Today’s workforce spends a lot of time at work. In fact, a recent labor study found that the average employee spends 30 percent of their time at work or at work-related events and activities.The amount of time spent at work can be draining, but luckily there are ways you can make work more enjoyable for your staff. Here are a few ideas:
Design a cool rewards program
Employees love recognition. One way to make time spent at work more enjoyable and worth-while is to develop an effective rewards strategy. Many companies are beginning to use employee gamification technologies to create an interactive rewards program. Employees can earn rewards based on various benchmarks and can redeem their points for cash, extra vacation, or other incentives.
Another idea is to encourage and promote a peer recognition program. Your employees are your eyes and ears in the organization. They see and understand the work of their peers better than anyone else. Consider creating a program where your employees can nominate each other for recognition and reward.
There are many different approaches to recognition and reward, but research suggests feeling appreciated is a huge factor in employee engagement and productivity. Investing in a rewards program and celebrating even the smallest victories will improve morale and keep your employees motivated throughout the year.
Provide a healthy desk space
Your employees most likely spend a significant amount of time at their desks, and staring at a computer all day from a stagnant position can be tiring. Standing desks offer a great solution to this problem and are growing in popularity across the globe. Standing desks offer your employees the opportunity to stand up and stretch throughout the day with limited interruption to their work.
Standing desks have been proven to increase productivity and also have tremendous health benefits. Consider offering each employee the option of purchasing a standing desk on the company’s dime. Most retailers will sell a variety of desks that will suit the specific needs of each individual. This investment shows a concern for your employee’s health and comfort and also has the potential to increase productivity.
Display meaningful decor
Decorating your office space in a way that meshes well with your organization’s mission and goals is a great way to make the workplace a more enjoyable environment. You might decorate your walls with photos or posters that reflect your company’s work.
You should also encourage your employees to personalize their individual offices spaces as much as possible. This effort makes your employees feel more at home and increases their level of comfort while at the office. Your staff spends the majority of their day at work, so put some effort into making the place feel warm and welcoming.
Facilitate socialising
It’s important that your team works well together as great teamwork leads to better results. One way to foster more camaraderie is to encourage bonding outside the office. Research suggests that employees with a “best friend” at work are more productive than those without a tight-knit group.
Socializing as an office allows your staff to get to know each other outside of the work environment and can create a new and positive dynamic. Consider taking your team out to lunch, bowling, or simply out for happy hour. While not everyone is interested in socializing with co-workers, scheduling the outing during work hours will have a strong impact.
These are just a few of the many ways you can make work more enjoyable for your staff. Your employees are your biggest asset. Make sure you invest in their well-being. You definitely want to make sure that they know you care and are able to enjoy their time at work.