Walked into my office this morning and there it was on my desk: a zipped-up baggie of candy, with a squishy rubber creepie-crawlie and a ghostly note saying “You’ve been BOO-ed!”
It’s raining today and pretty much overcast and gross, but that little bag of goodies brought out the sunshine (and the little kid in me). I dug into the bag immediately for the mini box of Nerds. (Nerds! Ha! Candy irony even!)
Being BOO-ed is sort of like having a Secret Santa, except in October, and with Halloween candy. And eyeing that little bag of generosity and fun reminded me that all work and no play makes an office environment very dull indeed.
As managers, we struggle to find ways to get employees up to speed and to get the most productivity from them. We want them to learn and be successful. But we also need for them to enjoy their work and form strong social bonds so that they stay. All of that time, money, and work to hire and train someone will be gone in a second if they aren’t happy and leave.
Your version of what constitutes office fun is very individual, certainly generational, and may even be relative to whether you’re an introvert or extrovert. This article by twenty-something Shana Lebowitz does a great job of exploring fun in the work place and how to bridge differences to build stronger relationships in our offices.
Is there room for fun in your office? What opportunities are there for your team to gather and share things with each other?
