Jeff Murphy – SnackNation

31 Best Corporate Office Party Games, Activities, & Ideas For Work In 2022 (Have Everyone Buzzing For Weeks)

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:45:52 +0000

It’s no secret, office party event planning is an art form. If done properly, employee retention, satisfaction, and a number of other workplace factors will improve. At some companies, employees will patiently wait all year long for a signature work party event.

Pro-tip: Get more workplace culture and employee engagement tips from The Assist, a free 4x weekly email newsletter loved by HR & People Leaders.

Corporate office party games, activities, and ideas are critical for workplace celebrations. An effective work social event provides the opportunity for employees and staff to connect on a personal level while participating in fun work party activities that are great for a large group setting.

Whether it’s a going-away party, a retirement party, Employee Appreciation Day, or a holiday work party, these fun office party ideas will ensure the good times keep rolling!

Helping your work party to…

Be memorable and unique
Get conversations started
Build team chemistry

And do it all for an affordable value, we’ve come up with 31 of the best corporate office party games, activities, and ideas!

Without further ado, let’s get this party started!

Fun Corporate Office Party Games For Work

Corporate office party games for work are inclusive, entertaining, and designed to bond coworkers and employees for a more cohesive workplace.

1. Charity Office Party

Millennials and Gen Z love social causes. In fact, social causes are becoming more and more popular across all generations, so it’s only natural to see office parties mix them in with the festivities.

Why this is a fun work party game: A Charity Office Party is engaging and it’s also a serious culture builder. The best companies make the world a better place and that’s something your team will be proud to be a part of.

Check out a few of these community-building office party ideas:

Philanthropy is the new corporate flex. And what a beautiful trend that is!

2. Office Christmas Party Games

One of the best ways to get everyone in the holiday spirit is by playing some Christmas-themed party games. Office Christmas party games are a great way to break the ice and have employees and coworker bond feel engaged.

Why this is a fun work party game: Office Christmas party games add excitement and competition to your event. There are a variety of games available, from simple icebreakers to more complex team-building exercises that attendees can enjoy. No matter what type of game you choose, have some prizes on hand to award the winners.

Check out a few of these office Christmas party games:

Whatever game you choose will add holiday cheer to your office party!

3. Virtual Office Party

Whether you’ve got a pandemic keeping your team apart or your business requires your team to be distributed around the world, throwing a Virtual Office Party is a perfect way to bring everyone together — even if it’s to celebrate behind a screen on Zoom!

Why this is a fun work party game: Who says dancing and playing and partying like it’s 1999 can only be done in person? With a Virtual Office Party, coworkers can get to know the silly, fun, and partially wild side of one another.

Set up your own Virtual Office Party via your favorite conference call service or select an interactive host to lead you through virtual games like:

There is no shortage of virtual office party ideas out there so take some time to plan a memorable online party for your employees.

4. Office Game Show!

Our next lucky contestant, come on down! Liven up your next office party with an Office Game Show! They’re perfect for team building, and they can be customized to fit the theme of your party. Plus, with so many different types of games to play with this format, the possibilities are endless.

Why this is a fun work party game: Office game shows are excellent for boosting morale and building team spirit. They combine the thrills of a game show with the camaraderie of the office environment. Plus, their connection with classic game shows will bring back a little bit of nostalgia for participating coworkers.

If you are ready to play, grab your buzzer and check out these game show-themed activities:

An office-wide game show will help make your next work party one to remember.

5. Murder Mystery Office Party

Ever binge-watched cold case shows or serial killer documentaries? There’s just something irresistible about trying to solve a crime.

Why this is a fun work party game: A Murder Mystery Office Party is the perfect way to bring the spooky, strange, and fascinatingly macabre into the workplace.

For some of the best Murder Mystery games, follow these clues:

Dim the office lights and let the whodunnit scenarios begin!

6. Scavenger Hunt

An office scavenger hunt is an easy way to get everyone competing or working together if you decide to form teams. To really make this an exciting corporate party idea, up the ante by giving away a super cool gift for employees to the winner!

Why this is a fun work party game: The best office party games have a low barrier to entry, meaning anyone can play! Unlike poker or a skill-based game, scavenger hunts are the sort of activity we’ve all done since we were kids.

Set up your own scavenger hunt or let the scavenger pros help you out. Check out:

Also, these scavenger hunt ideas can be customized by location, theme, type of work event, and much more for a truly unique corporate party experience.

7. Unique Office Party Games

Are you looking for a corporate party event that is a bit out-of-the box? Something your coworkers will remember for years to come due to its unique nature. You might want to consider hosting an office party that your coworkers have never attended before.

Why this is a fun work party game: A unique office party activity is a refreshing way to bond as a work team. They can put coworkers into a new environment that is sure to spice things up and keep people engaged.

Explore a few unique party games & ideas that are sure to be the talk of the town:

These examples are perfect when you want to try something new with your employees and truly have a unique experience.

8. Holiday Office Party In A Box

If you are looking for something a bit in-the-box for your next holiday work party, try out a shippable experience where you and your coworkers will each receive a party kit to make for a memorable event with your colleagues. It’s that time of the year to be thankful for everything we have, so why not do something new with the people you’ve been working so hard with all year.

Why this is a fun work party game: Perfect for teams with employees that work remotely, part-time, or from home — these party in a box events are a unique way to bond and laugh with your coworkers over an activity that is engaging and easy to jump right in on!

Try out one of these fun holiday office party boxes to ship right to your employees’ doorstep:

These party boxes will come with all the necessary supplies to host a holiday party that your coworkers will not soon forget.

9. Bonding Together Over Food

What’s a party without delicious food? Bonding together over food is a party 101 fundamental and it gives your party-goers the fuel they need to dance, laugh, and enjoy the event for its entire duration.

Why this is a fun work party game: Some people come to parties just for the food. Anything else is a bonus for the taste-seeking crowd.

To get your employees or coworkers bonding over food, have a look at the:

In many cultures, having a meal together keeps friends and family close-knit. Snack boxes and these other treats might just be the family meal of the workplace.

10. Escape Room

Looking for a team building activity? An Escape Room is a fun brain-busting challenge designed to get brilliant minds of the workplace collaborating to solve it!

Why this is a fun work party game: These virtual or in-person workplace activities will boost communication, chemistry, and excitement all at once. Whether you choose to simulate an escape from a bank heist, a crashing spaceship, or a giant labyrinth, there’s an Escape Room to support your vision.

Kick-off your own adventure and get out before it’s too late with one of these adrenaline-pumping options:

Most of these Escape Rooms come with a variety of options to stretch you and your team’s imaginations and wits.

11. Happy Hour

The great thing about Happy Hour is that it isn’t a once-in-a-blue-moon celebration. You can celebrate Happy Hour every month — heck, you can throw a Happy Hour once per week if you’ve got that kind of fun-loving office culture going on!

Why this is a fun work party game: Nothing gets social juices flowing and lifts the spirits quite like libations. After all, they call them spirits for a reason! Pair your Happy Hour with snacks and appetizers and nobody will want to miss these occasions.

Host the happiest of Happy Hours with a:

Some of these fantastic Happy Hour options will deliver on the promise of a wine tasting right to your and your coworkers’ homes, other options will combine libations and explorations, but all of them are worth the hype!

Fun Corporate Office Party Activities For Work

Corporate office party activities for work are things that attendees can do at parties to have fun, get to know each other better and make memories during those big celebrations.

12. Don’t Forget The Pets

Pets — like food — are pretty much a guaranteed winner. It’s hard not to have an impossibly good time with fur babies running around and being super adorable.

Why this is a fun work party activity: Pets make everything more fun, less stressful, and happier. Just be sure to find out if anyone in the office has pet allergies so you can plan accordingly.

Turn your office into a pet-friendly workplace with:

Again, make sure to double-check for any allergies before welcoming the fur babies to the office party. Besides that, look forward to having tail-wagging fun!

13. Office Talent Show

An Office Talent Show is the ideal way to see the other side of your coworkers! This gives everyone in the workplace a chance to reveal their hidden talents when the lights shine the brightest.

Why this is a fun work party activity: “Work, work, work without any play is just no fun, but an office talent show gives everyone their time in the sun”

Get your talent show ready and find the next big office star with:

Talent Show Sign Up Sheet
Zoom Coworker Talent Show
Talent Show Ideas

Setting up an Office Talent Show isn’t as easy as it might seem, so feel free to enlist a little outside help!

14. Food Truck Rodeo

Fire up the food trucks! It’s time for a food truck rodeo. Once you have the space set aside for your very own office rodeo, reach out to local food truck operators or use a food truck catering resource to help call in the right kind of help.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Food Truck Rodeos work for almost anywhere because it’s a mobile party. You can call them for the parking lot or you can rent out an open area and have them come there.

To get the yee-haw deliciousness started check out:

BBQ Food Truck
Taco Truck
Burger Truck

You could even make food trucks a recurring thing with events like Taco Tuesdays!

15. DIY Photobooth

Selfies, anyone? DIY Photobooths are a hit at parties because they fit right in with the ethos of our times. Nowadays, there’s no shame in whipping out the selfie stick and at parties, there’s nothing keeping you and your group from capturing a memory through a photobooth.

Why this is a fun work party activity: This office party idea will draw people in like no other. Besides, did you even party if you didn’t take pics?

Set up a party photoshoot for you and your coworkers by using:

To turn a party into a literally unforgettable event, give a DIY Photobooth a spin!

16. Karaoke Night

Karaoke Night is a night for singing — whether real or lip-syncing — in order to wow the audience.

Why this is a fun work party activity: Karaoke is a great opportunity to let personality, talents, and passion shine through. This corporate party activity will quite literally give everyone a chance for others to hear their voice!

Sing the night away with:

You’ll hit all the right notes with your employees or coworkers with this corporate party idea!

Fun Corporate Office Party Ideas For Work

Corporate office party ideas cover a wide spread of activities, games, and other things for employees, executives, and coworkers to do at company parties.

17. Office Awards Banquet

The Office Awards Banquet is a simple yet always effective way to boost employee engagement and recognition.

Why this is a fun work part idea: They can invite friends and family to witness their greatness and be entertained all at once.

Enjoy an awards banquet and:

This Dundees-inspired event is the perfect celebration of employee excellence!

18. Throwback Game Night

Throwback Game Night is a retro nod to the games we grew up on!

Why this is a fun work part idea: This office party game night is an interesting way to tap into nostalgia, which allows coworkers and employees to reminisce and bond over their childhood.

For a super fun game night check out:

Old School Video Game Stickers
Have coworkers bring in video game consoles
Board games!

Shoots and Ladders? Twister, anyone?

19. Mini Basketball Hoop Tournament

Mini Basketball Hoop Tournament At Limeade

You can host a Mini Basketball Hoop Tournament anytime! This fun office party game can also turn every day into a party even during the workweek.

Why this is a fun work part idea: Part of the reason Mini Hoops is so enjoyable is that it’s simple and gives people the opportunity to stretch their legs and compete!

See who the office MJ or Lebron is with:

Give a Mini Basketball Hoop Tournament a shot!

20. Obscure Holiday Party

An Obscure Holiday Party is quite literally an excuse to throw a party — and hey, nobody blames you! We should find every excuse we can to celebrate the big and small victories in life and in the workplace.

Why this is a fun work part idea: While Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco De Mayo celebrations are fairly common, have you ever thrown an office holiday party for Unicorn Day? What about Squirrel Appreciation Day?

Check out some of the most obscure of the obscure holidays:

National Hat Day — January 15
Squirrel Appreciation Day – January 21
Random Acts of Kindness Day – February 17
Employee Appreciation Day – first Friday in March
Pi Day – March 14th
Manatee Appreciation Day – March 30
Unicorn Day – April 9
Earth Day – April 22
Bike to work day – May 20
Talk Like a Pirate Day – September 19
International Coffee Day – September 29

Turn every week into a celebration with these obscure holiday party ideas!

21. Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork Party

Team building activities are the perfect bonding events for office parties.

Why this is a fun work part idea: The benefits of team building last long after the party ends. These fun games will boost everything from better communication to better morale. They can even be done online for virtual team building fun.

Find out why Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork with:

Random Team Shark Tank (Plan your pitch with people from other departments in the office)
Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
Code Break

Break into teams and give it a go!

Fun Corporate Office Party Themes For Work

Office party themes are themes or specific topics you can plan a workplace celebration around.

22. Hawaiian

Bust out the Hawaiian shirts and say aloha to your new favorite office party theme for work.

Why this is a fun work party theme: Work can be stressful and nothing welcomes your coworkers or employees to destress and unwind quite like a Hawaiian-themed office party.

Throw the perfect luau with these office decor ideas:

And don’t forget the healthy office party snacks and the tropical punch!

23. Holiday Ugly Sweaters

In the same vein as white elephant gifts, holiday ugly sweater parties are designed to break the serious tone and monotony of day-to-day corporate hustle and bustle.

Why this is a fun work party theme: Holiday sweaters allow people to be as goofy, free, and playful as they’d like in the most harmless way. It’s one step closer to a judgment-free corporate atmosphere.

Remember, the tackier and more grandma-approved the sweater, the better!

Pro-Tip: Don’t forget to check out our virtual holiday party ideas article!

24. Roaring 20s

This Gatsby-esque office party theme is all about lavishness, excess, and glamour.

Why this is a fun work party theme: The flapper, jazzified style of the Roaring Twenties has remained popular for good reason and that reason is — extravagance!

Turn the hands of time back to the Roaring 20s with:

Break out the suits, the gowns, and the champagne!

25. Olympics

Hosting a workplace Olympics is a chance to light the fires of competition. See what your employees and coworkers are made of!

Why this is a fun work party theme: Friendly competition makes the workplace go round. The office Olympics are a time-tested office tradition where wits, wills, and talents are tested.

Get the opening ceremonies started with:

Reward the medal-winning teams and individuals generously with snack boxes and other goodies!

26. Decades

Whether you’re into the counterculture or disco of the 70s, the euphoric 80s, or the nostalgic 90s, there’s a theme for that.

Why this is a fun work party theme: Decades-themed office parties give employees, clients, and whoever you invite, the opportunity to be transported to another era.

Time travel with themes like this for each department:

HR – 60s
Marketing: 70s
Sales: 80s
Finance: 90s

Make each decade as interactive as possible. For instance, at a 90s theme party, you could have a Nintendo handy for attendees to play Super Smash Bros.

Fun Corporate Event Ideas Outside The Office

Corporate event ideas outside the office are events that help employees step outside of their usual 9-to-5 environment.

27. Tour Around Your City

A staycation can be just as much fun as an exotic getaway — especially when it comes to discovering hidden gems right there in your own city.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Touring around your city lets your employees and coworkers bond over and find local hangouts and cool sites!

Tour the city with:

Consider doing a virtual scavenger hunt in the city as well!

28. Sporting Event

Sporting events are a go-to outside of office corporate events.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Whether you invite the corporate crew to a baseball, football, or soccer game, the real reward will be the quality time and the electricity of the stadium.

Alternatively, you can also turn the team from spectators to participants with:

Intramural League Party
Baseball Game (Minor or major league)
Field Day / Spirit Day

Let the games begin!

29. Around The Potluck

People relish the opportunity to show some individual flare. With Around The Potluck, every employee or coworker gets the chance to show off their finest recipes — or to indulge in everybody else’s!

Why this is a fun work party activity: If any Office fans remember Kevin Malone spilling chili all over the office floor, you know immediately how much pride people take in their cooking. Now is their opportunity to show off their culinary skills!

Try your Potluck with:

And it’s okay to take the leftovers — we won’t tell anyone!

30. Rent an Epic House on Airbnb

Renting an epic Airbnb house is the ultimate corporate office party hack!

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: Having your own space outside of the workplace is ideal for an office party.

To throw an absolute rager of a corporate event, try:

Beer Pong
Large group icebreakers
Pool Party
Personalized Shirts – “SnackNation Summer Party 2022”

Airbnb is the go-to for short-term rentals because there’s an option for your exact needs. The catch? You gotta book your dream rental while you can!

31. The Great Outdoors

This outdoor party theme is great for taking a break from the cubicles and the corporate setting.

Why this is a fun outdoor work party: This is perhaps the most outside the office you can get. Nature recharges and rejuvenates, which is why most retreats involve the great outdoors.

To get your next company retreat started:

Hike a local trail
Teach employees to Surf
Saturday at the beach/lake

Break out the hiking boots and breathe in that fresh air!

How to Host a Successful Corporate Work Party for Your Office

Successfully hosting a corporate work party for your office is a deliberate process, but the end results are worth the effort. These are a few recommended steps to pulling off the office party of the year:

Step 1 – Figure out the number of attendees, the food, the venue, and all the other particulars for the in-person or virtual event

Step 2 – Figure out the time and the date that conveniently allows the most people to attend

Step 3 – Create a party planning committee to help pull it off

Step 4 – Create a budget and don’t deviate from it more than the company can afford

Step 5 – Decide on alcohol limits and bartending details

Step 6 – Lay out the rules of the party so everyone is on the same page

Step 7 – Figure out vendors, caterers, and sponsors for your event

27 Surefire Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing In 2022

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 18:56:20 +0000

Let’s face it – we spend the majority of our waking lives at work.

For most of us, our lives are made up mostly of work.

Companies are learning that acknowledging – rather than denying – this fact is not just the right thing to do, but also a sound business decision.

Speaking of sound business decisions, one way businesses are making sure they are taking care of their employees is by seeing if they qualify for the Employee Retention Credit. It’s a simple 60-second online qualification process, and some businesses are reaping 7-figure awards.

In a recent interview, Life is Good founder Bert Jacobs emphasized that focusing on things like employee wellbeing has an often under-acknowledged business benefit for organizations.

According to Jacobs, focusing on employee wellbeing and purpose is “a smart strategy for building a strong business….The organization only hurts themselves if they’re not working in the best interest of everybody at their organization.”

Why is this the case? Employee wellbeing is linked to employee engagement and productivity, and your organization becomes stronger across the board when you make it a priority.

Take your appreciation efforts to the next level by managing them through an employee recognition and engagement platform like Bonusly.

Your company isn’t the product you make, your intellectual property, your patents, or even the customers you serve. First and foremost, your company is your people. (Literally. The word “company” comes from the military, and simply refers to a body of soldiers.)

Before we get to brass tacks, first a quick note on what we mean by employee wellbeing:

“Employee happiness,” “employee engagement,” and “employee wellbeing” are terms that are often thrown around interchangeably. While they’re all related, they mean different things and imply different strategies.

What’s the difference?

Specifically, employee wellbeing is about how your job – your duties, expectations, stress level, and environment – affects your overall health and happiness.

And while it certainly includes things like exercise and nutrition, well-being isn’t just about physical health. It’s about mood and cognition, and less tangible factors like a sense of purpose. Above all, it’s about understanding your employees from a holistic perspective, taking into account the totality of their lives, and considering their overall quality of life.

Easier said than done, we know. But we’re here to help.

Get Your Free Retention Checklist For Managers

Here are 27 proven and powerful ways to boost employee wellbeing at your company.

Once you’ve gone through our list, check out The Assist to discover more ways to boost employee wellbeing and create a thriving culture at work:

“One thing The Assist has helped me immensely with is keeping our company culture alive during this new shift to remote work. It is important for us to have a team who is happy and healthy and The Assist has provided tons of options to help make that possible for our team.” Julie P., The Assist subscriber

1. Make Recognition and Praise Part of Your Company’s Culture.

One of the most desired – and easiest to implement – wellbeing initiatives is simply to recognize employees for their effort and achievements. A recent survey shows that 70% of employees say recognition makes them feel emotionally connected to peers while another 70% say recognition makes them happier at home. The impact of a recognition-rich culture cannot be understated.

Nectar makes it really easy to build recognition and praise into your company’s culture to create a positive work environment. With Nectar, all employees are empowered to give recognition, increasing the frequency and stickiness of praise throughout your organization.

This is especially effective for Millennial employees, who are accustomed to receiving praise from a very young age. Being part of the so-called “self-esteem generation,” they often crave recognition more than a pay raise.

A handwritten thank you note, or formal recognition program – like Nectar, for example – all go a long way towards creating a positive emotional environment that supports wellbeing.

Or you could do a “Crush It Call”. Here’s how we do them at SnackNation HQ:

2. Throw Down Fitness Challenges.

Fitness challenges are one of the best ways to kickstart your company’s wellbeing into gear.

Why are they so effective? Fitness challenges unlock the spirit of fun and friendly competition. Peer involvement will encourage greater participation, and inspire your team to push themselves further than they would on their own.

