When an office fit out is on the agenda, activities like pool and table tennis are probably the last thing on your mind. Naturally, you are thinking about practical things such as getting enough connection and power ports and having enough desk space to make everyone feel comfortable. But have companies been getting the work to fun ratio wrong? Big players like Google have taught us that giving employees that bit of rest and relaxation time can actually make them more productive, not less. If you are in the midst of an office redesign and you are simply not sure how or where to utilise social activities for staff, then have a think about some of the things successful companies are doing.
Have a canteen – and make people queue
Having a canteen is a wonderful idea for staff as is the idea of making them queue a short while, according to google anyway. They believe that having a canteen that staff have to queue for fosters innovation because during the queuing period, time employees chat to one and other, create exciting new ideas, and subsequently get the ball rolling on potential projects. Just make sure you have enough food to go around so the queue has some sort of reward.
Get some games – it can help with creativity
Games like table tennis and pool may seem like the last in the line in terms of importance during an office fit out, but they can actually be quite important. Having games, and more essentially time to play them, puts employees into a more childlike frame of mind which allows them to be more imaginative. As we all know all of the best ideas started in someone’s head – so encouraging imagination can help your employees be more creative and open. Another dual benefit of offering leisure activities on site is keeping employees there for longer. As well as offering food this is something Google do really well to make their employees feel more at home whilst at work, which naturally makes them more inclined to stay late.
Have breakout spaces – people will feel more willing to share ideas
Anyone who is slightly shy will identify with how intimidating it is to share an idea in a huge board meeting. There is nothing worse than coming out of a meeting realising you had a really good idea but just didn’t get a chance to share it. This is why breakout spaces are becoming more and more popular. Rather than huge formal boardrooms, companies are fitting small breakout spaces into their offices with a relaxed atmosphere and access to drinks and refreshments. Because the atmosphere isn’t as formal this encourages people to be a lot more open with their ideas and share them more freely.
Force your employees to get the work and life balance right – then they won’t burn out
Having leisure activities in the office really helps people relax and start to get the work and life balance right. From something like a table tennis table to a rooftop bar – anything you can add to help your employees wind down will actually make them become more productive. Although it may seem like an employer’s dream to have someone who works all of the time without asking for extra pay, this is just a temporary solution. In the end employees who work too much and do not have enough time to themselves will burn out and become less productive. It also helps if employees can bond with each other on a personal level rather than just professional.
One of the main factors for people enjoying coming into work every day is the people they are surrounded with. Many companies have got this wrong in the past and seen it as a negative that employees form relationships outside of work – but having a few people at work that you get on really well with acts as an incentive to come in when things are getting a bit tough or you feel you are a bit under the weather. If employees form a bond with people, they are a lot less likely to want to feign an illness or not turn up to work – as they won’t want to let the team down. For a complete office refurbishment click here