less opportunity to informally share workplace news. Bring back daily coffee breaks and you’ll be surprised how much internal communication improves.
5. Start with a stretch – millions of Chinese start the day with Tai Chi, as with any exercise it helps the brain as much as the body. Ask volunteers to lead a gentle morning workout, a different routine each day.
Any other ideas? Let us know.
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For more resources, see our Library topic Team Building.
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This blog is by Fresh Tracks: Experts in Team Building, Team Development and Staff Conferences
Website: www.freshtracks.co.uk
Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, provides organizational development, consultant training and Action Learning services, and is developer of the Free Management Library.