Here at SnackNation, we recently launched the “Walk it Out” step challenge, during which the entire org received Jawbone fitness trackers, and logged our steps daily – you can also use a recognition platform like Bonusly to build custom fitness challenges.

The goal was to “walk” from LA to San Francisco as a team over the course of 4 weeks – that is, log the 772,000 steps between LA and the city by the bay.

In addition to the team goal, prizes were awarded for individual step leaders after each week. It was that combination of shared and individual goals that held the key to the program’s success. Our team felt a sense of togetherness and esprit de corps as we strove for common goals, and celebrated individual leaders throughout the week.

Fitness challenges don’t cost much to launch (fitness trackers are great, but definitely not required), and provide outsized benefits to your organization, fostering both team building and overall wellbeing.

3. Recognize your top talent with gifts that inspire wellbeing & connection.

While employee wellbeing during business hours is vitally important to the health of your company, you might be losing out on an opportunity to help staff recharge, relax, and experience new things.

With experiential gifts, you can reward an employee with a chance to check something off their bucket list with a customized experience.

While the productivity gains we’ve received through remote and hybrid work may be benefiting the bottom line, the downside is that they’re masking a workforce on the verge of burnout. Why not recognize your employees’ achievements with rewards and gifts that support their wellbeing?

Blueboard is an experience-based rewards tool that offers employee wellbeing gifts designed to rejuvenate, reconnect, and inspire. Imagine offering your employees their choice of a kayaking trip for two, a pottery class, a month at their favorite yoga studio, or a VIP museum experience with the family.

With Blueboard wellbeing gifts, employees are empowered to celebrate with experiences that challenge their comfort zone, introduce them to a new hobby, or that offer connection and quality time with their loved ones. weekend treats to better help fight employee burnout, recognize their wins, and support better work/life balance. Here are some ideas for employees to fill their special weekend:

Golf round at a local course they’ve been wanting to try
Weekend vacation at a resort
A helicopter your through the city
A zero-gravity float therapy session

Check out the Blueboard catalog to learn more about this wellbeing idea and how impactful it can be for your employees who work so hard!

4. Launch an Employee Wellbeing Survey.

To harness the collective power of your employees effectively, it becomes pretty clear that getting their input can save you a lot of time and energy.

Get Your Free Employee Wellbeing Survey

When creating and building your employee wellbeing program, wellness surveys can help make sure your strategies are tailored to your team, are fun and engaging, and are optimized to provide long-term value, both for employees and your business.

5. Plan a Mental Health Awareness Month Activity.

To celebrate Mental Health Awareness in May, you can work with your team members to organize a guided activity that encourages employees to relax, refocus, and destress. We know that your team works hard, so taking a moment to enjoy each other’s company without chatting about spreadsheets and deadlines, can make a huge difference.

The Tea & Mindfulness Experience from Unboxed Experiences takes guests on relaxing tea tastings and meditation exercises. These branded tea tasting and wellness kits can be sent to employees’ homes or to the office for your team to use during the activity.

Plus, Tea has powerful anti-anxiety effects that can help reduce stress, improve moods, and induce relaxation.

Explore a Virtual Tea Garden

One last thing! Unboxed Experiences supports causes that promote mental health by donating fees from its Tea & Mindfulness Experience to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a leading nonprofit advocacy group for individuals affected by mental illness.

6. Create A Monthly Virtual Wellness Event Program.

Is your team distributed or working remotely? Try this!

Want to do something truly transformative for your employees? Why not bring in world-leading experts in Stress, Mental Health, Burnout, Sleep, Nutrition and more every month to teach them powerful tips? It doesn’t have to be time-consuming if you work with Wellable, the world leader in live-taught virtual wellness experiences for teams!

Wellable has perfected expert-led, private wellness-focused experiences for teams that give employees valuable lessons and resources to feel better. Their monthly event series see as high as 90% engagement! All your team has to do is show up to the session on their calendar, and the Wellable team will take care of the rest!

To get started, book a free consultation with the Wellable team to learn more about their offerings and why over 5,000 companies are choosing Wellable for all of their wellbeing needs!

Get Your Free Retention Checklist For Managers

7. Show You Care with Caroo.

Looking for a beautifully simple way to boost employee wellness? Try premium care packages that show your team how much you care.

Caroo makes it easy to add your own personal touch to their expertly curated premium gifts, ensuring your employees get gift boxes that make them feel cared for and also inspired. Receiving items they love along with messages of caring will nurture the social and emotional dimensions of your employees’ wellness.

8. Take on mental wellness with shared laughter.

Your employees want to feel seen and heard, and Laughter On Call has the solution.

The team at Laughter On Call is passionate about creating connections through shared laughter. With their roots in mental wellness, their diverse team of compassionate comedians lead inclusive, and highly interactive sessions – whether virtual or in-person – that deliver comic relief and engage even the most introverted on your team. Learn more here.

9. Invest in Affordable Weekly Virtual Employee Wellbeing.

What would your team do if they could come together weekly for live-taught Meditation, Yoga, Fitness, team-building and other wellness classes taught by experts? They’d thrive. Practicing mindfulness is associated with several facets of overall well-being, including reduced stress, enhanced relationships, and stronger focus.

At SnackNation, we perform an employee-led guided meditation session every Wednesday at 2 pm. Our resident meditation expert, Spencer Carlson, studied the practice in India, and helps our team become more mindful and present.

Like mindfulness, guided meditation offers almost too many benefits to list. They include things like better sleep, improved metabolism and weight loss, reduced stress and aging, and improved mood and cognition.

So why not give your employees the chance to build a sustainable, long-term wellness practice with regular live-taught Movement, Mindset, Purpose, Nutrition and other wellness sessions led by world-class experts.

10. Break Out In an Impromptu Dance Competition.

This idea comes from the awesome folks at Sonic Boom wellness, based in Carlsbad, CA:

“Sitting at a desk for an entire eight-hour shift (or longer) can take its toll on our physical and mental wellbeing. As one of the many creative ways we help keep Sonic Boom employees engaged while at work, our Co-founders suggested that we participate in random two-minute dance parties – an idea borrowed from the popular Ellen daytime talk show.

When the music starts playing in our colorful Think Tank, Boomers are encouraged to stop what they’re doing, get up from their computers, and let loose with some sweet dance moves. Not only do we get our blood flowing, we also experience a healthy mental release by dancin’ like we just don’t care (and building some special camaraderie with our coworkers in the process).

A bit silly? Of course. But is everyone smiling at the end? You betcha.”

11. Empower Wellness with Swag.

Wellness doesn’t have to be out of reach when you have the right tools. Employees have the motivation to be well, but sometimes, they just need a little boost toward their goals.

Give them the support they need with branded wellness gifts from Swag.com. Not only does this swag help boost employees’ wellness game, but it will also show them appreciation while encouraging loyalty.

Get inspiration for your feel-good giveaways by checking out these wellness offerings from Swag.com:

12. Give Employees The Tools to Discover Their Purpose.

Jenn Lim, the CEO and Chief Happiness Officer at Delivering Happiness – a company she co-founded with Zappos’ Tony Hsieh to help companies unlock the business potential of happiness – is a huge proponent of purpose-driven cultures.

Lim and DH take a scientific look at happiness, drawing on positive psychology to determine how companies can optimize their cultures. One of the primary insights they found is that a sense of purpose is key to creating a sustainable culture of happiness and wellbeing.

According to the team’s research, there are three levels of happiness:

pleasure – a fleeting form of happiness
passion – a more sustained form of happiness that continues to deliver as long as you are performing the activity about which you are passionate
purpose – the highest level, which permeates your daily life with happiness and energy

Under this rubric, the best thing you can do for employee wellbeing is to infuse your culture with a sense of purpose.

How is this done?

Chris Cutter, CEO of LifeDojo wellbeing, says,

“We believe that when you put genuine employee engagement first, permanent positive health habits follow.” So what makes “genuine” engagement in wellbeing? According to LifeDojo, a few things:

First, focus on your employees’ intrinsic motivation (everyone has very specific, individual goals and reasons for working on their own health).

Second, foster a sense of ownership by encouraging employees to personalize what health and wellbeing habits they’ll work on as part of your wellness initiatives.

Third, offer a coach who can treat employees not as problems to be solved, but as human beings to empower. Finally, give employees the opportunity to be champions of the program, encouraging your team to grow interest in new initiatives from the bottom up…instead of imposing new programs from the top down.

Engagement has an incredible impact on your company culture. When an employee sees wellbeing as a perk instead of something they ‘have to do,’ you start to see job satisfaction, productivity and appreciation skyrocket.”

(For more on the power of purpose, check out our Ultimate List of Employee Engagement Ideas)

13. Encourage Employees to Develop Friendships.

It should come as no surprise that building lasting friendships can be one of the most fulfilling aspects of our lives. And one of the best wellness strategies you can foster.

However, you may be interested to learn that recent research proves that when working in a team, friends outperform strangers.

Ohio State researchers compared the results of 26 different studies and concluded that friends coordinate tasks more effectively because they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that can break up work in the most effective way.

Robert Lount, a co-author of the study and associate professor at Ohio State’s business school, notes, “Working with friends is not just something that makes us feel good – it can actually produce better results.”

Employee engagement is at an all-time low and one way to encourage employees to care more about their job–encourage them to foster friendships.

Feeling safe, supported and appreciated at work can go a long way to improve performance and productivity but social interactions also release oxytocin, referred to as the love drug.

According to MindBodyGreen, humans are social beings and our brains have evolved to ensure our survival which means that they operate best when we interact and connect with others. Social exchanges can decrease stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing feelings of happiness and calm.

Oxytocin also calms “the fear center of the brain, and strengthens its communications with brain circuits that help you control emotions.”

When you boil it down, having friends at work helps you be better at your job by improving communication and collaboration, and perhaps more importantly, it leads to a happier life overall.

Here a couple simple ideas to facilitate connections for your employees:

Implement a new hire buddy system
Allow co-workers to take their full lunch break
Encourage team traditions and rituals
Start an office-wide Slack channel dedicated to sharing personal interests
Consider having a yearly offsite

Get Your Free Retention Checklist For Managers

14. Get Some Steps in During Your Meetings.

Want another way to help your team “hack” their way to improved health? Hold your next meeting on foot.

Walking meetings are a great way to add a little movement and exercise into your schedule, without sacrificing productivity.

In fact, you’re more likely to enhance your productivity.

Take your business meetings a step further – with a walking meeting. It works for me: http://t.co/laCOwqQ57D pic.twitter.com/dyIyi07i8y

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 6, 2015

The benefits of ditching stuffy conference rooms for meetings on-the-go are plentiful: the added blood flow and shifting environment will enhance focus and spur creativity.

Think we’re making this up? Some of the greatest thinkers in history – including Steve Jobs, Harry S. Truman, and even Aristotle – swore by walking meetings.

El Segundo, California-based skincare brand Murad came up with an ingenious way to encourage walking meetings. They painted a walking track in their new, 45,000 global headquarters. The track, which snakes through and around the floor of their offices, enables employees to stretch their legs and discuss work on the fly.

Lisa Sterling, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at human capital management technology company Ceridian, offers another cool idea:

“Several Ceridian offices have installed treadmill workstations for employees to walk while on conference calls, web meetings or working on their laptops. It’s a way to encourage our people to keep moving during the day and is actively embraced by our people.”

15. Institute Flexible Work Hours for Improved Work/Life Balance.

As we mentioned in the beginning, workplace wellness isn’t just about physical health. It’s about one’s overall quality of life.

Our lives are multi-faceted. Work is important, but there are so many other things outside of work that give our lives meaning and purpose – things like family, faith, community, and hobbies.

It goes without saying that these things require our time and energy. More often than not, work obligations get in the way, and our wellbeing suffers as a result.

Allowing for flexible working hours does two things. It empowers employees to alter their work habits to fit their family needs or to keep working on the projects that give their lives additional meaning. This results in a more healthy work-life balance that benefits everyone.

Perhaps more importantly, it sends a signal that you trust your employees. When you enable employees to set their own schedules as long as they hit deadlines and deliver results, they feel more like partners than corporate drones – and they’ll work that much harder for you.

16. Fight The Harmful Effects of Sedentary Lifestyles with Standing Desks.

Do you know that sitting is the new smoking?

It’s true. Sedentariness represents a grave threat to the health of millions of American office workers.

Don’t take it from us. According to the New York Times, “It doesn’t matter if you go running every morning, or you’re a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting — in cars, office chairs, or on your sofa at home — you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death.”

One way to offset the dangers of sitting too much is by… standing. Sitting is one of the most passive things you can do. By standing while you work, your body will burn energy as your leg, core, and back muscles tense to balance.

Many employers are put off by the cost of replacing existing desks with expensive standing ones.

Fortunately, Oristand has solved that problem with their totally functional, totally affordable cardboard standing desks. This simple yet sturdy design is only $25, and is used by more than 20,000 professionals across the world to decrease sedentariness and increase wellbeing.

Here’s what Mike Travers, Senior Benefits Consultant at full-service HR provider TriNet, has to say about the benefits of standing desks:

“Standing desks are great for when you’re stuck in a long meeting, for instance, as they may help you not to fall asleep. Studies show that when you stand up, your body remains active and you reap the benefits of the extra metabolic functioning that can help reduce your chances of diabetes and heart disease. Just think of the cost savings as well!

Some of those sit down chairs are very expensive. If you have a phone job, you often project better over the telephone from a standing position rather than slouched in a chair. There is also evidence that the more you sit, the greater your mortality risk! For me, that says it all.”

Bonus: Focus on Personal Development.

No one wants a dead-end job.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Your employees – especially the younger folks in the group – crave progress. They need to feel like they are on a path that leads somewhere.

One way to ensure that your employees are learning and growing is by aiding their personal and professional development.

At SnackNation, we do this in a few ways. We have a personal development library, where all employees are encouraged to borrow books from an array of personal development titles.

We also have every employee complete IDPs – individual development plans. Employees develop goals and then work with managers to develop a path to achieving those goals. Monthly check-ins assure accountability.

Finally, we hold weekly “Sensei Sessions.” These are hour-long personal and professional development sessions led by senior leadership. It’s a great way to inspire your team and share knowledge and experience.

Get Your Free Retention Checklist For Managers

17. Allow Remote Days to Renew Focus and Remove Distractions.

Sometimes, you just need to change things up.

If it’s feasible, allow your employees to work from home or from an offsite location (like a coffee shop, park, or the beach) one day a week. Doing so allows for greater focus, and a change of scenery can inspire new ideas.

Additionally, this flexibility sends a signal that you trust your employees to be self-directed, and will result in greater emotional wellbeing and engagement.

We asked Erin McGinty, Director of Benefits Consulting at TriNet, to share her thoughts on why remote workdays can improve work-life balance for your team:

“One remote workday keeps the doctor away! Have you considered allowing your employees to work from home one day a week? Having this level of flexibility to be home to let the repair person in or to be there for that one day a week the kids have an early soccer game can help reduce stress on your employee and offer work-life harmony!

People who get to work at home on occasion are not only happier, they are less likely to resign and can also be more productive (think way less distractions from water cooler talk and avoiding that commute)!”

18. Encourage Bike to Work Days.

Biking to work is a great way to kill two birds with one stone – that is, knock out your commute and your exercise at the same time.

Plus, biking to work saves the planet… and gas money. It’s a win-win-win.

Need help convincing your company that biking is a viable option? Don’t go it alone. Enlist the help of The League of American Bicyclists, who raise awareness for National Bike to Work month, week, and day every May.

According to The League, 40% of most trips in the U.S. are two miles are less, making biking a viable transportation option in most instances. And while commutes are often a bit longer on average, you can combine public transit with cycling to make biking to work a reality. In fact, most major cities offer free rides for cyclists on public transportation during bike to work week.

You can also throw in some gamification here to add an extra layer of fun. My Virtual Mission allows you to create a long distance route from one location to another (i.e. Chicago to New York). See who can bike to the “finish line” first.

19. Extend Trust by Offering Unlimited Vacation.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Companies like GE, Netflix, Hubspot, and yes, SnackNation, are just a few who are hopping on the unlimited vacation trend.

If you answer emails after work, you should be getting unlimited vacation https://t.co/IgyQtc87vq

— Quartz (@qz)

Now, before you dismiss this outright, unlimited vacation doesn’t mean employees are free to collect a paycheck while they relax on a Mexican beach for six months out of the year.

In practice, unlimited vacation connects time off with results. The policy states that as long as you meet your deadlines, goals, and deliver results, you are free to take as much vacation as you want.

Unlimited vacation works because in emphasizing results, you again demonstrate that you trust your employees to do the right thing by their company and teams. Employees appreciate being treated like adults and are inspired to deliver outsized results in order to justify a little extra R&R.

It’s a win-win for the company and employee alike and results in a boosted sense of employee wellbeing.

20. Grant Sabbaticals to Celebrate Individuals and Reduce Burnout.

Sabbaticals work like this: after an employee reaches a certain tenure – usually 3-5 years at a company – he or she is eligible to take 6-8 weeks off to go on a trip, or work on a passion project or perform a public service at home. (The only thing that is off limits is sitting at home doing nothing!)

The idea is to embark on a journey that will be personally enriching, and that will yield new perspectives, new ideas, and new learnings that he or she can bring back to the company. The sabbatical will also help to prevent burnout for your employees that you value as important contributors when they return.

And before you assume 6-8 weeks is too long to be away from one’s job, consider that after 5 years, that represents a very small fraction of one’s total time at a company.

21. Give Unlimited Paternity/Maternity Leave.

Netflix made headlines this year when they announced they were offering unlimited paternity/maternity leave. Employees are free to take as much time in the first year after a child is born or adopted.

Compare this to existing federal law, which guarantees up to 12 weeks of parental leave, but only for companies with fifty or more employees.

The benefit here again is that it signals to your employees that you understand that their lives outside of work – particularly their family lives – are important.

This emotional connection helps to contribute to an overall greater sense of employee wellbeing.

Bonus: Incentivize Employees to Practice Gratitude.

Studies show that gratitude is positively correlated with happiness, stronger relationships, and overall better mental wellbeing. Fond helps you make expressing gratitude an integrated cultural norm at your company by making the process of peer-to-peer recognition as easy as possible.

The benefits of having peers express gratitude for one another works in two directions.

On the one hand, encouraging employees to call out their colleagues for good behavior puts them on the lookout for wins — it quite literally primes their attention to focus on the positive. As you can imagine, this mindset shift can be transformational in terms of instilling a winners’ attitude in your team.

At the same time, when employees are on the receiving end of employee recognition through Fond, it’s a fantastic feeling. Knowing that your peers see and appreciate your hard work is great, and being rewarded for it doesn’t hurt either.

Fond makes employee recognition easy, which paves the way for it to become a habit. With gratitude as a defining value of your organizational culture, you’re well-equipped to provide employees with the kind of supportive, uplifting work environment that they need to thrive.

22. The “Undercover Boss” Competition.

This fun idea also comes from the good people over at Sonic Boom:

“Ever dreamed of giving your boss a big ol’ pie to the face? Those dreams become reality for the Boomers at Sonic Boom Wellness during our “Undercover Boss” competitions.

With Undercover Boss, everyone participates under a secret identity – so no one knows who’s topping the leaderboards until the very end. And the reward for out-striding your boss during this three-week activity contest? Catapulting a whipped-cream-loaded pie straight into her/his face.

But beware! Your ‘punishment’ for being out-strided? The winning bosses get to randomly draw the name of a losing employee, and send that big-ol’ pie flying into their face.

In the most recent contest, our amazingly active accountant, Matt, out-strided our President, Bryan. The photo speaks for itself…”

23. Take the Vegan Challenge.

Eating vegan is not only compassionate but promotes healthy and mindful eating. The practice forces you to consider everything you put in your body and virtually eliminates mindless consumption.

Your team will be eating lighter, more nutritious foods, and will be properly fueled to take on challenges and perform at their peak.

Challenge your team to eat vegan for a week. Not only will your team be more focused and productive, you might be surprised by how many people stick with it.

If a week sounds like a stretch, start with 1 day and then keep extending the challenge timeline. If you want to take it up a notch, you can even try growing your own worksite garden. TotalWellness president Alan Kohll tells us:

“A worksite garden is an excellent opportunity to address a number of healthy habits. Gardens can help build fresh ideas, energy, teamwork, company morale, workplace relationships and friendships. It can also help you promote engagement in wellness activities by supplying healthy food for employees and physical activity breaks to work in the garden.

At our headquarters in Omaha, we have 15-beds filled with kale, carrots, peppers, squash, cucumbers and much more! The garden provides a means of physical activity and stress reduction, plus it increases access to fresh produce to our employees.”

