The evidence around employee well-being and individual and organisational performance is astounding! I believe that satisfied employees are the most important thing a business can aspire for. In fact, happiness makes people around 12% more productive (Sgroi, 2015). Work-life balance is easier when the workforce doesn’t feel the pressure of sitting at the desk every day.
Whether you’re a manager who wants to enhance the power of your group or you’ve just joined a new team and want to make your onboarding process flow more easily, here are some ideas to help you successfully mix work with pleasure.
Let the fun begin!
1. Creativity
Creativity is the perfect companion for every team, and again the research is extensive. Creativity can reduce stress and anxiety (Stuckey & Nobel, 2015); can promote a positive mindset and can even slow down time! Read my article ‘Go with the Flow’ [CLICK HERE] to discover its powerful secrets.
There is a myriad of ways to be creative in the office: personalise your desk, find exciting, innovative solutions to boring old problems, wear something unusual. Personally, I like to wear odd socks to remind me to keep it light and bright!
2. Gamification
Gamification brings a fun or competitive element to the office. A 2015 US Gallup survey showed how gamification improved the work experience of 91% of employees and substantially increased productivity. That’s a BIG number for any statistician!
As one observer put it: "gamification is exciting because it promises to make the hard stuff in life fun." So why not bring some fun and games into the office? Make meetings like prize-winning quizzes and you’ll run out of chairs in the conference room!
3. Change can be Fun
I recognise many of us are suffering from ‘Change Fatigue’ but how about trying to re-write that neural pathway by dismantling that idea?
What about a change of scenery? Just like at school having an English class on the grass in the summer! If work allows it, having a change of scenery can often have a major impact on your level of creativity and happiness. Walking meetings, home office, and ultimately work retreats [CLICK HERE] are great ideas to enhance your productivity and have fun in – or perhaps outside – the office.
4. Music
Music has bonded we humans from the beginning of time. And while our ancestors certainly understood its deep power, modern science categorically supports it. Music boosts your mood (Ritter and Ferguson, 2017), keeps you focused and motivated (Stork et al., 2015), reduces stress and anxiety (Hole et al., 2015) and improves your memory (Ow et al., 2015).
I’m rubbish at doing my monthly book-keeping but love 80s music so when it's time to get out the receipts and log them in the system it's Spandau Ballet and the Eurythmics in the office!
5. Celebration
Since we spend most of our time at work, the importance of our working relationships and team harmony is paramount. Celebrating our achievements is a great bonding experience, so try to involve your team and colleagues in birthday celebrations, goal parties or simply Friday drinks. The week feels shorter and you’ll be thrilled to lunch with your desk neighbours.
Now you know how, go spread the news and have some fun!
Have a marvellous mixed up day!
Andrew