Putting Some Fun Into Your Business

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Most entrepreneurs don’t work hard at their ventures simply because they want to make money out of them. Instead, you work hard because you feel passionate about what you do, and you want to enjoy the career you build for yourself. Of course, though, along the line, it can be easy to forget about this important part of business. With all of the serious work you have to do, the lighter side of things will often slip by. It doesn’t have to be this way, though, and this post is going to be showing you what can be done to turn things around. Anyone should be able to make their business more exciting with an effort like this.

Before you start working on making your business fun, it’s worth putting in some time to figure out why this is important to you. On a personal level, this will give you a much higher chance to finding job satisfaction, as you will be happy with what you’re doing each day. Along with this, though, you also have to think about anyone who might be working for you. People will always work harder when they enjoy their job, and will often stay with your company long into the future if you can give them something enjoyable everyday.

Achieving a goal like this takes some very specific work. Your company is going to need to go through some changes, with protocols and other routines being adapted to make sure that they fit into your new needs. There are a lot of approaches you can take to add some fun to your business, though, and this makes it a little easier when it comes to choosing one. Below, you can find a long list of a range of the different changes which can be made to most workplaces to enhance the time everyone has in your business.

Light Targets

There are few things in the world which can motivate people like a bit of competition. Of course, when you’re at work, you don’t want this to be stressful, but you still have the chance to keep everyone on their toes. Light performance targets which employees can compare with one another will always be a powerful way to improve office morale. This can be easily achieved using a TV which posts people’s latest results, along with the targets which they should be meeting. While this will make people feel uncomfortable at first, it could make their working life a lot more productive.

The benefits of this sort of arrangement come in many different forms. For one, your employees will be happier with their work, as they will be able to see direct results in the form of targets being met. Along with this, you will be able to start using these numbers as a way to weed out the weak links within your team. Of course, along with these benefits, though, you have to be careful; being too intense with these goals will make people feel miserable. Striking a balance which makes this fund will be a challenge, and it will be worth listening to your employees to make sure they are happy.

Social Time

For a lot of people, one of the best parts of going to work at the start of the day will be the people they interact with. Likewise, you will probably be fond of the people working for you, or they wouldn’t be at your company. Social time while working is one of the best ways to make a job more enjoyable. People will have the chance to catch up, share ideas, and get help regarding their work, all without having to break any rules. This sort of system works best in places where people working around each other. Of course, though, it has to be handled correctly if you want it to work.

Over the last few years, there have been loads of studies into the impact of short breaks on people’s ability to work. Most have found that having breaks every twenty to thirty minutes can drastically improve someone’s productivity, while also giving them the chance to relax. These breaks don’t need to be very long at all. As a business, this will reward you with more work being completed, all the while keeping the people working for you happy, and making the business a lot more fun.

Games And Play

It’s hard to talk about having fun at work without thinking about games. Even when people are busy at their job, there is always a little bit of room for this sort of fun, and there are loads of different ways to add it to your company. Small sports tables are some of the best for this, with examples like football being very popular. While these activities are fun, they don’t make a big mess, and this makes them much easier to deal with. A lot of modern companies are also employing the power of games consoles to perform this role. Of course, though, this will be expensive, and it may not work well for your employees.

Having the chance to perform an activity which will occupy their minds without having to think about work will always make employees happier. As long as play time is kept separate from work time, this sort of idea can be great for your business. People will respond very well to the chance to have some fun like this, making it a great way to build your team, while also giving people something to do on the breaks. TV is very popular as a substitute for this, but will often make people feel sleepy and ready to go home.

Time Away

While embezzlement isn’t on your mind, there are a lot of ways in which a business owner can benefit from their work. Companies can buy their own property, land, and other large items, giving them a lot of power to make your life better. An executive condo Singapore, for example, would give you the chance to travel throughout the year, and it could be entirely owned by the business. Whether this is for simple fun or for actual business trips, being able to afford this sort of option will be a great boon, and will be worth working towards if you have the means.

Of course, if something like this is owned by the business, you’re not the only one who can use it, and this gives you a good chance to make your employees a lot happier with their roles. Having company vacations as a benefit on their job description will make a job much more desirable. Along with this, you will also get the chance to reward hard work, promoting it in the future. Most of all, though, as the biggest benefit you will receive, this will make everyone in the company a lot happier. There isn’t any reason to keep this to yourself, as you will only need it a couple of times each year, and this gives you a great way to make people happy.

Varying Work

Finally, as the last idea to consider, it’s time to think about the boredom which repetition can bring with it, and why you should be working to escape it. Doing the same work everyday will quickly become very tiring. Most people will feel bad about their career, slowly wearing on them until it doesn’t work anymore. Of course, though, when you run your own company, you have the chance to vary your work as little or as much as you want. One day, you could be working on your biggest project, completing work which is essential to the business. On the next, though, you could be doing some accounting, giving yourself the chance to enjoy a varied work week.

Like the other areas on this list, this sort of approach can also be passed down to the people working for you. Varying the work of your employees will always make them happier, as long as the work they are doing is worthwhile. Of course, though, it isn't just about happiness, as this can also impact the quality of their work. Even if they don’t realise it, your employees will get sloppy over time if they are doing the same work. Taking an approach which gives them unique tasks each day, you will keep them on their toes, and bad habits will struggle to form. Along with this, everyone will have a lot more fun.