Get Your Free Retention Checklist For Managers

Bonus: Incentivize Preventative Care, Like Flu-Shots.

While this may not be the “sexiest” item on this list, one of the best ways to improve overall health in the office is to address potential illnesses before they happen.

Case in point? The flu.

Cold and flu season can decimate your office. Flu viruses spread during the winter months, and take hold when cold weather weakens our immune systems.

In total, cold and flu season costs our economy an estimated $40 billion every year in lost productivity due to illness.

One way to curb these losses? Incentivize flu shots. Offer a small cash bonus, gift card, or giveaway (like a stress ball, t-shirt, or mug) for employees who get the shot in October or November. Your company will more than cover their losses by avoiding mass absenteeism.

24. Urge Sick Employees to Stay Home.

While we’re on the topic of cold and flu season, let’s talk about another form of preventative care that is a lot easier than getting the flu shot…

Coming into work when you are sick seems to be popular these days.

The truth is, we all having demanding jobs and high expectations of ourselves. But when it comes to wellbeing and health, we take shortcuts.

Haven’t we all had the thought, “If I stay home sick today, will I jeopardize my opportunity to get that promotion?”

However, when you come to work sick, you not only prolong your recovery period, you also expose your coworkers to your bug.

An article in The New York Times, “If You’re Sick, Stay Away From Work“, explains that coming to work with the flu “can be deadly for others, especially pregnant women, young children and older people. And no matter how many precautions you take, there’s no way to eliminate the risk to people around you.”

It may seem small, but we’ve all had the experience of not being able to shake that lingering head cold for two weeks, sometimes more.

It’s pretty hard to focus when you have to stop to blow your nose every 15 minutes or spend all afternoon asking around for cold medicine. No one is going to become employee of the month while pushing themselves through an illness. It is okay to be sick, but much better to be sick at home.

As an effective leader and culture carrier, it’s your responsibility to communicate that getting sick is not a sign of weakness and that it’s okay to work from home or take a day or two to fully recover.

What could be more important to the wellbeing of your employees than their health? It’s worth the OOO time.

25. Let Employees Set Their Own Goals and Work Strategies.

Most positions within your company probably come along with a detailed job description and a set of priority goals. Knowing how those pre-set goals advance the company mission will probably motivate employees to do their best work, but employees might feel even more motivated—and even more fulfilled—at work if you let them set some of their own goals and come up with their own strategies for fulfilling established objectives.

According to research from the University of Birmingham, Business School, high levels of workplace autonomy correlate with feelings of wellbeing and satisfaction. While workplace autonomy covers a range of factors besides setting goals, giving employees the freedom to creatively contribute is a solid wellbeing choice for companies who don’t have the option to offer things like flexible work hours.

To give employees more autonomy without the risk of undermining core company goals, create a structured plan for employee goal setting to ensure everyone gets something out of the process. Layout company-wide strategic objectives for your team members, but let them create their own plans for achieving those goals.

26. Set Up Volunteer Programs and Volunteering Days.

It can seem like the last thing anyone has time for in a busy workplace is volunteering. But as challenging as volunteering can be, the rewards far outweigh any potential downside. Volunteering benefits the mind, the community, and even the body. And we’re not just talking about vague warm fuzzy feelings; many studies have found scientific evidence that volunteering has psychological and physiological benefits. A range of studies incorporating a range of methods and focus areas suggest that:

Volunteering is positively correlated with self-reported health.
Volunteering enhances several critical aspects of personal wellbeing, including happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health, and overcoming depression.
Volunteering could lower baseline depression. (And since the best estimates from the World Health Organization say over 300 million people suffer from depression, some of your employees may be suffering in silence.)
Volunteering might boost physical mobility, stamina, and flexibility.

By offering free days for volunteering and planning group volunteering activities, you’ll be giving employee wellbeing levels a major boost.

27. Renovate Your Office to Bring in More Natural Light.

Overhauling your office to let in a little more sunlight might seem like a frivolous endeavor, but a study from the Interdepartmental Neuroscience program at Northwestern University in Chicago (reported by Psychology Today) suggests it will pay off in the long run—in the form of increased employee wellbeing, happiness, and even job performance.

The study found that exposure to natural light affects workers’ quality of life, vitality, daytime function, and sleep. Researchers believe natural light influences so many aspects of our lives because it is the main cue guiding our circadian rhythms, our 24/7 natural clocks, sometimes called our sleep/wake cycles.

Employees feel the desire for natural light on a conscious level as well. According to a Leesman employee experience survey, 73.9% of employees find natural light important.

Here are some simple ways to bring more natural light into your office if you don’t have the budget for a complete overhaul:

Add mirrors to reflect the natural light you already get.
Use transparent or semitransparent partitions instead of solid ones.
Replace solid doors and cubicle walls with transparent or semitransparent ones.
Remove any large objects obstructing light coming in from windows. You can shift desks, bookshelves, and filing cabinets—anything that’s stopping natural light.
Redistribute office space to seat several employees (instead of just one executive) in an office with a window.
Create an office snack station to promote healthy eating

Bonus: Promote Mental Health Awareness and Counseling.

As we mentioned earlier, the best estimates from the World Health Organization say over 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression. It’s fairly safe to guess that in almost any workplace, you’ll find at least a few employees who suffer from depression or depressive episodes. People often let depression go untreated because of social taboos, lack of understanding, and unfamiliarity with treatment options.

Among other problems, depression wreaks havoc on a person’s sense of wellness, engagement with the world, and motivation at work. However, if treatment options were better broadcast and more readily available, many people who need help might just take the plunge.

Your company can join the fight against depression by offering mental health awareness programs and counseling or simply promoting the options available from your healthcare provider. Work with Human Resources to invite a representative from your insurance company to give a talk about mental health options and go from there. Even a small mention of mental health options on the monthly company newsletter could be just the boost someone needs to seek help.

Conclusion

What about you? What are the benefits of employee wellbeing in your eyes, and what do your companies do to ensure that wellbeing is a priority? Let us know in the comments below!

Employee Wellness Resources:

121 Employee Wellness Program Ideas Your Team Will Love

6 Easy Ways How To Reduce Stress at Work (And Be Happy)

45 Successful Corporate Wellness Programs Employees Will Love

42 Corporate Wellness Companies That Are Transforming Workplace Health and Happiness

13 Easy Ways to Create a Zen Office Space On a Budget

How to Create a Killer Office Fitness Challenge

25 Office Exercises: Easy Desk-Friendly Ways to Get Fit

11 Data-Backed Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs You Need to Know About

Everything You Need to Launch a Kick-Ass Employee Wellness Survey

9 Simple Hacks to Stay Healthy at Work

What Is An Employee Wellness Program?

The post 27 Surefire Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing In 2022 appeared first on SnackNation.

Everything You Need to Launch a Kick-Ass Employee Wellness Survey + Wellness Survey Questions & Templates

Jeff Murphy — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:57:09 +0000

Want to know the secret to gauging your employees’ health and wellbeing?

Ask them! With the proliferation of employee wellness program ideas in the market today, identifying wellness priorities that will most benefit your employees’ specific needs can be quite challenging.

Conducting an employee wellness survey is a critical first step in launching any successful corporate wellness program. Many companies make the mistake of creating wellness plan templates in a vacuum with only the input of a few individuals such as a chief of staff or CEO.

Rather than a small group of leaders making assumptions about your employee wellbeing, a workplace wellness survey goes straight to the source and asks your employees directly about their wellbeing and wellness priorities.

According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Talent Trends report, 42% of respondents identified mental health and wellness as the top area for companies to invest into to improve company culture. The report continues,

Of those who wanted to see higher investments levels towards mental health and wellness, 66% were Generation Z and 51% were Millennials. Stats like these highlight the fact that if employee wellness is not a top priority at your company, it should be.

As mentioned earlier, before you begin crafting a robust employee wellness plan to improve your company culture, you should first conduct a staff wellness survey to identify your baseline and wellness priorities. But what exactly is an employee wellness survey, how do you launch one, and what are some examples of wellness survey questions?

Read on to discover the answers to these questions and more!

What is an employee wellness survey?

An employee wellness survey is a group of questions sent to employees to assess various aspects of their wellbeing in the workplace such as happiness levels, workload, work-life balance, and interests. It’s similar to an employee engagement survey, but differs in that wellness surveys are geared to gauging wellbeing specifically, which has a direct effect on employee engagement.

The survey results are then typically used to inform the company’s employee wellness program and help define what the program’s priorities & core focuses should be. It’s important to note that workplace wellness surveys should be anonymous to encourage full transparency and honesty in your employees’ responses.

The benefits of sending an employee wellness survey include:

1⃣ Sending employee wellness surveys not only provides insight into how to improve employee morale, but is a morale booster in itself resulting in happier employees.

2⃣ Corporate wellness surveys encourage employee engagement by inviting employees to take an active part in strengthening workplace wellness and culture.

3⃣ Survey results help gauge stress levels and pinpoint workplace stressors. Making efforts to lower stress levels and decrease those stressors can help increase employee retention.

4⃣ Staff wellness surveys help identify where to invest your company’s time and budget as it relates to wellness initiatives and improvements.

5⃣ Wellness survey results provide the building blocks to create a robust and tailored workplace wellness program that meets your workforce’s specific needs.

The benefits of effective employee wellness programs include increased levels of happiness and productivity.

Employee Wellness Survey Tools

There’s no shortage of HR tools and corporate wellness companies in today’s market, which is awesome! However, it can also be a bit overwhelming to find the best corporate wellness software that works for you and your business needs. Here are a few of our favorite employee wellness survey tools!

1) monday.com

monday.com has an easy-to-use employee wellbeing survey template that will help you launch your survey in no time! The template is customizable and the results are clear, concise and actionable. monday.com’s template is a simple yet effective way to create a survey, gather employee feedback, and gain valuable insights.

Learn More

2) Kazoo

Kazoo’s WorkTango platform can be used for many types of employee surveys including engagement, onboarding, offboarding, culture, and of course, wellness. Their surveys serve as fantastic anonymous employee feedback tools which facilitate honest & direct feedback from your employees. Kazoo’s data dashboards are easy to digest and provide data nuggets that inspire meaningful action and conversations.

Learn More

3) Bonusly

Bonusly Signals is a great tool for wellness check-ins and identifying what benefits matter most to your employees. You can either start from scratch and build your wellness survey, or you can start with an existing wellness survey template and customize it to meet your needs. Bonusly Signals also features auto-recognition to incentivize responses through Bonusly’s rewards system. You can also view and filter survey results by specific parameters to dig deeper and discover trends.

Learn More

How to Send an Effective Employee Wellness Survey

Whether utilizing one of the tools mentioned above or launching a survey on your own, there are critical steps to take to send an effective employee wellness survey. Make sure you provide ample time to complete each of these steps thoughtfully and strategically so your employee wellness survey is well-received and will provide the insights you need.

Step 1 Pre-Survey Brainstorm

Before you even begin creating the survey itself, think about what prompted the survey. Has there been a shift in employee morale or recent organizational challenges? What specific wellness topics do you want to ask questions about? What exactly do you want to measure? What are the goals of this survey?

Answering these questions will help lay the groundwork for crafting strategic wellness survey questions.

Step 2 Create Your Survey Questions

Now that you’ve established the context for your survey, it’s time to create the actual survey questions. When creating your questions, reference the answers from Step 1 and craft your questions around those responses. Once you have a working draft of the employee wellness survey, share it with key internal stakeholders for review and fine-tuning before landing on the final version.

Be sure to include both needs & interests questions and an open-ended question or 2 at the end of the survey for additional feedback.

Step 3 Incentivize Your Employees to Respond

Employee wellness surveys aren’t much good without employee participation. How do you motivate employees to complete the survey and increase participation levels? An easy way to incentivize participation is to tie in with an existing employee reward platform if you have one.

If you don’t have a formal employee rewards platform, you can raffle off employee wellness gifts or offer digital gift cards as incentives.

Step 4 Build a Communications Plan

Now that you have your list of questions, you’re ready to rock & roll, right? Wrong. Sending out your employee wellness survey without context or a heads-up isn’t the best idea. Instead, build out a communications plan for pre-survey launch, during launch, and post-launch. Leading up to the survey launch, you want to get your employees excited about it! For example, during your weekly team meeting, you can kick it off by sharing wellness tips for the workplace and mentioning the upcoming wellness survey.

You could also highlight the survey launch in your company-wide newsletter or email update. While the survey is live, send a reminder ping at the mid-way point to increase employee participation.

Step 5 Launch Survey

With your questions and communications rollout plan in place, you’re finally ready to release your survey into the wild! Be sure to proofread all questions and email copy before clicking the ‘Send’ button.

Don’t forget to mention your participation incentives as well so that your employees are motivated to complete the wellness survey by the deadline provided.

Step 6 Review Survey Results & Build an Implementation Action Plan

You did it! Participation was through the roof and you have a ton of awesome survey feedback. Now it’s time to review the survey data to see if any trends have emerged and identify what the core focuses for your wellness program or initiatives should be. Once identified, the action planning begins! Without an action plan, employee surveys are pretty useless.

Draft a roadmap outlining how to turn data into action.

Employee Wellness Survey Questions

Employee Wellness Questions: Needs

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not stressed at all, 10 being constantly stressed out), rate your stress level on a typical day.
On average, how many hours per day do you sit at your desk?
- - 0-2
  - 2-4
  - 4-6
  - 6-8
  - 8+
On average, how many hours per day are you staring at a screen? (Computer, phone, or television.)
- - 0-2
  - 2-4
  - 4-6
  - 6-8
  - 8+
How often are you able to get up and stretch or walk during a typical day?
- - Never
  - Once or twice
  - Frequently
How many breaks do you take on a typical day?
- - 0
  - 1-2
  - 3 or more
On a typical day, how many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat?
- - 0
  - 1-2
  - 3-4
  - 5-6
On a typical day, how many glasses of water do you drink?
- - 0-2
  - 3-5
  - 6-8
Do you practice mindfulness? (I.e., yoga or meditation)
- - No
  - Yes (often)
  - Yes (rarely)
Have you tried to make a major lifestyle change in the past? (Select Yes or No)
- - If yes, were you successful? (Y/N)
  - If no, what was the biggest challenge?
    - Lack of time
    - Finding an activity I liked
    - Temptation to cheat
    - Lack of accountability partners
The amount of work I’m expected to complete in any given week feels manageable and reasonable.
- - Yes
  - No
  - Sometimes
The work culture and work environment at this company support a healthy balance between my work and personal life.
- - Strongly Agree
  - Agree
  - Disagree
  - Strongly Disagree
On average, how many hours of sleep do you get per night?
- - 3-4 hours
  - 5-7 hours
  - 8+ hours

Employee Wellness Questions: Interests

If our company provided free healthy snacks, would you eat them? (Select Yes or No)
Would you be interested in a company-provided wearable fitness tracker, such as a Fitbit or Jawbone? (Select Yes or No)
Would you be interested in onsite group fitness activities, such as bootcamp? (Select Yes or No)
What specific fitness activities interest you? Check all that apply
Group running
- - Hiking
  - Cycling
  - Walking
  - Stretching
  - Nutrition / cooking classes
  - Basketball
  - Rock climbing
  - Swimming
  - Weight/resistance training
  - Yoga
  - Meditation
  - Stretching
Would you participate in a company-wide fitness or wellness challenge? (Select Yes or No)
When do you prefer to exercise?
- - In the morning before work
  - In the evening after work
  - During work hours (i.e., just before your lunch break)
Would you be interested in a standing desk? (Select Yes or No)
Would you be interested in replacing your desk chair with an exercise ball? (Select Yes or No)
Are you interested in mental health services, like stress and anxiety management classes? (Select Yes or No)
Would you be interested in joining a book club centered around wellness and personal & professional development? (Select Yes or No)
If we brought in wellness subject experts (nutrition, sleep, stress management, etc.), would you attend hosted learning sessions? (Select Yes or No)

Employee Wellness Questions: Open-Ended Questions

What other wellness initiatives or activities might interest you?
Have any additional suggestions, comments, or questions? Let us know in the space provided.
In general, how do you feel about your overall health and wellness?
Do you feel that our company culture positively contributes to your health and wellness? If not, how can we improve?
Does our current employee healthcare plan and benefits meet your health and wellness needs? If not, what’s missing?

Employee Wellness Survey Email Sample

Here’s a base email template that you can use as a starting point when crafting your survey launch email. Be sure to tweak the copy to match your company voice and survey details.

Remember: Keep it concise and to the point, but make sure to effectively highlight the why inspiring the survey.

SUBJECT: We Need Your Valuable Input! 2022 Q4 Employee Wellness Survey

BODY:

We’re in the process of crafting some brand new wellness initiatives aimed to make [insert Company Name] a place that supports your overall health and wellbeing! We want you to THRIVE.

To maximize the benefits to each and everyone one of our employees, we need your feedback!

Below is a link to a brief survey that will help us create a wellness program that fits our staff’s unique needs. It will only take a few minutes to complete, and when you do, you’ll be automatically entered to win a free box of healthy snacks!

The survey is 100% anonymous, but if there is a question you don’t feel like answering, feel free to skip it.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

Next Steps After Your Employee Wellness Survey

After completing your employee wellness survey, don’t just sit on this valuable data! You didn’t go through all this effort to launch the perfect wellness survey to not utilize the results. Below are a few next steps you should take after a successful survey deployment-

Baby Steps: Baby steps are actions you can take immediately. For example, send a brief Thank You email message to the survey participants and make sure they received the survey incentive(s) promised.
Medium Steps: Medium steps are items you can prepare for implementation. For example, building out a rough project plan outlining how to bring to life some of the core wellness initiatives that garnered the most interest in your survey results.
Large Steps: Large steps are longer-term goals you want to achieve through your revamped wellness program. For example, launching a company-wide wellness challenge or offering wellness office hours with subject matter experts.

19 Office Organization Ideas To Reach New Productivity Heights In 2022

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 09:50:00 +0000

What if I told you that there was something you could do today that would boost your effectiveness, reduce your daily stress, and maybe even set you up for a nice little promotion?

Our Favorite Office Organization Ideas For Increased Productivity:

Automate Recurring Tasks
Create a DIY Mail Station Using Old Books
Clean Up Your Closet with DIY Pallet Shelves
Store Receipts in a Mason Jar
Do a sticky note “detox”

I know, you’re probably thinking, “That’s absolutely crazy, Jeff. Get out of here with that bag of hot nonsense. Who gave you the keys to the SnackNation blog anyway??”

A valid question. But it turns out, there is something that checks all those boxes, and happens to be entirely within your control.

It’s organizing your work environment. And we gather the best work office organization ideas out there!

Hear me out.

An organized work environment has a lot more than just visual appeal. For starters, DIY office organization has been shown to reduce stress.

The appearance of clutter signals to your brain that there’s extra work to do. When your brain feels overwhelmed by all this (actual and perceived) work, it triggers a stress response. Organizing your workspace reduces the frequency of that stress response, and gives you a feeling of control.

Plus being organized will help you become more efficient. Searching for files in a disorganized workstation just wastes time and renders you less effective.

If your goal is to move up the ranks, there’s evidence to suggest that clutter decreases your chances of getting that next promotion, both by boosting your effectiveness and by creating a positive impression of your work habits with higher-ups.

There’s a cultural argument to be made for office organization too. How you organize your office affects how your team behaves in that space, so strategically organizing your office will help you create the company culture your team needs to hit their goals. I hope you are starting to see the power of simple office organizer ideas.

If the thought of re-working your messy desk or moving around office furniture gives you heart palpitations, fret not my messy amigo.

We’ve put together the best office organization ideas – these are tricks, tips, and hacks that we either use here at SnackNation, or that other companies are doing that we really love.

And because both types are important, we’ve included personal organization hacks and more general office organization tips.

Once you’re done reading through our list, you can get additional organization ideas from The Assist — a free weekly email for professionals full of actionable workplace culture, productivity, and leadership inspo.

The Assist has been very useful to me to get new ideas, tools, organization tips and better ways of working. On top of that, I still have fun with it I keep it in a separate folder to read when things get too overwhelming. It’s a solace to know that there are people out there who understand me and feel the same. -Denise Q., Office Manager at Daltix

Automate Recurring Tasks

I’m guessing there are a ton of tasks that you do on a regular basis that take up a disproportionate amount of your time.

If you’re an office manager, you might be in charge of restocking office supplies, scheduling meetings, or checking in visitors. Automating these tasks essentially takes them off your plate.

Heck, it’s a big part of the reason why we designed the SnackNation membership model the way we did – to save you the time and hassle of finding and ordering great-tasting snacks every month.

