Only a few individuals are lucky enough to pursue careers they truly love. For majority of employees, they work in offices and other settings simply because they need a job. But there are instances when a worker eventually likes his/her job no matter how tough and stressful it is.
Aside from an attractive salary scheme and other benefits, the secret usually lies in transforming the workplace. The following list identifies 7 ways to make your workplace a more enjoyable place to work. Although these are applicable for employees as well, the capacity or power in implementing them usually lies on the employer or managers.
- Start by hiring the right employees. Companies today hire people not only on the basis of their knowledge and expertise but also based on their social and communication skills. It is recommended to start by hiring good, happy, and employees with positive attitudes. You may have the brightest minds in your company but when most of these people don’t know how to effectively work with their co-employees, the business is bound to fail. Teamwork is an integral part of any organization or business.
- Relax on being too formal or professional inside the workplace. Formality and professionalism is also a requirement within any organization. But there are “healthy” levels of formality which can be applied dependent on the nature of the company. For example; if your business or department is involved in sales and marketing, a lighter and friendly mood can certainly make all workloads much lighter.
- Change the appearance of your workplace once in a while. A good physical way to make your workplace more enjoyable is to actually decorate and change its style once in a while. Would you believe that several companies included in the Fortune 500 list have workplaces that are not typical of the corporate scene? The idea is to create not a relaxing workplace but a conducive and comfortable one for the workers to be more productive. Another good idea is to decorate your workplace according to the occasion or season like Halloween, Christmas, Valentines, etc.Remember that safety matters at all times, a great work place should be a safe and enjoyable environment to work in. From good way-finding, to going above the average standard for first aid and health care, a good workplace should ensure that people feel safe, happy and works to make people productive.
- Change the way your conduct meetings and lectures. One of the most boring activities in the workplace is obviously attending a meeting or lecture where employees are required to listen and jot down instructions of bosses which could last hours. If you want interest and participation among employees during meetings, lectures, or conferences, why not change how you conduct meetings. Examples include; holding the meeting in another venue, transforming it into a lunch or dinner meeting, etc.
- Use the “Best Co-Worker” Award. Employee recognition and awarding is also an effective option. If there are awards like “Model Employee”, “Top Sales or Marketing Employee”, you can actually create the “Best Co-Worker” award which will recognize great, helpful, and friendly co-workers based on the votes of all employees.
- Plan and implement friendly competitions or team building strategies. Perhaps, one of the best ways to make your workplace more enjoyable is to improve the working relationships of all employees. This is the reason why team building, corporate outings, and parties are help during corporate anniversaries and other occasions. Additionally, you can also plan a type of employee competition that will not only bring fun but also enhance worker productivity.
Encourage everyone to smile. There are companies which implement simple yet effective sales and marketing rules like smiling. But would you limit the benefits of smiling only to your customers? You should also encourage it inside your organization. Smiling and a pleasant attitude are contagious and will certainly have a positive effect on your working environmen
