Even those who are most honest about why they work hard for you — it’s for the money — are eventually going to get tired and drained over time. That’s especially the case if things are particularly repetitive.
Many employers don’t know what to do when this happens — and that’s why many people are quick to leave. So what’s an employer who cares to do? Plan and execute employee morale events to uplift the spirits of your people. Fortunately, there are many great ideas that fall into that category perfectly.
Here are the top choices popular today.
Game Nights
One of the simplest ways to reinforce morale is to designate one night every week — or every few weeks — as game night. Start this an hour or two before their shifts end so that everyone will participate — even those who usually leave earlier.
You can, of course, have competitive and play team video games around a large TV. If you don’t have the money to spend on consoles, board and card games can be just as fun, if not more fun, for the social element that they bring. The great part of game nights is that they overall don’t cost much to pull off.
Scavenger Hunts
Less something to do weekly and more a single great event to look forward to, scavenger hunts can be planned and executed in and around your office. You can have departments competing against each other or have teams composed of a mix from each department.
The thing about scavenger hunts is that they’re not just utterly enjoyable employee morale events, they also make for amazing opportunities to bond. The key is having a varied and enjoyable set of tasks and challenges to keep people interested.
Volunteer and Serve
Another great way to build up morale is to help out. Studies have found that focusing energies outside your employees towards helping others can increase life morale and increased well-being and self-satisfaction. You can ask around for causes that are particularly important or close to their hearts.
Involve them in the in the planning stages as well — you’ll be surprised at the unique ideas that can sprout from doing so. This also serves to boost your own morale as it directs energy towards something worthwhile.
Get Physical
Finally, another staple of morale building activities is the sports day. Naturally, this is only ideal when your company and employee base is large enough. If you can manage it, sports days can build up excitement, encourage team play, and inject a bit of exercise into the daily grind.
Make sure that you find out the sports that people in your company enjoy playing. There’s not much point to forcing sports on people who won’t play them. Also, make sure you inject some intellectual games as well — not all people are physically inclined.
These are just some of the ideas that are worth pulling off to inspire and motivate your employees. If your people are in need of a morale boost, then these are worth the effort to plan.
Ultimately, the key to successful events is to always go with what your employees will love the most. Remember that it’s always about them and what makes them happy.