Bonus: Leveraging a software like monday.com allows you to easily set up automated tasks and other recurring functions. This task management tool is a productivity kingmaker and the best introduction to automation you can get out there. They also have a great 14-day free trial that you can check out to get started.

Implement a Digital Sign-In Process

Asking visitors to sign in using a paper visitor book is a task most visitors don’t take seriously especially when the use of a communal pen is involved (eww). Not to mention the manual process of locating and notifying staff that their visitor has arrived.

A contactless sign-in system helps create the best first impression imaginable; it automates the entire process, enabling visitors to sign in using the iPad or their own smartphone and notifying staff via an instant notification of their visitor’s arrival.

The professional administrator can focus on human connection; eye contact and a warm smile complement an ultra modern contactless sign in system to create the best first impression imaginable in the office.

Companies like SwipedOn help to alleviate the pressures felt by front desk staff when a queue of visitors arrive, empowering them to welcome them verbally, while continuing with high priority tasks and letting technology take care of the sign-in process. SwipedOn even has a 14-day free trial plan to try out the ease of contactless sign in.

Hide the Wires

Out of all the work desk organization ideas this one has to be our favorite. With all of the monitors, computer towers, mice, laptops, phones, and chargers that adorn the typical office desk, the number of wires in front of us can quickly get out of hand.

Because reducing visual clutter helps reduce stress, hiding all these messy wires is essential. If your desk doesn’t have a slot to hide them, trying using binder clips to group them together and get them out of sight.

(Via Lifehack)

On a side note, you’ll also save yourself the trouble of always fishing for that one cable that always seems to fall behind your desk into the land of no return.

We use the Simple Cord Cable Concealer On-Wall Cord Cover Raceway Kit at SnackNation!

Since your desk is going to be the place that you need to maximize productivity, it can be a lifesaver to implement useful tools that have the power to keep every single desk in the office organized, on-brand, and looking polished as well as orderly.

At SnackNation, we love the organization tools at Swag.com that make hiding wires and reducing clutter a breeze with branded desk trays and desk organizers.

Once your desk is perfected and those messy wires are safely stowed away, you’ll be itching to get to work and seize the day!

Label Everything

If you want to stay organized, your label maker should be your best friend.

Simple things like labeling cabinets will not only save you time and frustration but will limit the number of interruptions you get during the day.

People will stop asking you where the printer paper is five million times a day if you slap a “PRINTER PAPER” label on the right cabinet or drawer. (Ok, a few co-workers probably still will.)

Don’t stop at your desk, dive deep into your computer files to take your productivity to the next level. Sort your files by project and archive “final” versus “draft” versions of deliverables.

For an extra adventure, get folder happy with your inbox. Take control with one of these 9 ways to sort your emails.

We use the Fellowes Partition Additions, Clip, Bulk Pack of 20 at SnackNation!

DIY Cord Labels

Have you ever been working on an important project when all of a sudden your monitor goes black?

At first, you panic, you think that you might have broken your computer and lost your work forever. Then you remember when Jim down the aisle called IT because his computer was “broken,” and as it turned out, it was just unplugged.

With a glimmer of hope for that loose plug, you crawl under your desk to discover what could be described best as a cable jungle.

Avoid this time suck by making DIY labels for the important cords in your life.

One simple hack, use colored tape to distinguish your monitor from your neighbor’s space heater.

(Via Simply Spaced)

Another option, buy your own colorful power strip. With your own real estate, there will be no confusion when your computer charger mysteriously goes missing because someone mistook it for their own.

We use the Dotz Cord ID Pro Cord and Cable Identification System at SnackNation!

Go Paperless

Here’s an easy way to get rid of all the random scraps of paper, messy notebooks, or errant post-it notes that litter so many of our desks – go paperless!

Apps like Evernote, Google Keep, Bear, and a ton of others make cloud-based note-taking super easy.

I personally switched to Evernote about two years ago, and I can’t believe I was using a pen and paper for so long. Evernote enables me to take notes faster, sync my notes across devices, access them from home, and (the best part IMO) search my notes to find the exact info I need.

Tools like Dropbox and Box are essential when it comes to reducing paper clutter and file cabinet disasters. Saving and sharing files in the cloud will help your office reduce paper waste and, fortunately for you, those persistent printer jams.

Use A “Daily Docket” Style Notepad

If paperless-ness makes you uncomfortable, try switching from a boring old to-do list to a “daily docket” style pad.

The super-simple, intuitive layout of the daily docket notepad helps you visualize your entire day in one fell swoop, while also separating your errands, tasks, meetings, and notes.

We recommend InkWell Press’ docket style pad.

If you are more of a DIYer, you can make your own docket-style notebook with just 4 supplies. Find free printable covers here.

For a fun and creative office gift, you can even make custom pages for your coworkers. Be sure to include the things they always manage to forget, like the WiFi password.

Use Wall Space to Your Advantage

If you sit near a wall or tall cubicle, don’t let that space go to waste. Use it to free up precious real estate on your desk by storing mail, office supplies, or electronics on the wall.

This pegboard solution looks cool and keeps your office supplies right at your fingertips.

(Via Lifehack)

Honeycomb shelves are fashionable and functional, and pretty easy to make yourself. Here’s a tutorial from Boxy Colonial – or these handmade Honeycomb shelves from Farmhouse.

We also loved this hanging storage solution that uses upcycled disinfected wipes containers. Here’s a set of instructions. (Via Make It Love It.)

If you don’t have space to create your own hanging office supply board, get together with your team and put together a shared collection. Not only will making the board help you get to know each other better, but you can also bond over your favorite office supplies.

Create a DIY Mail Station Using Old Books

This super sweet idea comes from Beyond the Picket Fence. A few old hardcover books, some paint, and decorative fabric are all it takes to create a mail solution that looks amazing and keeps you sane.

(Via Beyond the Picket Fence)

Without the mail cluttering your desk, you will take your productivity to the next level. Inspire your team members to take charge of their mail with your new folders and impress your boss with this simple organization hack. And it’s one of those fun desk organizer ideas you can do right away.

Clean Up Your Closet with DIY Pallet Shelves

The best way to free up closet space is to go vertical. Shelving enables you to efficiently store snacks, office supplies, or unused technology. But don’t pay top dollar. You can make your own rustic-yet-functional shelving units using used packing pallets.

(Via Ana White.)

Or fashion killer shelves out of old pipes and wood for an industrial look. Here’s a tutorial from Cherished Bliss.

Use an Old Box as a Monitor Stand

If your office is anything like ours, you receive a constant stream of packages. The leftover boxes can take up a lot of space and be hard to get rid of.

The next time you find a cool looking box, one that isn’t too beat up, you can use it as a quick and easy monitor stand. Not only will it take the strain off of your neck, it will also serve as a cool shelf for your favorite desk supplies.

If you want to take it to the next level, you can wrap the box is decorative wrapping paper or cover it with your favorite stickers.

Use On-Demand Self Storage

Sometimes you have a ton of stuff that you aren’t using just taking up space, but hauling out all those old desks and that office hammock (seemed like a cool idea at the time) just isn’t feasible. Plus you have no place to put them!

Uber-convenient on-demand self-storage solutions like Clutter take care of all that for you. They pick up your stuff, store it for you offsite, and then bring it back whenever you need it.

Create a designated work area

One of the best ways to organize your office is by creating a designated work area. This will help you stay focused on work and avoid distractions.

Organize Your Inbox

It’s crazy how much time we spend in email. Even if your physical desk is spic and span, a messy inbox can leave you feeling just as overwhelmed.

Complicated labeling systems really aren’t the way to go – they usually just create more work for you. If you use Gmail, switch your inbox to Priority mode, unsubscribe instead of deleting newsletter emails that aren’t providing any value anymore, and create filters for certain types of emails (like ones with tons of recipients).

A Mailchimp employee also shared a fantastic email processing system that limits time spent in your inbox. Instead of spending tons of time labeling everything, this person marks any email requiring action unread – everything else gets archived.

Check out the full system here.

And of course, you can also reduce email traffic by using Slack for internal communications.

Use a Ticketing System to Manage Inbound Requests

This is a great tip for Office Managers, IT pros, Administrative Assistants, or anyone else whose job requires them to field a ton of inbound requests.

ZenDesk is a great ticketing solution that not only helps you track all these incoming requests, but also helps you respond to them in a way that doesn’t interrupt your workflow or completely hijack your daily schedule.

If a paid system like ZenDesk isn’t an option, here’s a DIY solution from Office Manager Megan.

“I have [an Excel spreadsheet] that I keep on a network that I update.

Whenever somebody sends me an email asking me for something to be done, I’ll put it on that list. I have it set up as the tasks I have.

At the top I have tasks that are on hold. I have recurring tasks, what the status of them are, what the task is, what the status of them are, when the due dates are, who’s responsible, who it needs to be submitted to, and then I have tasks that are in process. Everything is all dated.

Every week I make a new sheet so I can go back through old ones.

It’s just a matter of being diligent and updating it. What I also do is I’ll print out the email request with an email and I’ll keep that pile of paper of things to do. Then I’ll compare it to my list to make sure it’s on there and it’s done.”

Download Megan’s template here (thanks, Megan!).

Make Drawer Dividers with Cereal Boxes

Create the perfect place for scissors and tape by shortening cereal boxes and covering them in felt or contact paper. This easy-to-make project looks great and will keep the clutter away from your desk.

Tame Desk Clutter with an Undershelf Basket

Feel like you are always running out of desk space? Free up some of that valuable square footage with a simple and inexpensive under shelf basket.

Tuck your desk necessities away, warm up your typing fingers, and stretch out those elbows. With this quick solution, you can get down to work without worrying about the embarrassment of knocking something on the floor.

It doesn’t get easier than this!

Build an Office Library

If you’re like us, you might have a ton of random reference books lying around in random conference rooms that no one really looks at – mostly because they don’t know they’re there!

Organize them in a centrally located office library to encourage people to actually crack them open.

All it takes is a few shelves, your trusty label maker (aka best friend), and you’re in business. Organize by topic, then alphabetical by author.

Put Your Desks on Wheels

Here’s a cool trick from the startup world. Install casters on the bottom of your desks to make it easy to reorg your office in minutes.

What’s the advantage? The ability to reconfigure gives your team (or company) a degree of flexibility that encourages collaboration and inspires creativity.

Store Receipts in a Mason Jar

How many times have you had to return something, process an expense, or register for a warranty – if only you could find the receipt!

Paper receipts are still a reality for a lot of businesses. Keep them safe and secure but putting them in a mason jar.

If that’s a little too analog, go digital. Use expense tracking apps like Concur and never worry about losing a receipt again. Or you can start to cut down on receipts using a virtual credit card to document online spending.

Use This Magnetic to Avoid Dishes in the Sink

How frustrating is it when dishes pile up in the office sink … despite the presence of an office dishwasher! Unsightly dishes in the sink gives visitors the impression that your business just IS NOT SERIOUS.

Luckily there’s an easy fix. Most often, the dish pileup happens because people don’t realize that the dishwasher is either dirty and hasn’t been run yet, or clean and needs to be emptied. This magnetic sign from Dish Nanny tells your office what action to take.

On a side note, WHERE DO ALL THE FORKS GO??? Seriously, are people taking them home? Are they throwing them away by accident? Is there a black market for silverware that I don’t know about? Are there cutlery gnomes that steal forks from unsuspecting offices?

WHERE. ARE. THE. FORKS. PEOPLE.

Declutter

Organizing stuff takes time. Start any organizing initiative by first decluttering everything you plan to organize. This keeps you from wasting time on organizing things you’re not going to use. It also makes sure your final organization scheme will be as useful as possible since you will only organize the things you really do need.

You might be thinking, “Of course I need everything I plan to organize!” Even if this is true, it still doesn’t hurt to examine everything just to be safe. We all have the impulse to keep things, sometimes everything. After all, we never know when we might use them again. Take a second to make sure you are happy with your office design and then take the necessary steps to organize.

Pay particular attention to duplicate items and items with duplicate functions. For example, do you have 3 pens, 2 traditional pencils, 2 mechanical pencils, and maybe a colorful gel pen? Select just 1 or 2 writing implements and donate the rest.

Tip:

Throwing away useful items is wasteful. Be sure to donate or swap functional items that you no longer need in your workspace. Consider setting up an “office swap” in the corner of the kitchen or the break room. Everyone can display discards they want to put up for grabs. People who truly need them can snatch them up.

You might also work with your co-workers to organize a monthly GoodWill donation run. Specify a location for the “dump” pile and have one volunteer deliver the donation box at the end of every month.

If you truly can’t part with some of your items, then consider putting them in a box and storing that box in a totally out of the way location. This will keep the items from cluttering your work space, and it will stop you from feeling the squirminess of parting with things you don’t want to let go of.

Create a “landing pad”

Designate a section of your desk as your “landing pad.” Mark the area using a decorative mat, cutting board, or tray. You could even create a border using some decorative washi or duck tape.

Take a look at your “landing pad.” From now on, this is the one and only place on your whole desk that you’re allowed to put things on. Everything else stays in a drawer or a cabinet. The rest of your desk stays pristine, unmarred by even a pencil or your cell phone.

When the landing pad is full, it’s time to put things back where they belong before you put out any more items.

This might seem extreme, but often clutter goes from unnoticeable to out of hand when we get out of the habit of putting things away. Keeping something on your desk you only use once a week or even once a day will not “speed up your workflow.” It will clutter your desk.

Do a sticky note “detox”

We love sticky notes as much as everyone else, but sometimes, we find ourselves abusing them. The feeling of grabbing a sticky note and jotting something down feels so natural that it’s easy to understand why we fall victim to “sticky note clutter,” the chaos you feel when you have 12 sticky notes stuck to a monitor instead of one simple full-page list.

Take a break from sticky notes to end the cycle of clutter. Return to stickies when you’re ready to commit to using only a few every day. Your workspace will feel way less cluttered, and you’ll appreciate sticky notes more than ever.

Use transparent bins

Sometimes we subconsciously avoid putting things away because we’re afraid we might forget where we put them. (Remember that time you couldn’t find some important meeting notes because you put your blue notebook away and couldn’t find it?)

Organize items in transparent bins to reduce clutter while keeping things as visually accessible as they would be if they were neatly displayed atop your desk.

Are you a master of office organization tips and tricks? What’s missing from our list? Let us know in the comments! (But keep it organized.)

Want to hang on to these ideas? Download this list as a PDF. Easily save it on your computer for quick reference or print it and share it with your office.

Office How-To Resources

The post 19 Office Organization Ideas To Reach New Productivity Heights In 2022 appeared first on SnackNation.

21 Fun Office Pranks in 2022 That Won’t Get You Fired

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 09:26:26 +0000

I think it’s safe to assume that we all work really hard.

Besides the fact that doing anything worthwhile takes hard work and dedication, the trend has been longer and longer hours for American office workers. According to a 2014 Gallup study, full-time adults work 47 hours each week, almost a full workday longer than the standard 40-hour workweek.

Sometimes you need a little office laughter to break up the day and recharge from all the time spent focusing on the serious stuff.

Of course, you don’t want to prank your colleagues with the same, tired pranks.

With this in mind (and with April Fool’s Day coming up), we decided to put together our Ultimate Guide to pranking your colleagues.

We tried to avoid all of the jokes you and your co-workers have probably already pulled on each other. These are the best of the best, office pranks guaranteed to help you become the king (or queen) of office pranks – without getting fired.

Once you’ve pranked your buddy at work… you may want to send them a reminder of the “damage” done… A platform like Bonusly can come in handy to cement the permanent record of your glorious victory… Click if you dare…

First, a few ground rules.

Most of these are pretty obvious (and we seriously doubt any of you would do any of these things), but it’s worth mentioning that you should avoid doing any of the following:

Don’t Destroy Anyone’s Property. That goes for office or personal property. Anything you do should be reversible. Don’t ruin the paint on someone’s car, or break someone’s monitor, or stain their clothing. That’s not a prank, that’s straight-up vandalism.
Don’t Cause Major Disruptions. The best office pranks surprise and delight. They may even cause a minor disruption in the workday – the kind that makes people pop their heads up from their desks and smile (or shake their head). But don’t do anything that would cause major disruption or otherwise harm your business. We’re talking about things like pulling the fire alarm, unleashing noxious stink bombs, or unplugging your company’s servers (as tempting as that might be).
Don’t Cause Bodily Injury. Duh.
Don’t Cross the Line. Ever heard of the phrase “hostile work environment?” Well, let’s hope you never do (especially coming from your lawyer or your company’s Head of HR). Use good judgment. We know you’d never do this, but don’t engage in humor that pokes fun at anyone’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. That’s never ok in the workplace. Even if your intent isn’t malicious, you can still lose your job and/or put your company at risk. Plus, it’s just not cool.

Once you’ve gone through our list, you can get additional workplace culture ideas from The Assist — a free weekly email for professionals full of actionable productivity and leadership inspo.

“One thing The Assist has helped me immensely with is keeping our company culture alive during this new shift to hybrid work. It is important for us to have a team who is happy and healthy and The Assist has provided tons of options to help make that possible for our team.” -Julie P. Executive Assistant, Classcraft

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way, on to the fun office prank stuff.

1. Body Spray Bomb

This one comes from SnackNation Member Success Manager Jessie Montz, the self-described “Queen of the Office Pranksters.”

The idea is to rig up a bottle of body spray underneath the victim’s office chair so that when he sits down, it triggers the bottle to spray.

You’ll need:

One bottle of foul-smelling body spray (this “Anarchy” scented Axe body spray should do the trick)
Duct tape
Office chair
Clothespin

Step 1: Adjust the victim’s chair so that the chair gives slightly when someone sits on it.

Step 2: Duct tape the bottle of body spray directly under the seat so that when the chair moves down, it depresses the spray.

Step 3: Use the clothespin to plug your nose. (You don’t want to be smelling that stuff if it heads your way.)

Step 4: Hilarity ensues.

(Note: this one also works with airhorns.)

2. Family Photo Swap

Does your co-worker keep a photo of a cherished loved one? Well, it’s about time they appreciated one of the greatest actors of all time, and not their kid or whatever.

Replace family pics with photos of your favorite weirdo celebrity. (This photo of Nicolas Cage from Vampire’s Kiss works particularly well.)

Speaking of Nic Cage…

3. Nicolas Cage-ify Your Coworker’s Browser with nCage

Wish there was a way to update the Nic Cage insanity for the digital age? Well, nCage has already beat you to it.

This handy Chrome extension will replace every image on every page with a different photo of – you guessed it – Nicolas Cage.

4. Monitor Mayhem

A favorite at monday.com, this trick will have your coworkers scratching their heads.

You’ll need:

An unlocked computer screen.
About 15 seconds and some nimble fingers.

Step 1: When they aren’t looking, sneak onto your victim’s computer.

Step 2: Flip their screen. On a Windows PC, hit control+alt+F1 to activate image rotation. Hold the ctrl and alt keys and use the down arrow to rotate the screen.

On a Mac, go to system preferences and click the “Displays” tab. From there choose 180 degrees on the rotation menu. (Only works with external displays.) Close out of system preferences when you’re done.

Step 3: Return to your desk and try not to crack a smile as your co-worker tries to figure out how to change it back.

5. Fake Computer Update

Fakeupdate.net has created realistic looking update animations to make your coworkers think their computer is in the middle of an important, frustratingly slow system update. The kicker? The update will never finish. Status bars inexplicably creep forward and backward, and when your co-worker inevitably hits the enter key, the blue screen of death or some other hilariously frightening message appears.

Step 1: Sneak onto your co-worker’s computer and go to fakeupdate.net.

Step 2: Select their operating system. (Or for maximum confusion, select a Mac OS on a Windows PC or vice versa.)

Step 3: Set browser to fullscreen.

Step 4: Slink away like the dirty trickster you are.

6. Hidden Box Trick

You’ll need:

5-6 moving boxes of various sizes, including one large-sized box
Packing tape
A co-conspirator
Patience

Step 1: Put together the boxes with the packing tape and place them in a coworker’s cubicle or office. Make it look as though facilities accidentally set down a bunch of moving boxes in the wrong place.

Step 2: Hide in the largest of the boxes. Have your co-conspirator tape up the box, but cut the tape so that it will be easy to breakthrough.

Step 3: Lie in wait.

Step 4: Listen to your victim to return. As soon as you hear them start to grumble about the moving mix up, jump out of the box and yell “Jumanji!” as loud as you can.

Step 5: Laugh maniacally.

7. Hidden Penny Insanity

This next one is less of a prank and more like psychological torture. Here’s Jessie Montz again:

“For the last couple months I have been pulling a prank on my co-worker Brendan. Every so often I place one penny on his desk or under his coffee mug, mouse, etc. Enough that he thinks he is going crazy.”

