Employees are the greatest asset of a business. From industrialization to this day, even a true layman can notice a particular kind of progress in the worldwide industry – a “small man” or, if you will, a blue and white collar workers are getting increasingly appreciated. Of course, this is a statistical fact, if we pay attention to isolated cases all around the world, especially in post-socialist countries, we’ll see there’s a lot of abuse of power and exploitation of workers.
However, it is safe to say the world is making progress. Among other things, the internet has brought us the age of transparency; bad news can’t really be contained and they travel far and wide. The information age has, in many ways, put the power back in the hands of people. Both employer and employees can easily inform themselves on how to incorporate recreation and team building in their work environment. After all, it’s a generally accepted truth that all work and no play won’t make employees happy all day.
It goes all the way to the top
The greatest companies in the world usually come from first-world countries. These companies, as leaders to look up to, have a responsibility to lead by example, and they are doing a lot by introducing new and inventive ways to create recreational areas and soothing environments for their employees.
After all, these sorts of additions have shown positive influence on office productivity over time. No matter how faithful the worker is, if they’re stuck in a cubicle all day, the diminishing returns become apparent. In the end, it ultimately benefits business performance.
Trappings
HR policies and rules of conduct often end up creating adverse effects on the social environment of the workplace. Even when there is some semblance of recreation here and there, these constraints dampen the atmosphere and make people feel like replaceable cogs. Does this sound like overkill? Believe it or not, sociologists have discovered this to be a hard-hitting fact. It’s a hard line to walk and even harder to balance.
Furthermore, such strict regulations and watchful eye of management just add to the stress in the workplace until it has a detrimental effect on employee health. This can manifest itself through weakened immune systems, chronic illnesses and pesky allergies. Naturally, this is not sustainable, and your company will see more and more employees leaving. Creating a stress-free work environment is by itself a form of art.
Encouragement is important
Through both visual and verbal means, companies should encourage their employees to move around and have fun. Adding some vibrancy through the use of colorful paint to cover all the bland surfaces and adding workplace friendly plants is an important start.
Try not to stick cubicles close together and add wide tracks to increase “traffic” because movement motivates people. You can add corkboard to cubicle walls to have workers customize them further and use a quality line marking paint to mark the “path” to the recreational environment. Personal touches go a long way.
Now, as far as this environment goes, it can include everything from pool tables to table football, a punching bag, a gym, a running track or everything combined. A corner with board games, chess, cards and other table-top brain-teasers is a must in all companies that dare call themselves modern. Activating brain cells in this way will see your employees through the day as they return refreshed and eager to achieve new business goals in their personalized cubicle.
What does this mean for you as a boss?
This is also important for you as an employer, as it strengthens the bond between you and workers. Creating such environment reflects on your character and your involvement in recreation, whenever you can, will make you more approachable – and this is a crucial trump card when it comes to winning people over, because it’s really not only about money. Employees will see you as someone worth working for and follow your vision as if it’s their own.
If your company offers a stress-free environment with a lot of recreational options, you can bet your bottom dollar the word of mouth will carry this across the city and the internet. This means you will have more potential workers, some of them true virtuosos in their respective field, landing in front of your company door. This can truly lead to quality business growth and a content workforce.