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There are a lot guides around the web which are dedicated to teaching you how to better use your employees. From ideas which involve strict monitoring to ones which are much more free, there are loads of different areas which can impact this for an employee. Of course, as a big part of this, it’s critical that you consider yourself in the equation. Your business is there to serve you above all else, and this means that you should always be working to find new ways to make it work for you.

Building Fails: Common Problems in Modern Office Buildings

When we think about modern businesses, we often think about a bunch of people crammed in an office. To be fair, that statement could have been made at any point in the past three decades and it would have rung true. And, to be fair (again), modern offices certainly aren’t as dreary as they used to be. But there are now more people than ever working away each day in an office, sitting down for over eight hours for at least five days a week.

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The problem here is that many modern offices suffer from a few building defects. Thankfully, they’re often things that can be remedied. And if these problems do affect your workplace, you should look into them as soon as you can. They affect the health and productivity of your employees, so get to it!

Indoor air quality

The air quality of your average interior isn’t great. Even modern homes that look clean are often filled with dusty, germ-infested air. Sturdy ventilation systems don’t seem to be as prominent in modern buildings as they once were. In offices, however, things are often much worse.

If you want your workers spending most of their week in the office, then it’s only fair that you get the air quality under control. You have to make sure the ventilation is working correctly, and that the air ducts are free from dust clogs. Any chemicals used in the building process, as well as throughout your tenure, will affect the air quality. Consider talking to the building owner, and perhaps look into getting an air filtration system.

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The lifts

Problems with lifts (or elevators) seem to be getting more and more common all the time. It seems strange, given that our technology here should have evolved. But lifts installed in the past decade or so seem to be more prone to error than the ones that have been around for a long time.

I’m not someone who feels that comfortable in lifts at the best of times. But if it breaks down, or is running slowly? Then that will cause immense stress. It will also lose you time, which will drastically cut productivity. Getting these things fixed often take way too long. But this shouldn’t be the case, nor does it need to be the case. Make sure you look up the best lift maintenance service you can get.

Over-illumination

Over-illumination isn’t something you may have heard of before, but you probably already know what I’m talking about. Over-illumination is such a prominent problem that it has its own Wikipedia article! An overabundance of artificial light is a problem in department stores, gyms, and - of course - offices.

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There’s an over-reliance on fluorescent lighting in offices. It zaps away so much energy - and I’m not just talking about electrical energy. Worker energy is also affected. There are certain things you can do to maximize the light that does come in. But, if it’s up to you, you should look into adding windows and skylights. They’re not quick, easy, or cheap solutions, I’ll grant you that. But when you consider the positive effects of increased natural light? Whatever price you pay could end up being a bargain. You may also want to explore drop ceilings as a potential solution depending on the space.

These are just a few examples of how you can improve your office space. Being intentional and thinking about all the details of your office and how they can better support your team is important. It impacts employee productivity and retention, two crucial parts of a successful company culture. Think about the return on these investments and you should be able to get buy-in to create a physical space for your team that works for them as hard as they work for you!

Batman and the Open Work Environment

When I was in college there was a blissful place in the library called the quiet area. I could go to this place and something magical would happen – no one would talk to me or around me. It was my own productivity cave. Then, I got to the real world and I was introduced to the open work environment – also know as a fashion show of headphones.

The open work environment – an airy creative space to give you room to think. To allow you to collaborate with your colleagues and to really get some “innovative” work done. But what if collaboration isn’t for every minute of every day? At first I thought, I was a broken millennial. I am terrible at ping-pong and other games that frequent the open work environment, and I prefer not to drink beer at work. For the record, I like my cave. I want to be alone.

Someone who prefers to work alone? An endangered species. But then it hit me – Batman (no he didn’t actually hit me, that would suck and I would probably be dead). Batman liked his space and he did a pretty good job juggling a double life as a super hero and millionaire. Not only that, but he knew when to work with a team and when he was the only man for the job.  If he ever did yoga, his balance would be a sight to behold.

Working styles differ and finding the best one for you is important.  Realizing the space and environment I thrive in boost my productivity and creativity. Some prefer the active and energizing open work space, other prefer a coffee shop buzz or working at midnight.  Whatever you prefer, finding the right fit will be a great improvement on your work life.

If anyone needs me, use the signal. I’ll be in my cave.

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Bethany’s background includes working for startups, corporations, and ad agencies. Her area of expertise is digital communication and marketing strategy. She works as the Marketing Director for CordiaGrad and graduated from University of Kentucky (Go Cats!) with her B.B.A in Marketing.

Bethany has lived in 6 different states and enjoys taking spontaneous weekend trips to explore new cities. She is a Memphis native and volunteers with St. Jude Research Hospital.  She follows Kentucky Basketball when they are winning which, according to her, is always. Connect with her on Twitter to keep the conversation going.

Our Sustainable Energy Impact, By the Numbers

I've been searching for a while for a good infographic that captures the impact of saving energy, much like I did before with waste.

This one from the Mother Nature Network (albeit from a few years ago) serves to convey the point the best I've been able to find so I wanted to share it out to send home the point I always try to make that saving the environment, saves money.

One big tip I've found that isn't clearly represented on here is unplugging any electronic when not in use. An easy way to do this is by smart power strips that only draw energy when needed or just simply allow you to easily turn off multiple electronics (like TVs, game consoles, sound systems, etc) when not in use. Otherwise, energy efficient light bulbs (which you turn off when not needed), temperature control, and conserving water are great ways to save on electricity and help the planet while you're at it.

With everyone making small changes like this, we can make a big impact.

Thanks for stopping by!