Props to Jessie for committing to the long game.

8. The Broken Mouse

Here’s a classic and SnackNation favorite that will have your co-workers questioning their sanity yet again.

Step 1: Tape over the sensor on your coworker’s mouse.

Step 2: Watch as your co-worker tries to figure out why they can click, but can’t scroll, no matter how hard they flail their mouse around.

Step 3: Don’t forget a friendly message for when they finally figure it out.

9. Forecast Calls for…Packing Peanuts

We’ve all probably seen a version of the “fill your co-worker’s cubicle with packing peanuts” trick, and while it’s pretty good, it’s definitely been done before. Don’t you think it’s time someone elevated this one to new heights?

Go stealth and create a winter wonderland any time of year by filling your co-workers’ overhead shelves with packing peanuts.

You’ll need:

3 packs (or more) of packing peanuts
1 long strip of cardboard
A cubicle desk with overhead cabinets

Step 1: While your co-worker is away, fill his cabinets with packing peanuts. Use the cardboard strip to keep the peanuts in place while you close the cabinet, and slide it out once the cabinet is shut.

Step 2: Important – make a mental note of an item he keeps in the cabinet (a ruler, stapler, or specific book for instance). Pick up any stray packing peanuts so you don’t tip your hand.

Step 3: Once he’s back at his desk, come by and ask for that item from step 2.

Step 4: Point and laugh as packing peanuts rain down on his head.

Step 5: Runaway.

10. Unwrap this

Some people can’t stand a wrapped gift.

You’ll need:

Copious amounts of wrapping paper (Buy at the dollar store to save some cash)

An oldie but a goodie. Give the gift that keeps on frustrating by gift wrapping everything on your colleague’s desk. And by everything we mean everything. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, individual paper clips, personal belongings, desk, office chair, lamp… you get the picture.

Stick to one pattern or color scheme to create a shocking visual display.

11. Fake Birthday

Gather around a co-worker’s desk and sing happy birthday. Up the ante by buying balloons and a personalized cake. See if your victim has the heart to tell you that… it’s not actually her birthday. (Works best with that super nice officemate who doesn’t like hurting people’s feelings.)

12. Bats!

The key to this one is getting to know your co-workers’ greatest fear.

Step 1: Find a coworker with a phobia. There’s gotta be someone who’s afraid of bats, snakes, or rats in your office

Step 2: Exploit that fear by filling their office with rubber versions of the one thing they dread the most. (The more realistic the better.)

Step 3: This is definitely one you’ll want to catch on video, so make sure you have your phone handy.

Bonus: your coworker will appreciate the fact that you took the time to learn something personal about them.

Just kidding, they’ll probably hate you forever.

13. Sleeping Beauty

Do you have a coworker who just can’t keep their eyes open at certain points of the day? It’s time for a little sleep-shaming.

Step 1: Wait for sleeping beauty to dose off.

Step 2: Gather your teammates. Have as many people as possible pose next to your slumbering officemate. (Make sure you are extra quiet!)

Step 3: Go to your local print shop and have a life-size poster printed.

Step 4: Get to work early and hang it in the hallway for all to see.

14. Head in a Jar

This epic prank requires a little bit of photo editing skills, but it is well worth it.

You’ll need:

A decent camera
A color printer that prints legal size paper
Lamination machine
Yellow food coloring
A wide-mouth gallon jar
A wig

Step 1: Have someone take 3 photos of your face: one straight on, and two side profiles.

Step 2: Using photoshop, blend the three photos together to make one continuous image. Make sure that it’s hi-res enough to print on 11” x 17” legal paper.

Step 3: Print and laminate your photo.

Step 4: Place the photo in the jar so that it wraps around the edge.

Step 5: Fill with water and add a few drops of the yellow food coloring.

Step 6: Place parts of the wig in the jar so that it looks like realistic hair.

Step 7: Place your finished creation in the company fridge. Watch as people freak out.

15. Phantom Paperclip

Here’s a super simple prank that you can pull off using only office supplies.

Step 1: Place a paperclip in the upper left hand corner of the scanning bed of your company’s copier. Make sure you position it so that it’s exactly where you’d place an actual paper clip.

Step 2: Make a sizable amount of copies. (200 will do nicely.)

Step 3: Put the copies back into the printer tray.

Step 4: Watch the confusion on your co-workers’ faces as they try to remove non-existent paper clips.

16. TP Spider

Another simple but effective prank.

You’ll need:

A thin-tipped black fountain pen.

Step 1: Go in the bathroom and unroll some of the toilet paper.

Step 2: Draw the outline of a sinister looking black widow spider on the top of the roll. The black outline contrasting against the white paper will catch your victim’s eye and cause a moment of panic.

Step 3: Revel in your wicked ways.

17. Bugs in the Lampshade

Similar to “TP Spider,” bugs in the lampshade will make your colleague think they’re being attacked by a horde of creepy crawly insects.

You’ll need:

Black construction paper
Scissors
Tape
A coworker with a desk lamp

Step 1: Using the scissors and paper, cutout silhouettes of the nastiest bugs you can think of – cockroaches, spiders, and centipedes are go-to for this one.

Step 2: Place the cutouts inside the lampshade and fix them with tape. They’ll be invisible until he or she decides to flip on the light.

Step 3: Listen for the screams.

18. Desktop Screenshot.

Another simple but effective monitor trick.

Step 1: When your coworker is away, take a screenshot of his or her desktop. Move all desktop folders and files into one new folder and hide that in their documents folder.

Step 2: Replace their current desktop background with the screenshot you just took.

Step 3: Sit back and watch as your coworker tries to figure out why nothing on his computer works.

19. Kid’s Desk

Replace your boss’s desk (and everything on it) with the Fisher Price version – we’re talking phone, monitor, keyboard, the works. You can find a lot of this stuff fairly cheap at thrift stores.

(Thanks to Burlington Bytes for this idea)

Bonus points – create company letterhead and/or office memos using crayons.

20. Autocorrect Upgrade

Go into your coworker’s iPhone and change the autocorrect settings for maximum hilarity.

Have the phone replace common words like “Yes,” “No,” “Cool,” and “Ok” with phrases that have a little more pizzazz.

“Yes” becomes “OH YEAHHHH!”

“No” becomes “Naw, son.”

“Cool” becomes “Righteous, brother!”

“Ok” becomes “BOOMSHAKALAKA!”

21. Chewbacca Roar Contest

Step 1: Circulate a flier announcing a fake “Chewbacca Roar Contest” in your neighborhood. The more fliers the better!

Step 2: Put an unsuspecting coworker’s phone number as the “Official Contest Number.”

Step 3: Watch as Chewie calls flood in. Also works with Christopher Walken impressions.

If all else fails…

Gorilla suit.

In conclusion, these office pranks are harmless and will definitely get a laugh out of your colleagues. So go ahead and plan your prank today!

What’s the best office prank you’ve ever pulled on a coworker? Let us know in the comments.

Office How-To Resources

The post 21 Fun Office Pranks in 2022 That Won’t Get You Fired appeared first on SnackNation.

How To Create The Perfect Work From Home Policy For Your Company In 2022 [With Template & Samples]

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 07:09:47 +0000

In our technology-enabled, ultra-flexible modern world of work, a thoughtfully considered Work From Home Policy is becoming a must-have at progressive companies.

Get Your Free Work From Home Policy Template

What's In A Work From Home Wellness Box?

Welcome to the age of remote work. Laptops, smartphones, messaging apps, and WiFi everywhere mean that most office workers can do their jobs virtually anywhere. Add to this a growing expectation among employees that they should be able to do their job wherever they happen to be – at a cafe, while traveling in a foreign country, or from the comfort of their couch.

It’s also important to remember that even as we enter a new, more flexible era of work, the office will continue to be the place where your team can do their best work. Honing a workplace experience that fosters community, collaboration, and the serendipitous encounters that lead to innovation will continue.

Ideally, remote work complements this elevated workplace experience. The key is to create a Work From Home Policy that sets the right expectations and creates channels and infrastructure that not only supports working from home, but that mitigate the many pitfalls that spring up when you take employees out of the office. With the right preparation and communication, your team can be just as happy, connected, and productive at home as they are in the office.

Our favorite Work From Home resources and tools to consider:

Bambee – will help you create a customized WFH policy

Bonusly – free culture building and employee appreciation

monday.com – team collaboration and productivity

Caroo – employee care and appreciation packages

Awardco – digital spending cards for employee

In this post, we’ll lay out exactly how remote work can benefit your business, the potential pitfalls you must take care to avoid, and why a thoughtful and complete Work From Home Policy is the single biggest factor in setting your team up for success. Use this article to guide you as you develop the Work From Home Policy that’s right for your team. We also recommend signing up for The Assist, a free weekly newsletter that provides workplace culture, productivity, and leadership inspiration, for ongoing Work From Home support and updates.

What Is A Work From Home Policy?

A Work From Home Policy is an agreement between employer and employee that clearly defines the expectations and responsibilities for employees who work from home. It may also define who is eligible to work from home, the process for requesting work from home privileges, as well as the approval process.

During mandatory Work From Home situations (such as a health or safety crisis like COVID-19), it helps ensure that employees are set up for success and that they can continue to remain healthy and productive.

Get Your Free Work From Home Policy Template

What's In A Work From Home Wellness Box?

What Are The Benefits Of Working From Home?

Empowering employees to work from home or remotely is a sound practice that can benefit your employee wellbeing and your business. Maximizing these benefits ought to be top of mind as you design your company’s Work From Home Policy. Here’s why a Work From Home Policy is good for your company:

It signals trust. By now we all know that employee engagement drives performance; the more personally invested employees are in your company’s success, the more willing they are to go above and beyond to hit their goals. Demonstrating that you trust your employees to work from home helps cement the emotional bond between employer and employee that enables engagement.

It gives employees their time back. One big benefit that most employees discover when they first work from home is the lack of a commute. The average American commute is more than 52 minutes each day. Employees will have more time to dedicate to themselves, their families, their hobbies – or their jobs if they so choose.

It supports focused work. The other obvious advantage to working at home is the absence of common workplace distractions. That’s why many companies (including SnackNation) have designated remote days dedicated to focused work. Team members are encouraged to schedule the tasks that require intense focus (like writing, planning, or strategizing) on these days to maximize efficiency.

It curtails absenteeism. When you give employees the option to work from home when they begin to feel sick, they are less likely to spread illness to the rest of the team. The result is a healthier, more productive team. You can really see the effect of this phenomenon during annual cold and flu seasons – or the rare instance of a pandemic like COVID-19.

It can make for well-rounded employees. Employees with healthy family lives, social lives, and who have time for passion projects and hobbies are better workers. Working remotely can mean that your project manager is able to pick up his child from school, can commit to weekly happy hours with friends, or is finally able to enroll in that programming class he’s been wanting to take. When employees are fulfilled in other areas of their lives, they tend to show up better at work too.

What Are The Potential Risks Of Working From Home?

Working remotely is not without potential downsides. Be sure to guard against the risks we’ve laid out below as you create your Work From Home Policy.

It can be hard to establish boundaries. Not having to commute (or shower) is great, but one thing we hear again and again is that it can be hard to turn off your work brain and relax. Some employees find themselves working or checking email from the time they wake up to the time their head hits the pillow. That’s a surefire recipe for burnout.

It can be isolating. Being around people is good for us. Our bodies release the feel-good chemicals oxytocin and serotonin when we see people we care about – like friends, coworkers, and family members. Too much time spent alone can lead to a depressed mood. Additionally, being away from the office can also erode the bonds between an employee and the company itself. An office – especially one with a thoughtfully designed Workplace Experience – gives your employees a sense of identity and connection to your company and its values. This declines when you spend too much time away from it.

It eliminates serendipitous encounters. One of the biggest benefits of an office – especially one with an amazing breakroom – is that it provides opportunities for spontaneous interaction between people from different organizations. (Steve Jobs famously advocated for this when designing the Apple and Pixar office layouts.)

It may come with other distractions. While working from home eliminates typical office distractions (like chatty coworkers), the fact is that employee homes are rarely optimized for work and can help to promote workday procrastination. Often, remote employees end up working on a couch or bed because they simply don’t have a suitable desk or table. Or they may turn on a TV for background noise… and end up watching it throughout the day. Companies with amenities like meal, snack, or coffee programs might see employees running out for lunch or coffee multiple times throughout the day because employees are unaccustomed to planning for meals, snacks and coffee.

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What's In A Work From Home Wellness Box?

What To Include In Your Work From Home Policy

The purpose of your company’s Work From Home Policy should be to optimize for the benefits while limiting the risks, ultimately setting up your employees to be as successful outside the office as they are in it. Here’s what your policy should include to ensure it does just that.

Define who is eligible to work from home. Not all job functions can be conducted remotely. Clearly lay out which teams are eligible to work remotely, and which have to be in the office so that your hybrid work model is clearly available to all workers to examine.

You may set eligibility criteria – i.e., only those employees who have been at the company for 90 days and hit 90% of their goals can work remotely. Of course, this doesn’t apply during a health crisis like COVID-19, when working from home might be mandatory.

Establish an approval process. Likewise, once you establish eligibility criteria, clearly outline the personnel and process for approval. Employees should know how to request work from home privileges, who will be approving, and the timing for approval.

Set regular working hours. Your Work From Home Policy should clearly state when employees are expected to work, and when they should call it a day. If you value flexibility, this might mean setting a total number of hours (i.e., employees are expected to work a total of 8 hours per day).

More likely it will mean establishing a range of working hours (i.e., employees are expected to be working and available from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.). A best practice is to mirror your standard office work day, which may vary by team.

For salaried employees, this policy isn’t just about making sure your team stays on task. The bigger benefit is to empower employees to establish their own boundaries so they don’t feel pressure to be “always on,” which will prevent burnout in the long run.

For hourly employees, remember that federal non-exempt rules apply. Make sure employees understand they must continue to track their time and request manager approval to work overtime.

Provide guidance on timekeeping for hourly employees. Hourly, non-exempt employees will still need to accurately record all hours worked and submit these records to their managers. Make sure hourly employees have a way to accurately record their time while working remotely.

Create attendance and availability standards. One challenge you’ll find working remotely is that you can’t just pop by someone’s desk to get their input on a time-sensitive project. Sometimes, it will feel like you’re constantly hunting people down, hitting them up on Slack, email, and text message. Minimize this by setting standards around when and how team members will be available.

Streamline communications channels. With in-person communication no longer an option, your internal comms must be dialed. This means auditing existing communications channels and designating the primary purpose for each. This might also mean sunsetting redundant channels. For instance, if your company uses both Slack and G-chat, you should require team members to stick with one or the other to reduce inefficiency.

A typical breakdown might be:

Slack for rapid, lightweight, informal communication, and as a second touch for timely announcements.
Email for longer communications, team-wide announcements, and internal programming (like news digests).
Nextiva for meetings.
monday.com (or other project management software) for project management and online collaboration.
Company intranet for frequently asked questions, company policies, and HR resources.

Provide IT support. While working from home, employees will rely on technology more than ever. Performing the most basic communication and job functions require working IT. Providing IT support is both more important and logistically more difficult for a dispersed workforce. Especially if you are engaged in remote onboarding, you’ll need to ensure new employees and IT can communicate with each other effectively.

Create a helpline and ticketing system specifically for remote employees, and outline the procedure that employees must take in order to escalate technology issues.

Maintain security standards. You may want to invest in an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect all system users. Likewise, instruct employees to avoid vulnerable public Wi-Fi. Instead, encourage them to use hotspots or provide encryption software. Lastly, make sure employees keep work data on work computers, not personal ones. Most commonly, this will mean that employees should only answer emails on work devices.

Continue internal communication programs, including all-hands meetings. Constant communication is key. Email newsletters and Slack updates should continue. Your weekly or twice-monthly all-hands will be more difficult to continue, but you should make every effort to do so, even if the format changes. A weekly email from company leadership or shared slide presentation can be just as effective.

Maintain a connection to your culture. Continuing perks and amenities as much as possible will help maintain a sense of normalcy and continuity with your employees.

This is especially important in scenarios where employees are forced to work from home over health and safety concerns (as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Create a dress code. While wearing sweats throughout the workday seems like it should be a perk of any Work From Home situation, employees may still have to interface with customers, clients, or partners via video conference. A note about acceptable wardrobe in these situations is appropriate.

Record acknowledgement of receipt. Remember, this is an agreement between employer and employee, subject to revocation if terms are not met. Use a digital e-signature solution like DocuSign or PandaDoc to record employee receipts.

Gather feedback and iterate. You won’t get everything right the first time. Create avenues for feedback from managers and individual contributors alike. Anonymized feedback is best. Most importantly, implement changes where appropriate.

Finally, whether you realize it or not, implementing your Work From Home Policy will require change management. Your goal might be business as usual, but achieving that means widespread adoption of new behaviors. Use these tips to set the right expectations for your employees and help ensure their success.

Tips For Employees Working From Home

1) Maintain your morning routine.

Just because you’re not going into an office doesn’t mean you should skip the things that ordinarily set you up for success. Wake at the same time, and continue the routine that works for you.

2) Repurpose commute time for self-care.

The average American commute is almost 27 minutes each way. Don’t let this reclaimed time go to waste. If reading, meditating, journaling or practicing yoga aren’t currently part of your routine, now is a great time to try them out.

3) Dress for success.

Just because you can get away with wearing your PJs doesn’t mean you should. You may still be interfacing with colleagues, partners, or customers via video. Plus, dressing comfortably yet professionally helps get you in the right mindset to stay productive.

4) Focus on nutrition.

Maintain focus and energy by avoiding foods with sugars, artificial ingredients, or empty calories. SnackNation’s Work-From-Home Wellness Boxes contain a curated mix of healthier bars, chips, jerky, granola, trail mix, and sweets to keep you properly fueled throughout your remote work days.

5) Designate a dedicated workspace.

Find an environment that fosters productivity. It should be quiet, comfortable, and free of distractions – and different from where you usually eat or relax.

6) Take time to go outside.

Taking breaks is great for your focus and well-being. Recharge by walking around the block or stepping outside on a patio or balcony.

7) Conduct as many video meetings as possible.

Face-to-face interaction doesn’t have to be a casualty of remote work. Conduct daily stand-ups or virtual team meetings via video conferencing software to maintain that personal connection.

8) Set regular work hours.

It can be especially easy to let your workday creep into early mornings and evenings while working remote. Avoid this by setting work hours and sticking to them. Don’t watch TV. Working near a television inhibits our ability to concentrate. Resist the urge to have the TV on, even if it’s just for background noise.

9) Don’t watch TV.

Working near a television inhibits our ability to concentrate. Resist the urge to have the TV on, even if it’s just for background noise.

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What's In A Work From Home Wellness Box?

75 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities, Games, & Exercises For Work In 2022 (Not “Trust Falls”)

Jeff Murphy — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:00:57 +0000

Believe it or not, fun team building activities for work are critically important to the success of your business.

In fact, the personal bonds formed between team members actually give your company a competitive edge.

How does this work?

It’s all about engagement. There’s a pretty clear link between the personal bonds between your team members and their engagement level. A recent Gallup study found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, while people with a self-described best friend at work are seven times more likely to be fully engaged at work.

Don’t believe us? Comparably CEO and engagement expert Jason Nazar explains why that is and how he pulls it off in this clip from the Brand Builder podcast.

Another Gallup study reported that engaged companies consistently outperform the competition when it comes to things like profits, productivity, and turnover. (Pretty important stuff if you ask us.) And it stands to reason – the closer you are to your co-workers, the happier you’ll be at work, and the more likely you’ll be to sacrifice your discretionary time to help them succeed.

Here’s the best part – team building events don’t have to be boring and lame!

	Our Favorite Team Building Games Your Group Will Love
1	Survey Says [Coworker Edition]
2	Happy Hour Trivia
3	Office Game Night
4	Charity Team Building Event
5	Escape Room Challenge

We asked The Assist, a free weekly email for professionals, along with some of the most engaged, tightly knit companies out there to show us how to do team building right. We’ve broken them down into categories to help you decide which ideas might work best for your company.

Team Building Activities For Work: Small Groups

When you have a small group of 10 team members or less, you pretty much have your pick of team building activities. You have enough people to make hybrid team activities and competitions exciting, but you also don’t have so many people that you can’t spring for an off-site affair or something a little more involved. You can do almost anything and still rest assured that everyone experiences the most important elements of team building, including communication, collaboration, and camaraderie.

Get Your Free Conference Call Bingo Game Here

1) Virtual Murder Mystery

“Not even Zoom can hide red hands from you and your team.”

