How to Make Work Fun
- Jackie Vermeulen
- Jun 9, 2016
- 3 min read
Type, type, type. Grumble, grumble, grumble. Clock in at eight and clock out at five. Add a yawn here and there. Sound like the rhythm of your office? Time to shake things up and add some fun.
You’ll find employees are more committed and invested in the outcome of their work when they feel like they’re recognized as a person, not another cog in the never-ending wheel.
As manager, it’s your responsibility to instill this team morale. Here’s a few ideas to bring some fun into the office:
Feed them.
Provide periodical or celebratory breakfasts for your employees. Keep it simple—people like bagels and coffee.
Consider an afternoon snack like soft pretzels or a make-your-own trail-mix bar.
Or let them eat cake! Recognize birthdays, work milestones, and life events on a monthly basis and bring in a sweet treat to celebrate the guests of honor.
Not every budget has a place for foodie fun, but that doesn’t mean your team can’t enjoy special noshing together. Some food for thought:
Have employees each sign up to bring something for a potluck lunch.
Set up a chili taste test and have everyone bring their secret recipe in a crockpot.
Host a cookie exchange during the holidays.
Hold non work-related competitions.
One mentor fondly remembers a bubble blowing contest from 15 years ago, which he won, thankyouverymuch.
Another mentor’s company holds a gingerbread house contests every year around the holiday. And there’s always a new theme to keep it exciting. Last year it was movies.
Or consider an optional cubicle-decorating contest with different themes throughout the year.
Host a meeting they’ll be happy to attend.
Set aside a one-hour block of time quarterly or bi-monthly and hold an optional meeting where the team gets together to play games. Some ideas:
The Newly-Coworker Game. Split up into groups of four or five. Have one team member sit at the front write down an answer to a question (like, “What is the one item he/she would want if they were stranded on a dessert island?”). Then see if their team can guess their answer! The team with the most points wins.
Jeopardy. Split into teams of four or five and play with categories like TV, Sports, Company Trivia, Pop Culture, and Miscellaneous.
Pictionary. One teammate goes up to the whiteboard and has to draw a certain word/phrase (no talking or writing out the word!) to get their team to guess what it is before the opponents guess what their drawer is drawing.
Have a volunteer facilitator who can keep the game fair and play ref, an equally fun task!
Show interest.
Write a question on a whiteboard every week and have employees share their answers. What’s your favorite comfort food? If you could be an animal, what would you be? If you were any super villain, who would you be?
Or have a secret person of the week. Share a new fact about this person every day, and see how quickly team members can guess who he/she is.
Organize social events.
Happy hours are a popular choice. Bonding over drinks and apps. Just note it’s *not a company sponsored event.*
Drinks after work aren’t practical for everyone, so consider organizing a breakfast meet-up instead and let employees stroll in a few minutes late.
Provide volunteer opportunities.
Giving employees the opportunity to contribute to a cause that’s bigger than their day-to-day paycheck responsibilities is a win-win-win for everyone.
Consider mixing social and charity by partnering with a restaurant for the night, and request a portion of the proceeds go to an agreed-upon cause.
One mentor’s company has a community garden where employees donate their time to growing a variety of vegetables and fruits. After harvesting, the produce is donated to a food bank.
One of the best investments you can make in your company is your employees, and part of that investment is their happiness in the workplace. Not only will their commitment to the company grow, but so will their commitment to each other, making teamwork that much easier.
So, go ahead and have a laugh, bring out the competitive spirit, and above all else, have fun!
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Jackie Vermeulen is the founder of The Career Mint. She is the messenger (put the gun down, you!), working closely with the mentors and some off-site experts to address the hard-hitting career topics in articles like the one you’re reading now.
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