By Sangeetha Shreekar
‘You take care of employees, and they will take care of your business’
The sun is shining, the staff is easing into the work commute and it’s time to keep up the morale as the employee’s ease into their work desks and face-to-face meetings. A happy employee will always have high morale, with improved morale comes increased teamwork, greater levels of retention and improved productivity.
Having more than 30yrs of experience in the events industry, we have done the legwork on how to get you started for the employee events without having to break the bank. The events could be scaled down or scaled up to accommodate the teams based on the size. It can be in the parking space of your company, the local park or even the offbeat locations whisking the staff away for a fun filled day amidst nature.
- Fitness & Fun: Nothing like having events planned around to get the staff competing and having fun while testing their fitness level. Scavenger hunt to escape rooms, design the activity from moderate to extreme to get the endorphins flowing.
- Get the family involved: The shift from ‘work-from-home’ to office can be overwhelming. A well planned ‘Family Day – Outdoors’ will ensure the employees have a great time along with the family. A simple BBQ party at the right venue will be more welcomed for the staff to unwind and socialise.
- Charity events: Be it volunteering for a cause the company supports or organising an activity to raise funds for a partner charity, both provides a great platform to showcase the values that the company holds while getting the employees to contribute towards the cause. Local beach clean-up or the visit to the farm to raise awareness, bungee jumping to fun filled danceathon to raise funds, choose your activity and ensure the weather conditions are taken into consideration.
- Out-of-the-box: Think camping with a style of glamping. Nothing beats Ireland with picturesque spots and what better way to bond over campfires after a great corporate conference at off-the-beat locations. Get away from the hassle of scouting for such locations and planning by getting in touch at info@planit.ie
- Create a culture: Introduce concepts like trivia night, planned monthly/quarterly within the office to break the ice. Hire a food truck, invite a local brand, support local business while giving an opportunity to employees to gather in an informal setting on a regular basis.
- Support learning: Invite a speaker, set up a local version of TEDx talks to get your employees inspired. Plan a workshop to complement the skills of your staff, make it fun to learn and bond with their colleagues while learning.
You can always plan a low-cost event that focuses on team spirit and activities. Some examples of these types of activities include bowling, miniature golf and go-kart racing that wouldn’t need to break a bank. If you have enough interest, organize a company volleyball or softball tournament. Physical activities allow employees to blow off steam and see their peers and managers in a different light outside of the workplace. You could also combine any of the above activities to plan a full-fledged fun day for the staff.
Office team-building events are a great way to improve employee morale and help people get to know each other in a less formal setting. Those connections are sure to improve team communication and execution.
Research shows that high morale organizations consistently benefit from less stress, which in turn means higher productivity. High morale is also a prerequisite of employee engagement, and multiple studies have shown that engaged companies outperform competitors in categories like customer service, retention, and profit.
The reality is businesses can’t afford to NOT focus on morale.
As you can see, morale boosters don’t have to break the bank. There are tons of effective solutions that you can implement at little or no cost to you.
So, what are you waiting for? Get planning here