Cue The Office theme song… Michael Scott enters… “There’s been a murder…”

In all honesty, Michael was actually on to something! Solving a murder mystery can be a great way to bond with your team. Check out Virtual Clue Murder Mystery for all types of mystery games that are designed for both the physical, hybrid, and virtual workplaces that help to develop teamwork, communication, and culture building.

There are also in-person and hybrid team Murder Mystery options that can be found here

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: Going with a turnkey event like this means all the details are planned out, and you even benefit from the convenience and added fun of an expert host. You can rest assured that everything won’t just go smoothly, but also that everyone will have an amazing time.

Next step to get started: Explore a Virtual Clue Murder Mystery to get custom pricing.

2) Shark Tank

“Find out if your ideas really have teeth.”

Ideas are fun. People love having them. They love hearing them. They love sharing them.

Inspired by the television series Shark Tank, this activity allows a small group of people to do all of the above during a festive pitch session. There’s only one absolute rule: everyone must come prepared to get everyone else as excited about their brilliant idea as they are. (What they use to cultivate this excitement — presentations, models, diagrams, stick figures, skits, etc. — is totally up to them.)

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, strategic thinking, and listening.

Why we love it: Every idea presented will accomplish something positive. The meticulously planned ideas will be inspiring and might even develop into viable products and initiatives. The outrageous ideas will get lots of laughs, but honestly, even those could end up sparking your company’s next big innovation.

Next step to get started: Create a Shark Tank Night, nominate a few investor sharks, start preparing pitches and get your applause hands ready for the big event.

Pro-Tip: Does your team need more than an applause to validate their million dollar idea? Use a platform like Bonusly to raise the stakes and invest public recognition points to the winning team that can be redeemed for real rewards:

3) Scavenger Hunt

“The closest you’ll ever get to a treasure hunt.”

A scavenger hunt seizes anyone’s attention. These activities offer that sweet thrill of the chase human beings just can’t resist. Chase down clues, find hidden items and feel the sweet rush of following a bread-crumb trail of mini-mysteries on your way to the culminating final goal.

The urgency and the mystery of a scavenger hunt also inspire people to cooperate in record time.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: It provides thrills, adventure, excitement, and an unforgettable opportunity to share a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Next step to get started: Book a consultation with a dedicated event coordinator. You can also check out SnackNation’s Scavenger Hunt Guide!

Loved this!!! Had fun getting to know unique things about Austin. It was fun doing custom questions along the scavenger hunt about our company! -Pricewaterhousecoopers Consulting

4) Build Something For A Cause

“Build team bonds while building cool stuff.”

This charity team building activity follows a simple formula: Build + Donate = Unity. Build something, donate it to charity, and bask in the rewards together.

One could argue that “building things together,” is the original team building activity, what our ancient ancestors discovered to be magical when they bunkered down to create their first permanent homes.

You’ll unite behind a crystal-clear and tangible objective. You’ll feel the epicness of shared accomplishment as you admire the finished product. You’ll feel deeply bonded as you hand off your donation.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: This activity allows everyone to see the result of their teamwork. They don’t have to wonder if they contributed enough or did a good job; the end product will tell all.

Next step to get started: Plan your next charitable challenge here — Bike Buildathon!

5) Taboo

“How good are you at describing the indescribable?”

Taboo is a simple game to learn that is perfect for team building. Players will use this online, mobile-friendly game platform to get their teammates to guess the word at the top of each card, without using any of the other related Taboo words listed underneath. Sounds easy right?

Each game room will consist of 2 teams, with 2-5 players per team. Use your brain, don’t say the off-limit words, and have a blast! While you and your team are guessing, the opposing team will be able to see your phrases to have a good laugh and make sure no one is cheating.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and critical thinking.

Why we love it: This quick team building game for work is a group version of the classic game night board game. It is easy to play along with and provides a ton of entertainment!

Next step to get started: This word guessing game – Taboo – is too much fun to pass up!

Bonus: Dog Park Showdown

“Make sure everyone knows your pet is an absolute champion / Instagram model.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Henry + Baloo (@henrythecoloradodog)

Head to the local dog park with pets in tow. Then simply take turns having your pets complete some of these hilarious viral internet challenges. (You can even create a unique hashtag for your event so people can easily find and rewatch their fabulous footage.)

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: Magicians use the art of misdirection to create seemingly impossible illusions. This activity uses misdirection to maximize fun. By redirecting attention from participants to their pets, people are able to let their hair down, laugh a little louder, talk a little more, and get to know each other a little better.

Next step to get started: Find your park.

Looking for more activities for employee engagement? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Reasons Why Employee Engagement Is Important

Proven Steps to Measure Employee Engagement Effectively

Employee Engagement Software Platforms For High Performing Teams

Team Building Activities For Work: Large Groups

Team building events for large groups need to have enough structure and excitement to get and keep everyone engaged and involved in equal measure. Events that get group members working on one common goal are ideal for cultivating strong bonds in immediate teams and among the larger collective.

6) Escape Room

“Your team is your only escape plan.”

No phones, no Google, and no helpful hints. This activity challenges you and your team to make an escape using only your collective wits. Put your heads together to work through clues, agree on the next steps, and act as one (like the Rose family), if you ever hope to escape that is.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, trust, communication, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Players may find themselves navigating exciting scenarios — hunting for gold, swimming among ancient ruins, or breaking out of an infamous prison — but what they’ll remember most is feeling united as a team. Whenever everyone’s ideas and contributions coalesce into that epic moment of escape, you’ll all feel an unforgettable sense of shared victory.

Next step to get started: Visit some of these escape room themes for escape room thrills…

7) Beer & Cheese Pairing Experience

“Treat your taste buds to become food pairing experts.”

Virtual meetings can begin to run together after a while, but there is an excellent solution to spice them up. This beer and cheese mixer will elevate your Zoom events with lots of delicious goodies!

With this team building event you and your coworkers can learn more about pairing craft beer selections with artisan-made cheeses. Whether it is a hoppy pale ale or a light and crisp lager, you can see just how complex different beer varieties are. Add a little cheese, and you have an even more complete tasting experience!

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, critical thinking and relationship building

Why we love it: Everyone leaves the event with the ability to pair beer and cheese samples like a pro.

Next step to get started: Start assembling the supplies or you can work with a team like Unboxed Experiences to help you choose from a selection of available tasting boxes and customizations.

8) The Office-Style Office Mockumentary

“Capture the magic and mayhem of life at your office.”

Make a mockumentary? No, we’re not asking you to hire camera crews and lighting specialists. When you’re making a film just for the fun and enjoyment of your team, you can pull it off using your phones and some basic software.

This activity provides two team building touchpoints in one. People have fun during the making and they’ll have even more fun when you gather virtually or in-person for the big premiere.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Teams have to collaborate and communicate to make the mockumentary. Plus, while watching the finished product will be hilarious, it might also provide a few genuine takeaways about how to treat and talk to one another. By poking some good-natured fun at the state of your company culture, you might find some genuinely fulfilling ways to improve it.

Next step to get started: Learn some tricks for capturing The Office’s signature style.

9) Charcuterie Night!

“Build an extravagant centerpiece then dig in!”

Whoever said that team building events can’t also be delicious? Get your team together and build the ultimate charcuterie board with all the fix-ins. Meats, cheeses, nuts, fruit, tasty spreads — you name it!

Skills this work activity develops: Relationship building, communication, creativity and trust

Why we love it: This experience is not only loaded with gourmet finger fare to build out your charcuterie board, but can be planned for teams of all sizes.

Next step to get started: Book space in your office conference room for a little charcuterie mixer or make it virtual with a hosted event like Charcuterie Board Experience.

10) An Anything Tournament

“The only rules of this tournament are the ones you make up.”

Pick your favorite sport, board games, brain teaser, thought experiment — anything — and turn it into a tournament. Pretty much any game imaginable can be stretched into a tournament-style afternoon of fun: ping pong, Mario Kart, Jenga, rock-paper-scissors, dodgeball, and the list goes on and on.

In fact, the more unique you make the central activity, the more memorable this tournament will be.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration and critical thinking.

Why we love it: Healthy competition and engaging games served up with a dose of hilarity is a recipe for prime bonding and memory-making.

Next step to get started: Learning the basics of hosting a gaming tournament.

Bonus: Corporate Castaways

“Your pass to turn survival into an epic game.”

Teammates dive into a series of challenges inspired by the Survivor TV series. While this activity gets everyone developing skills they need for day-to-day work, the high stakes inspire players to infuse their actions with an extra dose of strategic thinking, cooperation, and pure mettle.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, trust, communication, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It wraps what could be an average corporate training model in an engaging premise and takes it outside for extra fun and a hit of mood-lifting sunshine.

Next step to get started: Start your castaway adventure with your coworkers.

Looking for more activities for large groups? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Team Building Companies You Should Know About

Team Building Games For Large Groups

Employee Appreciation Ideas & Gifts

Team Building Activities For Work: Quick Icebreakers

Pre-meeting team building activities get your group warmed up for fruitful collaboration. They get people thinking and laughing, and more importantly, they get everyone in the mindset to share brilliant ideas.

11) Daily Icebreakers

“An icebreaker a day keeps the boredom at bay.”

Build teamwork by setting aside just a few minutes at the beginning of every meeting for a quick icebreaker. These mini activities are short and sweet, but they’re well worth each of the few short minutes they cost. They build camaraderie and warm people up to communicate and exchange ideas, making meetings more productive.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: Icebreakers work as an almost magical little switch, activating everyone’s creativity and cooperation. With a quick 15-minute activity, employees will be energized to tackle any meeting, call, or brainstorm with renewed enthusiasm

Next step to get started: Find your favorite icebreaker with fun team activities like Virtual Water Cooler or Guess Who.

12) Rose/Thorn

“Embrace the ups and downs that make life beautiful.”

Share your gratitude and also a little vulnerability to cultivate those magical feelings of team closeness, support, and empathy. During this no-fuss icebreaker, everyone simply shares their rose (any positive that makes them feel grateful, happy, etc.) and also their thorn (a challenge or blocker).

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: It’s a shortcut to getting on the same wavelength. Everyone shares a little gratitude and also a little vulnerability. This little opening-up exercise can make the team feel more tightly bonded.

Next step to get started: Just gather your group and start sharing those roses and thorns, for example:

Work-Related:

Rose: I got an event partner to give me a refund today!
Thorn: A different event partner won’t give me a refund.

Non-Work Related:

Rose: I found time to go for a walk today.
Thorn: There was no time to go for a walk today.

“I work in Enterprise Marketing at ZipRecruiter and our entire team is now remote. We do a daily standup call with my manager and Rose/Thorn is how we start every virtual meeting. It is a quick way to start off a team huddle and get everyone on the same wavelength.”

-Joanna Ericta, Senior Marketing Associate at ZipRecruiter

13) Team Pursuit

“Challenge accepted!”

If you are looking for a Zoom icebreaker, the Virtual Team Pursuit is an interactive way to build better connections between your colleagues through a series of themed challenges. With interesting discussion topics, fun facts, and problem-solving challenges — your distributed team will walk away from this 30 minute icebreaker activity beaming.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, collaboration, and problem solving.

Why we love it: This event comes with a dedicated event manager and virtual event host — meaning you can sit back and only worry about participating in the fun!

Next step to get started: Check out Team Pursuit to plan an icebreaker for a special day of meetings or a project kickoff!

14) Not Your Average Icebreaker

“Icebreaker questions with a twist.”

Coming up with ways to get your team to bond can be hard — but it doesn’t have to be! Caroo makes a seamless bonding experience with their Icebreaker Box complete with scrumptious snacks, icebreaker questions, and a happy hour kit to take the fun to the next level.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, creativity and trust.

Why we love it: Easy execution, delightful treats, and delicious drinks to help your team bond over both thought provoking and LOL-inducing questions.

Next step to get started: Find your favorite icebreaker with Caroo.

15) GeoGuessr

“Win happy hour and explore the world.”

During this online group game, you and your happy hour guests will peek at a picture and try to guess its location of origin by dragging an icon around a map. If this sounds easy enough, then you’ll be delightfully surprised by how challenging it actually is. As you play, you’ll learn about the world and maybe even hear some amazing stories of all the places you never knew your team members had been.

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and listening.

Why we love it: Talking about travel — past travel, travel plans, travel dreams — is a universally adored conversation topic. It can excite and animate anyone, and this game provides plenty of opportunities to bring it up.

Next step to get started: Play GeoGuessr.

16) Skribbl

“Test out your secondary communication skills.”

Calling all aspiring artists, stick-figure stylists, and daring doodlers. Put your creations to the ultimate test: Seeing if anyone can tell what on earth they’re supposed to be.

Skribbl’s no-fuss interface makes it easy to play a classic drawing and guessing game.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: It activates non-verbal communication. You can’t explain your drawing, so people have to dig deep into their knowledge of the “artist” to make informed guesses. It’s also hilarious to witness the dissonance between what people think they’ve drawn or what they think they’re seeing and what’s actually there.

Next step to get started: Play Skribbl.

17) Werewolf

“Who is the big bad wolf?”

What happens when the name of your icebreaker game is survival? There’s only one way to find out.

To play this game, your team splits into two smaller groups — werewolves and townspeople. Face off until all the werewolves are dead or the two groups reach equal numbers.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, problem-solving, trust, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: This activity is wrapped up in a fun and spooky theme, but it also involves plenty of thinking, strategy, and even a little deception — a recipe for a no-fail good time. You’ll learn new things about your teams and maybe even yourself. You’ll also learn who can’t control their giggles and who is a terrible liar.

Next step to get started: Gather your villagers and learn how to play Werewolf with your team.

18) Weekly Team Trivia

“Team trivia is anything but trivial.”

Mix up your Mondays with a bit of trivia conveniently sent to your team members’ inboxes to answer whenever they have a few minutes. Then wait and see who takes home the big win that week! Everything is automatically collected and scored once they submit so it couldn’t be easier.

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and team bonding.

Why we love it: Trivia is not only entertaining but this asynchronous format means that even the busiest people on your team can work it into their schedule and prove just how much random knowledge they have. You can also fit in a weekly recap during your team meeting to shoutout that week’s winner.

Next step to get started: Set up a free weekly trivia showdown with Water Cooler Trivia.

Bonus: Weekend In A Word

“Witness the awesome importance of word choice.”

Feel the impact of brevity in action with an icebreaker that requires everyone to say only a single word. Gather your group and have everyone describe their past weekend fun or future weekend plans and goals in just one word. After everyone has a turn, you can ask follow-up questions if you like. The words people choose will likely spark tons of curiosity.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and listening.

Why we love it: As you prompt teammates to pick just one word to describe big concepts, you learn how their minds work, you learn what’s important to them, and you’ll likely reflect deeply on what they said far more than if they gave a detailed weekend play by play.

Next step to get started: It couldn’t be easier. Just share your words before your next meeting.

Looking for more icebreaker activities? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Ridiculously Fun Icebreaker Ideas, Games, & Activities

Icebreaker Questions For Work That Are Perfect For Any Office Event

Witty & Wacky Icebreaker Jokes

Team Building Activities For Work: Zoom

A Zoom activity has to have the perfect balance of engagement and passive entertainment. You want everyone to mingle and chat, but you also don’t want them getting fatigued or overwhelmed in the first 10 minutes. These virtual team building activities either have plenty of structure or revolve around a central element of entertainment that guides conversations during short breaks.

Get Your Free Conference Call Bingo Game Here

19) Virtual Game Night

“Put your virtual game face on.”

There are so many kinds of games, each delightful for a different reason. A virtual game night is your chance to spotlight your absolute favorites, playing the best of the best in a back-to-back marathon of gaming awesomeness that everyone will love.

Skills this work activity develops: Leadership, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: Out-of-the-box games are fun and familiar. Just mentioning a popular game is often enough to get people excited. Plus, most people will already know how to play. This means you can maximize the fun while minimizing the prep work and instruction.

Next step to get started: Check out these virtual game night ideas, including…

20) Virtual Venture To Paris

“Paris is closer than you think.”

Get your team together to do something virtually as a group you would likely never do in person: take a group trip to Paris.

Sample local delicacies. Stroll around the city of your dreams. See the world through a rose-colored computer screen instead of glasses. In short, live like a Parisian.

Virtually enjoy all the best, most enriching aspects of travel with your team but skip the crankiness and cramped flights and sleep in your own bed when it’s all over.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: What’s not to love about finding your way to Paris through the magic of the internet? This team building activity offers a concentrated dose of the pleasures of travel in a package you can realistically enjoy with your work team.

Next step to get started: Visit Woyago.

21) The Art Thief

“A puzzle-filled race.”

This puzzle team building event is the kind of large group activity that your colleagues will not soon forget. With coworkers split up into teams, they must race through a series of physical, virtual, and hybrid challenges to find clues, pull evidence, and accomplish the mission.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: With the state of work changing so much the past two years, planning a corporate team event is a great way to spend some time together that does not involve Zoom calls and Slack messages. Plus, it gives some of your staff an opportunity to meet new hires in person!

Next step to get started: You can check out The Art Thief to get an accurate quote for your team.

22) Travel Back In Time (With Trivia)

“What year is it?!?!”

This team building activity is a surefire way to get your remote team together while not just hopping on “another Zoom call”. Travel through the decades answering pop culture themed questions in a fast and lively virtual environment. Plus, the guided trivia experience features a hilarious host who will delight your coworkers with jokes, quips, and stories.

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and teamwork.

Why we love it: It unites colleagues with a common goal of sharing some laughs. Also, pop culture is an accessible way to get everyone involved over Zoom.

Next step to get started: Step right in the time machine by checking out these details.

23) Organize Some Laughter

“Get silly to build serious team bonds.”

If alcohol is the social lubricant, then laughter could be considered social superglue. It can bring together people who have absolutely nothing in common. It can make people once separated by tension feel strong bonds. It can make even giant groups of people feel like long-lost friends.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: Laughter is free, exhilarating, and unbelievably fuss-free. When you bring in an activity host who knows how to make it flow, the benefits are immeasurable. Science suggests laughter can cut down stress, bring people together, and elevate mood. Plus, it’s also contagious. Get a few people going and it’s all a delightful downhill slide from there.

Next step to get started: Visit Laughter on Call to plan a super fun comedy and improv night.

Bonus: Virtual Yoga/Mindfulness Session

“Feel that special team flow without using any words.”

During a group yoga/mindfulness session, you may not be outwardly communicating and collaborating, but you’re tapping into a deeper sense of connection. As you subconsciously sync your movements and your breathing, you’re connecting through the collective unconsciousness that feels effortless but strengthens your team bonds.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, collaboration, and empathy.

Why we love it: This activity delivers benefits on the individual and also the group level. Individual practitioners may experience less stress and elevated moods. Together, you’ll feel a magical sense of group energy and support.

Next step to get started: Learn more about how a yoga session can elevate your next team building event.

Looking for more resources for virtual team building? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Virtual Team Building Activities, Games, & Ideas To Boost Remote Employee Morale

Wickedly Fun Virtual Event Ideas For Online Socials

Virtual Escape Rooms For Online Puzzle Solvers

Team Building Activities For Work: Happy Hour

A toast to a good day’s work, a happy hour is the perfect punctuation mark to close off a productive day or to move on from a not-so-productive day. These events are short, sweet, and wonderfully low-key. If you’re sharing a few apres-work sips and smiles with coworkers, then you can call it a happy hour no matter where you are or what you’re sipping.

24) Mixology Virtual Happy Hour

“Be your own bartender.”

Tell everyone to bust out the cocktail shakers and aprons they never use. Tonight, they’re the bartenders. Bond with your team as you learn how to expertly measure, muddle, and mix ingredients into delicious and Instagram-worthy cocktails.

Learn techniques professional bartenders swear by and also ask clarifying questions about why and how to do it all.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: You get to have the same quality conversations you might have while passively sipping cocktails at a bar. But with this experience, you get the added benefit of learning a ton about professional cocktail craft and bartending history while perfecting that friendly, yet inaccessible, bartender smile.

Next step to get started: Book your event with an expert mixologist.

25) Poker Night

“Recognize each other’s poker faces to reach a new level of friendship.”

Good company, delicious snacks, high stakes, and plenty of mental stimulation aren’t the only things that make a classic poker night so engaging. Poker also delivers value through all the things that happen “below the cards.”

As you play, you’ll get to know the usually unnoticed ticks and nonverbal communication habits of your teammates. You get to know them on a deeper level.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Poker is the perfect backdrop for serious team bonding. The play is fun and stimulating, but it doesn’t stop players from participating in the most important part of the happy hour: connecting and conversing with coworkers.

