Going to work should be simple: you have a job to do, you do that job, and you go home. Sadly, that isn’t always true. There are many other factors at play, such as the dynamic between employees and their bosses, or amongst employees themselves. Then there’s also the atmosphere created in the workplace. Do people feel comfortable sharing ideas? Is there a balance between work and rest, or is it all work and no play? All of these things affect people’s productivity and the business as a whole, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to improve these atmospheres and dynamics.
Team building
People often work better when they form part of a team. Even if they prefer to do work on their own and at their own pace, knowing that their work affects other people may help motivate them. While workplace relationships should always remain professional, it can also help to have a bit more of a personal connection with one’s coworkers. The best way of achieving this is through team building. With the pandemic, team building has been hard, but CityHunt offers a variety of team building activities that are safe to do with social distancing, and they also have fully virtual team building options.
Brainstorming sessions
Once a week, gather everyone in the company – from the boss to the receptionist and everyone in between. Make sure that everyone is encouraged to speak their mind in this meeting. This should be a time to give input and bring forward ideas without any sense of judgment. Doing this will help employees feel heard and necessary. People will also start bouncing ideas off each other during these brainstorming sessions. Brainstorming is a great way to incorporate everyone in the office during decisions or changes. Maybe the business needs a new logo – ask people for some creative ideas during one of these sessions.
Mandated breaks
When people work too long without a break, they start to lose concentration, and their productivity drops. This is when they are more likely to make mistakes. It also leads to people being irritable and getting into small arguments with each other. By having mandated breaks, you’ll be forcing employees to take their much-deserved rest, and come back with refreshed brains, motivated to work again. Instead of longer breaks, encourage smaller, more frequent breaks. You can learn more about how often people should take work breaks here.
Have a suggestions or complaints box
A lot of the time, people have great ideas, but they don’t have the confidence to share them. Similarly, people may have certain problems or grievances and not want to openly admit them. Something as simple as a box can solve both of these obstacles. People can type out suggestions – such as an idea for improving customer satisfaction – or issues – such as a coworker making inappropriate jokes. This way, they get to say what they needed to say, but it remains anonymous, so they don’t need to fear any backlash.
