An office environment needs to have a feel of dynamism and innovation in order to get work done effectively. Gone are the days when people went to work, did what they had to do, and went home. Today, we need to engage our staff, make them excited to come to work, and encourage them to collaborate on new ideas and innovations.
Of course, achieving this can be difficult if you have no idea where to start, but there are certain events on the calendar that can help you out a little. Thankfully, we are coming up to a time of year when there are many events about to begin, so how can you make use of those happy coincidences, and turn them into productivity-boosting endeavors?
Let’s explore!
Take a Look at The Calendar
We are now into October and that means that Halloween is just around the corner. After that, we have Bonfire Night, and then we are on the fast track towards Christmas and New Year. These are all typical times for celebration, and there is no reason why you can’t take some of that joy and inject it into your office space.
See this from a staff member’s point of view - if every day is the same, it’s boring. Yes, they take pride in their work, because they want to do a good job, but at the end of the day, a little excitement, something different, can be enough to boost enjoyment, boost concentration, and therefore boost productivity.
When we break it down, a rise in productivity means extra profits for the business. With that in mind, taking advantage of upcoming events is key. Work doesn’t only have to be about office furniture and turning a profit, it should also be about creating a team environment that pulls together.
Decorating The Office
Let’s take Halloween as our first example. Over the last few years, the American spirit of Halloween seems to have crossed over the Atlantic. Nowadays, Halloween is a big thing, so how can you ignore it?
Decorate the office to reflect the spirit of the event. It brings a new sense of excitement and enjoyment into proceedings, and shows that you have a sense of humour. It also shows that you’re not simply expecting your staff to come into work, get everything done, and go home. You want them to enjoy their time, you want them to engage with the office space and their colleagues.
Halloween is a great time to decorate, because there are so many great ideas to take on board. Obviously, avoid making a mess of your bespoke office furniture, but why not decorate the walls with cobwebs, carve out a pumpkin, and add nods here and there to the upcoming event. It might sound like a small idea, but it will have a major impact on morale, and therefore productivity too.
In addition, don’t forget your reception area, as this will pull in interest from the public and visitors to your office space. Decorate your reception desks in the spirit of the event, but remember to do it tastefully, to avoid going over the top. Wood office furniture looks fantastic with pumpkins and other Halloween-style memorabilia!
Staff Get-Togethers
At this time of year, attention inevitably turns towards party season and looking forward to events. This is the ideal time to forge closer bonds between colleagues, by arranging staff get-togethers. You could arrange a Halloween-themed lunch get-together, perhaps arrange a trip to a bonfire and fireworks event on Bonfire Night, and of course, arrange a Christmas party, ready for the party season to begin.
These might all sound like added extras that take time and cost money, but the purpose is to bring the team together and forge a great sense of morale. When staff are happy at work, and they enjoy spending time with colleagues, they are always going to work harder, therefore boosting your productivity levels.
Have Competitions and Themed Projects
Nothing piques the interest like a competition, and if you have some particularly competitive members of staff, this could be a very clever way to get an otherwise dull task, firmly off the ground! It involves some creative thinking, but tying work into the event is key.
Perhaps the first member of staff to sell x number of items wins a prize. That is just one example, but you can see how it would boost productivity and sales, but it will be disguised by the fact that you’re pushing forward the competitive side of people, and encouraging them with a reward at the end of it. Of course, the prize should be themed in the spirit of the event too!
Perhaps set up a team versus team competition, with each team working together over one side of the office, perhaps on bench desks or in booths, to come up with new ideas for potential community links (see the next item for more on that), or ideas for a particularly difficult project problem.
You could have more light-hearted competitions to break it up and to avoid staff seeing through your little plan; perhaps a competition to see how can decorate their office desk the best way!
This also flips the general run of work on its head and creates a fresher feel. Sometimes tasks can become boring and mundane, but by adding the slightest difference to them, by adding in something just a little more fun-filled, the actual task can become easier to do as a result.
Charity Links & Involving The Community
A great way to promote your business, whilst helping with charitable causes, is to do a spot of fundraising in the spirit of the event on the horizon. For example, how about a pumpkin carving competition for the local children in the town, with the proceeds going towards a local children’s charity? This boosts the profile of your business, casts you in a very positive light, but it also shows your staff that you care, and that in itself boosts morale.
It’s a great idea to have links with charities regardless of the time of year, but with so many events coming up, there are more potential openings for events to be arranged. Staff could help out and again, this would forge that team ethos that is vital in any office space. The actual event could occur during working hours, and you could have a rota to allow staff to attend, or better still, at the weekends when more people will be able to attend.
You could also arrange a charity bonfire and firework evening. Obviously, there are health and safety issues to take into account here, but arranging it properly with the local fire brigade will ensure a safe and fun event for everyone in the local community. This brings notice to your business as a community-first, caring organisation, and makes your staff feel proud to work for you. Again, productivity will be on the rise as a result!
Take Advantage of Events & Watch Them Work For You
Having a thriving business is about so much more than hitting targets, it is about knowing the ways to engage your staff and get everyone pulling together. Teamwork is without a doubt the best way to ensure your business goes one better than the competition, and as a result, profits are boosted.
People want to work for companies who are staff-focused. That means they put the welfare and happiness of their staff before everything else. If you can do that, everything else really does take care of itself. For instance, away from the events side of thing, choosing the right furniture for your staff is key. If they’re comfortable, they’re going to work harder. These are just the basics, and the things you simply have to get right.
Of course, choosing the right types of events for them to engage in too is important. You can’t simply pick any old event and expect them to be excited by it. The great thing about these last few months of the year is that there are many events coming up which everyone loves in some way. Most people can’t help but get swept away with the fun of Halloween! Putting a competitive edge on things, and involving the community will also help to pull attention in, and as a result, work will be more fun, and therefore easier to do. Easier work is done more productively, and you know what that means? Profits!
Can you come up with any other fun ways to incorporate local events into the workplace? Decorating the office is of course a must do, but it has to be done in a way which doesn’t interfere with the work to be done! By embracing these events, we can create a fun-filled workplace, which not only hits targets, but creates happy staff members too.