Next step to get started: Get classic Poker instructions or let a dealer host a virtual poker tournament.

26) Happy Hour Themes

“Amp up your happy hour with the perfect theme.”

Breathe new life into a classic happy hour with exciting themes. Themes give your happy hour a focusing personality, tying all your activities and conversations together to create a cohesive, engaging, and memorable event.

When you leverage a happy hour theme, you give your guests ideas for costumes, decorations, snacks, and even conversation starters. It smooths out any awkwardness and generally helps everyone have more fun.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and collaboration.

Why we love it: Selecting a happy hour theme couldn’t be easier, but it adds so much punch to your event. It spells the difference between “fun” and “unforgettable.”

Next step to get started: Check out these happy hour themes, including:

Future Decades
Murder Mystery
Poetry Reading

27) Pub Quiz

“Come on down to the local pub.”

Looks like happy hour this week is going to be down at Hamish McDuff’s virtual pub for teams. With a hilarious Scottish pub owner, a chance to grab an adult beverage, and a unique pub quiz trivia game — your employees will have everything they need to sit back and enjoy an end-of-week happy hour.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration and relationship building.

Why we love it: With surprises along the way, a pub quiz is a low effort, big reward type of happy hour activity where coworkers can bond over shared knowledge of (mostly) useless facts and trivia.

Next step to get started: Wander down to the pub to get a custom quote for your team.

28) Bond Over Some Brews

“Take advantage of the team glue known as beer.”

Offering both virtual and in-person events, City Brew Tours knows how to harness the bonding power of beer. Sample the best beers your city offers while getting to know your team better and enjoying the side dish of fun facts your expert host is serving up.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: Wonderful conversation, colorful commentary, and crisp refreshing beers make this event deliciously unforgettable. The bonding and the flavors pair up to make one powerfully fond memory.

Next step to get started: Visit City Brew Tours.

“After three months of working as distributed teams, we’re extra grateful for the moments we get to hang out with our coworkers again. We spent the month of May hosting several virtual home brewing sessions with City Brew Tours — they managed to lead six groups of beer brewing amateurs through the brewing process, armed with follow-up instructions on carbonating and bottling. (We managed to figure out the drinking part ourselves.) If we can’t grab a beer together, making our own from the comfort of our kitchens may be the next best thing!” -Harder Mechanical Contractors

If you are looking to crack open a cold one with your remote team, there are a number of virtual beer experiences that make it easy to connect in a fun and lively online environment. Here are a few we’ve tried out this past year:

29) Virtual Alcohol Tasting

“Raise a glass to digital bars without borders.”

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic led many wineries, distilleries, and breweries to shutter their tasting rooms. But the drinking and the gathering live on in full force in the virtual world.

A virtual alcohol tasting blends a bit of the old normal with a bit of the new normal. You still get to deeply connect with your co-workers, but you can meet them online (wearing your pajamas if you want) instead of at the local bar.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and empathy.

Why we love it: You get to sample beverages from the best of the best purveyors around the world while enjoying the company of your favorite people. Best of all, you get to do it all from the comfort of your living room, which (in addition to being as cozy as a dream) means you don’t have to worry about designated drivers or rideshares.

Next step to get started: Pick one of these virtual alcohol tasting ideas, including offerings from City Brew Tours.

Bonus: Chopped-style Cocktail Competition

“Become a craft cocktail curator.”

Inspired by the television series Chopped, this interactive cocktail demonstration will be led by an experienced mixologist, who will teach everyone the basics of cocktail making, including the chemistry and complexities that are essential for creating a delicious drink.

After a brief introduction and cocktail education, teams will split up and be given time to work together to create their own hand-crafted cocktails. At the end of the testing and development phase, the onsite mixologist will review and score each finished cocktail based on taste, originality and use of the “mystery ingredient” to decide the ultimate winner.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, listening, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Low-stakes competition is a terrific way to get the blood pumping and improve teamwork, add cocktails to the mix and you’ve got a top-shelf team building activity!

Next step to get started: Visit Mixology Class — because no great story started with a salad.

Looking for more activities for happy hour? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Ridiculously Fun Virtual Happy Hour Ideas, Games, & Themes

Virtual Happy Hour Cocktail Kits & Gifts To Deliver Boozy Fun

Curated Happy Hour Box For Teams By Caroo

Team Building Activities For Work: Office

Team building activities for the office simply make work-life more awesome. Whether you’re taking some time to get to know your office mates, giving people feel-good recognition, or working on some new leadership skills while in good company, you walk away from these events with fresh bonds, fresh skills, and fresh perspectives that will enrich your work environment.

30) Make A Team Playlist

“Create your team’s signature sound.”

Put your heads together to make the most amazing playlist in history. Or better yet, create a new best-ever playlist every single week. Explore the songs others have selected and make complementary selections. Enjoy listening to the entire thing and hearing a little bit of everyone’s personality come through. You’ll love how the whole thing, taken together, somehow captures the magic that is your team.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, collaboration, and empathy.

Why we love it: Listening to your favorite music is uplifting, energizing, rewarding, and pleasurable. All those good things are amplified (pun intended) when you share your favorite music with others.

Next step to get started: Visit Spotify Collaborative playlists for how-tos. Choose a theme and ask everyone to send in two songs that align.

31) Queen’s Gambit Chess Competition

“Face off during the ultimate game of strategy.”

Quiet, yet brimming with below-the-surface action, chess is a perfect game for the office. It’s a fun way for both observers and players to learn, and it cultivates a quiet bonding as you learn more about how your teams’ minds work. As you anticipate moves and picture outcomes, you’ll also build up your strategic thinking chops.

Skills this work activity develops: Strategic thinking, critical thinking, empathy, and decision making.

Why we love it: It involves quiet strategy, pristine focus, and understated thrills. It gets you problem-solving independently while also absorbing the moves and plans of your opponents. Players refine their ability to read people, an invaluable skill in day-to-day office work.

Next step to get started: Learn how to play Chess.

32) Host A Trivia Night

“Shout answers like there’s no such thing as keeping score.”

Why is Jeopardy the #1 game show of all time? The quiet charm of the late Alex Trebek certainly played a part, but aside from the charismatic host, people love Jeopardy because of the trivia.

Even when we have no idea about an answer, we love venturing guesses. Answering both wrong and right helps us learn.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: It’s engaging, it’s educational, and it’s inclusive. Even people who don’t venture a guess out loud have probably formed one in their minds and feel invested in the activity. Few other activities can drum up that much universal interest and engagement.

Next step to get started: Learn how to host a trivia night or plan a virtual trivia night with your own Quiz Master.

33) Gamathon

“Warm up your controller hand.”

Gamers unite to organize an epic office takeover. This activity works not only because video games are fun, but also because that fun could lead to social benefits, including trust, leadership, and cooperation.

Plus, there’s at least one video game nearly anyone will fall in love with when they give it a chance. An office tournament is a perfect way for non-gamers to explore the world of gaming.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Video games are instantly immersive. There’s almost no warm-up period. You can go from zero to fun in just a few seconds, turning your office into a hyper-charged and fully engaged environment.

Next step to get started: Pull off a low-key gaming tournament by simply playing your game of choice while keeping track of the top scorers on a whiteboard. Continue pitting your top scorers against each other until there are only two left standing for a final showdown.

34) Explore Your City

“Get the office some fresh air.”

A great way to get your office working together over a shared goal is to plan an awesome activity in your city. There are a ton of ways to get people out and about on a nice clear day whether it is via a scavenger hunt, tour of the city, or bar crawl! SnackNation recently tried an “Amazing Race” type scavenger hunt through Los Angeles where employees split up into teams, solved clues and challenges, and raced to the finish line.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem solving, teamwork, endurance.

Why we love it: With everyone working in the office or remotely, there really has never been a better time to safely get together in an outdoor space and let coworkers bond over a shared team building experience.

Next step to get started: Try out the “Amazing Race” activity or plan your own city excursion to get outside with your office.

35) Mini Basketball Tournament

“Pull off the layup of your dreams.”

Shrink the glorious game of basketball down to have a sport you can play right in your office. When compared to traditional basketball, a game of mini hoops can bring more people into the fold. It doesn’t require as many skills, rules, or moves, so people of all skills and confidence levels can get in on the game.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and leadership.

Why we love it: It brings the thrill of the hoops right into the office. Plus, you can leave the hoops up after the initial tournament to encourage a pick-up game any time people need a mini-break or an energy boost.

Next step to get started: Pick up a mini basketball set.

Looking for more fun office activities? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Shockingly Easy Ways To Have Fun At Work

Epic Office Party Ideas To Have Everyone Buzzing For Weeks

Outrageously Fun Office Games and Activities

Team Building Activities For Work: Social Distancing

Socially distanced team building events have to fill a tall order: bringing people together while also keeping them a safe distance apart. Hybrid team activities, preferably outdoor or virtual ones, with a physical emphasis provide plenty of laughs. Keep the events simple with minimal instruction and communication required. (Both tend to create confusion when you’re keeping your distance and also wearing a mask.)

Get Your Free Conference Call Bingo Game Here

36) Egg Toss

“Will your team cooperate or crack?”

Humans have never been able to resist the challenge that a simple fragile egg presents. We love to test every breaking point. This activity is no exception. You and your partner have to stay perfectly synced as you toss an egg back and forth, creating a perfect mix of tension and cooperation, compounded by a time limit.

There’s only one question: Can you and your teammate keep your precious egg safe?

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and trust.

Why we love it: It’s simplicity at its most effective. The objective is clear. The premise is simple. The instructions are self-explanatory. However, you’ll find deep complexities in all the incredible ways the pairs go about achieving their objective. Film the event so everyone can watch teamwork playing out in real-time and discuss critical learning points they may have missed in the heat of the moment.

Next step to get started: Get the egg toss rules.

37) Silent Disco

“That’s right. Your team dances to the beat of your own collective drum.”

Turn a simple dance party into a more structured activity by adding a little challenge: everyone has to freeze in place when you pause your music unexpectedly. In addition to laughing hysterically, be sure to take pictures or screenshots during the pause. You’re absolutely going to want to review them later.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, empathy, and listening.

Why we love it: Laughter, physical activity, and shared vulnerability are the perfect recipe for powerful bonding.

Next step to get started:

Create and share a Spotify playlist
Ask everyone to meet at a local park or beach with their mobile devices and headphones in tow
Help everyone arrange themselves into “dancing zones” that are at least 6 feet apart
Pull up the playlist
Remind everyone to open their Playback settings and set Crossfade to 3 seconds so everyone’s songs will end at the same time
Countdown
Press play at the same time
Dance, laugh, repeat

38) BYOBBB: Blankets, Balls, And Beverages

“Get everybody in the same place and let the fun take it from there.”

Post up at a local park for free-for-all fun. Don’t plan any specific activities, but come prepared to give everyone’s (socially distanced) suggestions a try. Make it a BYOBBB event on all fronts by having everyone arrive with their own blankets, balls, and beverages. You might end up tossing a frisbee, inventing frisbee tag, or even kicking the can.

The best part is that you just never know.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: It captures the spontaneous excitement of gathering with the neighborhood kids just to see where the wonder of play leads you.

Next step to get started: This social distancing idea for kids will inspire you.

39) Nerf Battle

“Tag, you’re fun!”

The warning shot goes up into the air…

Don’t worry too much; the shot in question came out of a Nerf gun. But you better get moving because the other team wants to tag you out of the game as soon as possible.

Play a Nerf gun battle as you would play classic tag. Instead of hitting members of the other team with your hands, hit them with handy Nerf guns that allow you to keep a pandemic safe 6 feet of distance between you and your opponents.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, leadership, and decision making.

Why we love it: It helps players channel a special kind of pure childlike joy. You start out chasing each other around, but you end up rolling on the ground laughing, feeling like best friends forever.

Next step to get started: Learn how to have a Nerf war.

“It might not seem like the most traditional team building exercise, but here at YouEarnedIt we believe in celebrating our accomplishments in whatever way makes our employees the happiest. The same day we learned that YouEarnedIt won the title of Best Place to Work in Austin, we held our first ever Nerf Battle Royale. Our employees pooled together their YouEarnedIt points to fund and launch what turned out to be one of the most powerful team building exercises. For 30 minutes, the entire office became a battleground where strategy, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking meant the difference between life and (virtual) death.” -Tim Ryan, VP of Marketing

40) Creative Contest

“Let the inner artists out to play.”

Give everyone a chance to tap into (and show off) their creative side. Unlike other team building activities, the unifying magic of this activity doesn’t come from co-creation; it comes from the sharing of individual creations.

Simply ask everyone to independently create pieces — stories, poems, paints, songs, or, anything else you want. The true bonding happens when everyone’s pieces come together in a collection that magically captures your group’s personality.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, and empathy.

Why we love it: This activity highlights what it means to be a team on a new level. It shows that feelings of togetherness can come even from sharing ideas developed independently. (It’s also perfect for adhering 100% to social distancing guidelines and also making introverts feel super comfortable.)

Next step to get started:

Outline a few simple rules
Announce the contest
Collect submissions
Use a social voting tool to democratize the judging process
Announce and celebrate the winners via employee recognition software, such as NectarHR

Looking for more activities for social distancing at work? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Inspiring Outdoor Team Building Activities, Ideas, & Games

The Ultimate Guide to Social Distancing At Work

Team Building Kits For Boosting Engagement

Team Building Activities For Work: Coworkers

Team building activities for coworkers are all about bonding. Sure, “working together every single day,” is definitely a type of bonding, but these activities are special and enriching because they place co-workers in new, eye-opening situations. When coworkers step outside the day-to-day grind, they might just find out new things about the people they sit with every single day.

41) Adventure Club

“Make adventuring your next good habit.”

Start an adventurous, outdoorsy monthly tradition based on your team’s interests. You can do anything you want, from bouldering to bird watching. No matter what you choose, you’ll bond during the event. You’ll bond as you discuss and relive memories from the last event. You’ll bond as you look forward to the next event.

In summary, you’ll do a lot of bonding.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, trust, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Traditions are powerful. They bring people closer and provide a comforting sense of security and unity. They can do the same thing for an office family.

Next step to get started: Find an adventure!

42) Group Bike Ride

“Roll with your work pack.”

When you step out of the office and hop on your bikes, you are no longer co-workers. You are fellow explorers, adventurers, and the city is yours for the taking.

This team building event gets its strength from spontaneity. Start with a group bike ride as your simple structure, and then let the wind take you from there. Stop off at a popup farm market or demystify that strange building you always stare at from your office window.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Novelty makes us all feel good, excited, and energized. This activity allows teams to experience that thrilling sense of novelty as a group so each person can forever associate the fresh feelings of exploration with the people they shared them with.

Next step to get started: Plan your route.

43) Dining Club

“Indulge your culinary curiosities.”

The team that eats together stays together. Everyone has to eat, and by turning it into a team building activity, you can make this sometimes utilitarian activity into an invaluable get-to-know each other moment.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: The novelty of picking a new place to eat provides an instant launching point for conversations. Even if you have nothing else in common, you have “trying this restaurant for the first time” in common, and that’s plenty to get some good conversations started.

Next step to get started: Discover your next dining destination or host a virtual lunch party. Add some additional team building fun by having everyone order for someone else.

44) Leave-It-At-Work Lunch

“The office can absolutely not sit with you at lunch.”

This activity has all the trappings of a standard low-key team lunch with one key differentiating factor: you are not allowed to talk about work.

When you head out to lunch, leave all your work goals, issues, and ideas at work. When you challenge yourselves not to discuss work, you’ll find new things that you all have in common.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and listening.

Why we love it: It’s surprisingly eye-opening. At first, you might realize just how often your team conversations tend to fall back to office matters. But as the lunch progresses, you’ll be delighted to discover all the other amazing things you have to talk about.

Next step to get started: Just put a date on the calendar, remind everyone to bring their lunch, and have fun.

45) Groupon Fridays

“Fight the slumps with novelty.”

Get out of your comfort zones as a group on a regular basis by setting aside special days to do something new and exciting you’ve agreed on ahead of time.

In addition to growing closer to your team during the event itself, you’ll grow closer during the planning, the anticipation, and the aftermath.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It gives you something amazing to do together, but it also gives you something amazing to look forward to, talk about, plan, and reminisce about together. Even just one exciting event can provide weeks of bonding.

Next step to get started: Visit Groupon.

Looking for more gifts for coworkers? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Seriously Awesome Gifts For Coworkers

Best Office Gift Ideas For Every Work Occasion

Unique Corporate Gift Ideas Guaranteed To WOW Your Clients & Customers

Team Building Activities For Work: Managers

A manager-initiated team building event is usually a multi-tasking affair. They’re often designed to target “soft” objectives important to managers, including communication, motivation, camaraderie, teamwork skills, and trust. Participants walk away feeling the positive effects of a good time and also with a few team narratives they can pull out in their next performance evaluation.

46) Share Your Favorite Sports

“Making spectating a sport.”

Strengthen your own team by enjoying the timeless activity of watching other teams duke it out in a display of athleticism. Bond with your team as you share the cheers, the thrills, the disappointments, and the pure energy of shared fandom.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and empathy.

Why we love it: This is another activity that facilitates a deeper kind of bonding that doesn’t require complex communication. A simple (yet enthusiastic) high-five during the rush of a shared victory works magic.

Next step to get started: Get your tickets at Vividseats.

47) Start A Bracket

“Satisfy your competitive streak.”

The risks and rewards of a little light betting meet the excitement of sports and entertainment to bring your team an experience that gets everyone pumped. Bet against one another. Bet with one another. Have fun.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration, strategic thinking, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: The competition and excitement of this activity bring people to life. Everyone will be delighted to see new sides to their coworkers. It’s especially delightful to see even your most level-headed soft-spoken teammate moved to trash talk when the honor of their favorite team is on the line.

Next step to get started: Visit BracketFights.

48) Field Trip

“Escape the office.”

Plan an offsite event, a little break from the ordinary, where everyone can gather together at a rented-out bar, a private movie theater — anywhere but the office.

By simply stepping out of your day-to-day environment, you’re opening your team to new experiences, new connections, and new friendships. It doesn’t even matter what activity or location you choose.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, and communication.

Why we love it: The simple magic of a new experience and a new environment fuels new connections. People will find themselves naturally talking to people they’ve maybe only passed in the hallway. They’ll find themselves asking questions they wouldn’t ask in the company kitchen.

Next step to get started: There’s really no wrong way to do this one. Just pick a fun off-site event and enjoy all it has to offer.

49) Choose Your Own Adventure

“Do something you’ll want to tell your grandkids about.”

Blueboard empowers employees to choose their own adventures. Their expert team will handle all the planning details, allowing your team to enjoy exactly the kind of experience they want without doing any of the tedious planning.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, trust, and listening.

Why we love it: Even after the pure joy of the experience has passed, the platform breathes new life into it by inspiring everyone to share memories of their experience right on the platform. One experience can yield months of benefits.

Next step to get started: Visit Blueboard.

50) Department Raffle

“Make it rain swag.”

What’s one easy way to get an entire crowd excited? Giving away free stuff. Pull together all your swag, your fun gadgets, and your CEO’s open lunch dates into one ultimate cache of raffle prizes everyone wants.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and communication.

Why we love it: The excitement this event can inspire is priceless. Everyone will feel as giddy as a game show contestant as they see if they’ll be the lucky ones who get to horseback riding with your president.

Next step to get started: Read the basics of running a raffle.

Looking for more gifts for managers? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Can’t Miss Gift Ideas For Your Boss To Impress

Creative & Thoughtful Gifts For Managers

High End & Luxury Corporate Gifts For VIPs

Team Building Activities For Work: Employees

Team building activities designed with employees in mind focus on joy. Team leaders know what their employees want more than almost anything else is a little break from the ordinary, some time to reset. Like little mini-vacations, these events usually take employees off-site for fulfilling new experiences.

51) Food Truck Mayhem

“Chase down the best food on wheels.”

Imagine the buzzing excitement of the high school cafeteria, multiplied by ten. (And also serving food that’s a million times tastier than cafeteria fare.) That’s what any park or parking lot can become when you call in the food trucks and invite your teams out for a food-tastic field day.

Everyone will frolic around, finding exactly what gourmet goodies they want while also enjoying some quality socializing. It is, however, way better than a cafeteria as the food is significantly tastier.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Browsing around the different trucks, socializing as you go creates a festival environment where eating isn’t just eating; it’s transcendent.

Next step to get started: Find out what food trucks are available in your area.

52) Visit A Local Museum

“Crank up your culture quotient.”

Round up the team and visit a local museum, any kind of museum — art, history, nature, science, agriculture, whatever. Wander the exhibits all while discussing, learning, and soaking up all the fun facts like sponges.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: Visiting a museum with coworkers instead of going alone on a weekend provides tons of rewards.

