How Can We Boost FUN in the Workplace?

As an Interim Executive Director, I stabilize non-profits as they undergo transition and crisis. A common challenge at organizations during transitions is that staff morale plummets. Part of my success in retaining quality staff is to introduce fun, ensure staff feel valued, and help employees remember what they like about working there.

Here’s an example where fun was needed. One organization boasted a team of wonderful individuals, but a dreary office culture. At 4:00 p.m. on the decided day, a designated employee would announce, “It’s staff social hour”. Employees gathered around their bleak cubicles and ate crudité and hummus. People, we deserve more than sad celery sticks!

Enjoy these three tips on infusing fun and fostering connections amongst your team.

1)   Establish regular team social activities. This could be as simple as meeting at a nearby bar for happy hour (being sensitive to those who abstain). Here in Brooklyn, there are tons of creative activities to treat your team to, such as axe throwing, archery, gelato making, and painting. Ask your staff what they want to do. (And yes, the organization pays for the food and first drink. No, it is not mandatory. No, the activities are not scheduled for after work hours so staff have to spend unpaid time at a work activity.)

2)   Incorporate team-building activities. I ran into a former employee the other day, and she said she misses the team-building activities we did because "they remind us that we like each other”. Done well, team-building fosters connections and good will amongst staff and can be easily incorporated into regular staff meetings.

Here are some ideas… “Two Truths and a Lie” is a fun game to learn about each other, especially when a new employee joins the team. Or, have staff put their names in a hat, then each staff pulls out a different name and describes what they appreciate about that person; the team has to guess who they are describing. Try a tailored version of non-profit Jeopardy: create trivia questions about your organization and the winning team gets a prize. I made up “Secret Admirer Shout-outs” which has become a staff favorite; write a compliment on a Post-It note (i.e. “Kudos to Angela for finding a gala speaker” or “Thank you, Roberto, for fixing the problem for our client.”) and hang them in a designated spot. Other staff will follow suit and hang compliments of their own.

3)   Celebrate successes and milestones. Your team crushed it at your big event? Reward them with a Friday afternoon off. Share cookies or order pizza to recognize staff birthdays or work anniversaries. Be generous with sincere praise of hard work and results.

The world wants to hear your ideas. What have you done or experienced in the workplace that was FUN?