Next step to get started: Find a museum near you or stay at home and follow a guide through an interactive virtual museum tour.

53) Take On The Outdoors

“Swap the suit for sun-drenched skin.”

When you really think about it, the whole wide world is like one big team building adventure just waiting for you to seize it.

Go glamping, scuba diving, hiking, or bouldering. Your team’s next fulfilling adventure could be waiting anywhere. Just look out the window and see the possibilities.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and trust.

Why we love it: Most people aren’t exactly sure how to go about planning an epic adventure. Blueboard makes the part easy. Just find an experience that speaks to your team’s collective adventurous spirit, and Blueboard will take it from there.

Next step to get started: Visit Blueboard.

54) Awesomely Bad Art

“Flex your art appreciation muscles.”

Some of the best team building events get people to shift their perspectives. In some cases, that involves learning that Gretchen is only uptight in the office because she needs some more vitamin D or that Marcus’s ideas sound a lot better when you’re not trapped in a conference room together.

Strengthen the kind of mental muscles that fuel open-mindedness by hitting up the art galleries. Instead of trying to spout expert analysis, focus on trying to find and discuss positive things about something you absolutely hated at first glance.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: Quick judgments are detrimental in pretty much all life situations, from simple self-talk to workplace interactions. This activity gets teams working together to challenge their off-the-cuff judgments and develop the skills they need to shift perspectives.

Next step to get started: Find an art gallery or test your skills with an instructor-led painting class.

55) Team Movie Night

“This easy-peasy activity is a real crowd-pleaser.”

A low-key movie night is a perfect way to make people feel bonded over Zoom. Like going to movie theaters in those long-forgotten days of yore, the important part of this activity is that everyone’s brains and eyeballs are engaging in a shared cinematic experience. You can easily achieve this over Zoom, and you won’t have to hear everyone slurping on soda or crunching on popcorn.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, empathy, and listening.

Why we love it: This activity couldn’t be easier, but it’s also a real crowd-pleaser. The movie focus eases the pressure while also allowing everyone to chat and bond as much as they like.

Next step to get started: Check out Hulu Watch Party or Netflix Party.

Looking for more gifts for employees? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Unique Gifts For Employees That Will Boost Morale

Extraordinary Gift Box Ideas That Will “WOW”

Best Work From Home Care Package Ideas For Employees

Team Building Activities For Work: Onboarding

Onboarding team building activities aim to fast-track that priceless sense of belonging new employees crave. They pack a variety of “get-to-know-you” goodies into just a few hours, accomplishing the kind of relationship building that might otherwise take weeks of work to arrive at.

56) Share An After-Work Jog

“Break a sweat to create unbreakable bonds.”

Only the closest teams work out together. Welcome new employees by organizing a simple after-work jog. It’s low pressure, leads to light conversation, and it will make new employees feel instantly like part of your tight-knit team.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: It takes the pressure off new employees. It allows them to spend time with their new team during a totally average daily activity. This helps them get over some of the nerves that might come along with having an event specifically in their honor.

Next step to get started: Find a perfect route.

57) Get-To-Know You Super Email

“Give new employees your team’s top-secret dossier.”

Treat your new employees to a get-to-know-you super email. Pull together a list featuring everyone on your team, including their names, pictures, roles, favorite movies, and other fun facts. New employees will find this grounding, and they’ll get a head start on the get-to-know-you process.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: They say knowledge is power. When it comes to new employees, knowledge about their teammates is empowering. Learning a little bit about everyone will help them feel less like an outsider.

Next step to get started: Get inspiration from this list of get-to-know-you questions.

58) Play Jeopardy For Pride Month

“Celebrate Pride Month with your team.”

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking, communication, and compassion

Why we love it: While teams compete in fast-paced rounds of Jeopardy-style questions, they will also learn valuable insights related to Pride Month and LGBTQIA+ culture. After the trivia, coworkers will participate in a social mixer to discuss unique conversation questions and topics in a lively virtual format.

Next step to get started: Get in touch to start planning your event for June!

59) Desert Island

“Pack your go-bag for an unexpected island getaway.”

Engage your team in the theater of the imagination. Turn any old conference room or gathering place into a desert island. Simply ask everyone to list and provide their reasoning on three items they would want to have on hand.

This activity is all about exploring possibilities. People will love learning from one another and broadening their minds as they hear what everyone else on their team would do when survival is on the line.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: Listening to people list their selected items and their logic will showcase the broad range of perspectives and problem-solving skills represented across your team.

Next step to get started: Check out these activity tips.

60) Giphy Wars

“Find out if everyone loves your GIFs as much as you do.”

Use an employee recognition or communication platform as a battlefield for epic giphy wars.

Just push out a prompt (internet’s most boss cat, for example) and give everyone a chance to respond with the best GIF they can find. Vote on the best GIFs to see who won the war.

You can even have a war every week based on different themes, such as movies, sports, and cats.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: Everyone loves GIFs and also the rush of finding one that seems perfectly made for the moment at hand.

Next step to get started: Visit Nectar, your giphy war battlefield.

Looking for more onboarding resources? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

21 Trusted Corporate Training & Development Programs Proven To Benefit Employees

7-Steps To A Perfect Employee Onboarding Process For New Hires

Fun Onboarding Activities & Games For New Hires

Team Building Activities For Work: Professionals

When you’re planning a team building activity for non-stop professionals, the spotlight is on sharpening teamwork, problem-solving, and all those other wonderful translatable skills professionals love to work on.

Participants will be looking for new skills they can incorporate into the next work week, so each activity should give them plenty of material to work with. (They’ll probably even expect to receive a follow-up survey so they can properly weigh in on the effectiveness of the event.)

61) Egg Drop

“Can your team do better than all the king’s horses and all the king’s men?”

Can you and your team figure out how to drop eggs without breaking them?

Break up into different teams and let the egg-safe engineering process begin. Reconnect as a large group for the testing phase.

Have each small group discuss something new they learned about teamwork to enhance the learning aspect of this activity.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration.

Why we love it: This experiment benefits from multiple perspectives. Everyone will enjoy hearing their teammates suggest design nuances they never even considered.

Next step to get started: Read instructions from the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, or watch this video.

62) Human Knot

“Learn what it’s like to feel truly inseparable.”

During this physical team building activity, you’ll come together as a human knot, you’ll put your heads together to get out of said knot, and eventually, you’ll break away, but you’ll still feel closer than ever.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration.

Why we love it: It makes teamwork a tactile experience. You’ll be able to see it in action, and if you film the event, you’ll be able to learn a few things from watching it later.

Next step to get started: See the human knot in action.

63) Longest Shadow

“Overshadow the competition.”

You and your team have to get it together to turn all your individual shadows into one unified shadow. But that’s just the minimum. If you want to win, you also have to make sure your shadow is longer than every other group’s.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration.

Why we love it: It requires a lot of coordination. Everyone has an equal role and everyone must play a part. While some people may naturally step into leadership roles, everyone eventually has to fall in line to create the shadow.

Next step to get started: Watch the instructions.

64) Name Impulse

“Find out what’s really in a name.”

You know your name right? You can remember it no matter what, right?

This fun team building activity challenges the simple power of names by having everyone say their own in a variety of different fast-paced situations.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and listening.

Why we love it: As you play, you’ll be tickled by how your brain seems to want to prioritize the identity of the entire group over the individual name you’re so deeply attached to.

Next step to get started: Watch the how-to video.

“The coolest part is when everybody realizes they are on the winning team, we could learn a lot from that.” – Ingles, a Youtube commenter

65) The Numbers Game

“Exchange digits in a different way.”

Can you make an effective team building game based only on numbers?

Of course.

In this activity, everyone gets a one-digit number. When one person shouts out a multi-digit number, everyone must scramble around to form that number by finding other teammates with the corresponding digits.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It might seem like a classroom activity, however, when you actually start playing, you’ll be delighted by how challenging and hilarious it can be.

Next step to get started: Watch it on Youtube.

Looking for more gifts for professionals? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Best Gifts For Professionals They Will Not Stop Using

Motivational Quotes For Work That Will Inspire Your Employees

Creative Ways to Reward Employees

Welcome Back To The Office Gifts

Team Building Activities For Work: Executives

Visionary executives gravitate toward team building activities that align with all the things that occupy their thoughts, hopes, and dreams: company trajectories, productivity, strategy, long-term goals, missions, new ideas, and so on. You can expect these team building activities to focus on big ideas, open brainstorming, and maybe even some tactical planning (even if this last bit happens during a follow-up event).

66) Undercover Boss

“Prove that you can take the boss out of the boss.”

Executives can take a cue from the award-winning TV show and build some solid team bonds by actually becoming part of the team for a day.

During the activity, executives simply spend an entire day working with their teams, letting their employees show them the ropes. To have the most fun, lay the clear ground rule that no one should under any circumstances take it easy on the “newbie.”

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and trust.

Why we love it: Most employees’ interactions with executives at the highest levels involve big fancy events or hearing talks in echoey auditoriums. This activity allows executives to reveal the person behind the position and gain admiration for doing so.

Next step to get started: Get inspiration from the original TV show, Undercover Boss.

67) C-Suite Team Retreat

“Executive’s day out.”

Some executives may think they can skip out on all the team building activities and events other employees engage in. They are inhumanly busy after all. But that’s all the more reason that a team building retreat can bring major value to their work lives.

Bring the busiest of the busy executives together for a no-work-allowed retreat. Engage them in a day of conversation, visioning, and group support. These executives may never have to share offices or conduct group work, but their team cohesion is just as important as it is for any other team.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, and leadership.

Why we love it: It solidifies the simple concept that you never outrank teamwork. Busy people may neglect team building, but this activity will remind them why they shouldn’t.

Next step to get started: Find some executive retreat ideas.

68) Mastermind Group Chat

“Tap into the collective mastermind.”

Great minds may think alike, but that does not preclude them from sharing and discussing their ideas. This activity simply builds on the power of leaders’ ideas and the immeasurable rewards of sharing and nurturing those ideas in a group context — whether it happens during a one-off event or goes on infinitely in a shared Slack channel.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, leadership, and strategic thinking.

Why we love it: Ideas are beautiful. And like dominoes or a perfectly cascading supply chain, one idea may inspire a chain of brilliance until your company’s biggest barrier to success is prioritizing the pipeline.

Next step to get started: Just get the executives together and start talking. It’s that easy.

69) Mini TED Talks

“Bring on the inspiration.”

Who doesn’t love an inspirational TED talk? Apply that signature TED-style to the microcosm of your company. Have company leaders tell their stories and share experiences about what it means to be part of your company, about future growth, about limitless potential. The sky’s the limit.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and leadership.

Why we love it: The audience will love listening. The leaders will love speaking. And both of those things working in harmony will spread an invigorating feeling of inspiration all around the office.

Next step to get started: Check out these tips for creating a TED Talk.

70) Get Scared

“Scare up those hidden stores of executive energy.”

Planning satisfying team building events for executives requires upping the stakes and also proposing something, some challenge, that driven executives will likely not be able to resist.

Have them face their biggest fears, or at least something ridiculously scary as a group. They’ll forge new bonds and in some cases heal their brains and push past limiting beliefs.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and trust.

Why we love it: Overcoming fears together, sharing that rush of adrenaline, and also supporting one another through it all will bring your executive leadership team together like never before.

Next step to get started: Check out these adrenaline activities for thrill-seekers.

Looking for more Executive support? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Memorable Gifts for Every Type of CEO

How to Be a Corporate Travel Planning Expert

Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities

Team Building Activities For Work: Christmas

Team building around the winter holidays puts on the cheerful, casual garb of pure togetherness. With these events, what you do is not half as important as who you do it with. If you can bring your entire team together for some quality time and make a few strong memories while you’re at it, then your event is a smashing success.

71) Secret Santa

“Make Santa a state of mind.”

This holiday classic ensures everyone experiences the joys of gift-giving and gift-receiving without making anyone feel pressured to purchase a whole sack full of presents.

Each guest brings a gift for another. The gift giver’s identity remains a secret until after all the presents are open and each person tries to guess the identity of their secret Santa.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and teamwork.

Why we love it: It works well for any gift-giving holiday or occasion. Everyone feels included and shares equally in the joy.

Next step to get started: Read the detailed rules. Feel free to expand the gifting pool to other departments you don’t have as much interaction with. Getting each other secret santa gifts will only bring you closer.

72) Make A Custom Team Greeting

“Give everyone more of what they really want.”

Spread some holiday cheer by teaming up to make a team card, stickers, or even hilarious refrigerator magnets featuring all your beautiful faces.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, and communication.

Why we love it: It spreads joy with a perfectly personal and humorous touch.

Next step to get started: Check out these custom fridge magnets.

73) White Elephant

“Get something you never knew you wanted.”

Ask each guest to bring a random, ridiculous, weird, hilarious or otherwise traditionally “unwanted” gift. All you have to do is have guests open the gifts, and voila — you’ve got instant hilarity with minimal planning and fanfare.

You could also pull a Michael Scott and surprise everyone by bringing something that’s actually amazing.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: You will make tons of amazing memories as you see what everyone brings and also how everyone reacts to what everyone brings.

Next step to get started: Browse these gift ideas.

74) Rudolph Drinking Game

“Uncover the mystery of Rudolph’s shiny red nose.”

What could be better than watching your favorite holiday classic? Watching your favorite holiday classic with your amazing coworkers while also enjoying a festive drinking game.

Grab your drink of choice and agree on your drinking cues. For example, you could pop a Santa hat on top of your screen and take a little drink each time one of the characters ends up “wearing” the hat.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and trust.

Why we love it: It cultivates tons of festive holiday cheer while being just a bit more cozy and intimate than a holiday happy hour or company party.

Next step to get started: Get the full instructions.

75) Glow And Grow

“Nurture your ambition for the bright new year.”

Get together for a satisfying end-of-year reflection. Invite everyone to share their “glow” (an accomplishment they’re proud of) and also their “grow” (a goal for the upcoming year.)

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: It’s the perfect chance to grow closer as a team as you celebrate each other’s accomplishments and support each other in pursuit of new goals.

Next step to get started: All you need to make this event a success is a time, a place, one another, and some snacks of course.

Looking for more company holiday party resources? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading:

Virtual Holiday Party Ideas For Spirited Festive Fun

Fun Company Holiday Party Ideas On Any Budget

SnackNation’s Holiday Party Guide: 20 Healthy Holiday Party Snacks, DIY Decorations and Games

Conclusion

Now you have all the ideas you need to build something amazing.

We hope you’re inspired to try one or all of these activities, even if it takes a while. Feel free to share your experiences and team building favorites in the comment section below.

Get Your Free Conference Call Bingo Game Here

How to Create a Killer Office Fitness Challenge in 2022

Jeff Murphy — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 07:16:29 +0000

Employee fitness equals free money for your company.

Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

Organizations who invest in health and wellness actually save money by reducing healthcare costs and curbing lost productivity due to absenteeism. An office wellness challenge can get your team working towards their fitness goals together and build camaraderie along the way!

The Harvard Business Review found that employers who invested in comprehensive health and wellness initiatives saw a nearly 3-to-1 return in money saved. A more focused study demonstrated that ROI was closer to 6-to-1.

That’s some serious ROI.

Fitness challenges can be a great way to get your employees excited about wellness. In fact, an office fitness challenge can be the cornerstone of a comprehensive wellness program – but only if it’s done right.

Get Your Free Office Exercises Template

You see, it’s not as easy as sending a mass email about an upcoming 5k and calling it a day. Fitness challenges have to be engaging. The last thing you want is to invest your time, money, and energy in a fitness challenge that gets zero participation.

So stick with us. We’ll help you design a fitness challenge that your employees will rave about.

And since budget is always a factor, all the tactical advice we provide is budget friendly. Here’s how to create a killer fitness challenge, whether you’ve got an Amazonian budget…or something a bit more modest.

Tip 1: Do Not Rely on a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

Just as you can’t mandate participation, you can’t rely on a one-size fits all approach.

Think about it – your employees are diverse! You likely have employees of varying ages, fitness levels, and physical abilities, so you’ll need to bake in some flexibility as you design your challenge.

Take us for example. At SnackNation, we have team members who regularly compete in Ironman Competitions. We also have employees who haven’t stepped foot in gym in years (and the thought of doing so scares me a little… I mean them. Scares them a little).

Keep in mind, the point isn’t to cater to those you are already active. It’s much more important to motivate those for whom fitness isn’t all that high on their priority list. That’s where your plan will have the biggest impact.

Action Step: Create Options

Employee wellbeing shouldn’t be limited to just physical activity. Bonusly allows its members to create fully customizable challenges with topics that are relevant to their personal interests/needs – popular themes include optimal nutrition, stress reduction, weight management, financial wellbeing, resilience, sleep improvement, safety, tobacco cessation, and social causes… but the possibilities are endless!

Tip 2: Gamify

Gamification involves introducing elements of gameplay into your challenge. Most commonly, this means creating badges or rewards that team members unlock by hitting milestones.

Game mechanics are highly motivating. They play on our psychological need for status and achievement. You’ll find that gamification is a great way to unlock the spirit of friendly competition and increase participation company-wide.

Action Step: Get Creative With It!

Whether you want to go with tried and true favorites that are easier to get buy-in for (ie: “Most Steps Wins”) there are a ton of fun and creative ideas available for your team to implement to gamify your office fitness challenge.

The team at Bucketlist uses their company-wide web interface to track their fitness challenge milestones so employees can see their peers’ progress. This way, the healthy competition is encouraged throughout the length of the challenge rather than at just the beginning. They also set up the game mechanics so instead of rewarding the winning team with a one-size-fits-all award, they offer a variety of unique and easy-to-redeem rewards through the Bucketlist platform.

People these days have short attention spans and appreciate variety, so consistent innovation is key if you want your programs to stay fresh and engaging.

Try Bucketlist here

Tip 3: Set a BHAG

If you speak jargon, you might know that the acronym BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. It’s usually used to describe a company’s big business or philanthropic goals, but the term is just as relevant for your workplace fitness challenge.

By definition, a BHAG is a stretch goal. It’s something that’s beyond your team’s current capabilities and that will require them to grow as individuals and break through their perceived limitations.

The best way to do this shoot is for something a little daunting, something just beyond what they think they’re capable of reaching.

Action Step: Make Your BHAG Tangible

When we launched a company-wide fitness challenge at SnackNation, our BHAG was walking from San Francisco to LA in a month (virtually of course). This was our big, motivating group challenge.

We deliberately chose a goal that team members could visualize, rather than an abstract goal like “walk 400 miles.”

Tip 4: Incentivize Participation

Let’s be honest, getting people to participate in a workplace wellness challenge is like wrestling an alligator at midnight – the odds are stacked against you. Gallup found that only 24% of employees typically participate in wellness initiatives.

New research shows that employees are 33 times more likely to get involved when there are financial incentives. Nectar’s employee recognition and rewards platform allows companies to create wellness challenges that are tied to rewards like gift cards or company swag. This automates the process of creating, promoting and incentivizing wellness challenges.

Action step: Offer non-cash incentives

Studies have found that non-cash incentives like gift cards significantly increase wellness challenge participation rates. Take advantage of a tool like Nectar to simplify the delivery of these types of rewards, regardless of where your employees are participating from.

Tip 5: Track Your Progress

If you’re going to shoot for a goal, you’re going to need a way to measure your progress on your way there.

At SnackNation, we provided Jawbone fitness trackers to track our steps. This was hugely popular and provided an easy way to accurately record progress towards our BHAG. (You can often negotiate bulk deals on fitness trackers for your company.)

Haslett Express, a logistics company in Chicago, held a similar walking challenge. (In fact, ours was modeled after their walk from Chicago to LA challenge!)

Instead of fitness trackers, they had their in-house development team create a custom portal where employees could enter any type of physical activity (whether it be swimming, biking, or yoga) and it would convert it into the equivalent number of steps.

Of course, if supplying fitness trackers to your entire team isn’t realistic, track progress in a shared excel document. It doesn’t have to be high tech! It just has to be readily accessible to your entire team. (Try one of these templates).

Action Step: Create a Leaderboard

Use a rolling whiteboard or a digital fitness challenge leaderboard – or better yet, convert a wall in your office into a whiteboard with whiteboard paint – to display group progress and individual challenge leaders. The daily reminders will continually motivate your team to compete.

Tip 6: Take a Grassroots Approach

Yes, buy-in from executive leadership is a must, but you can’t take a top-down approach to fitness challenges. A mandated wellness program simply won’t work.

Mandated wellness programs simply don’t work.
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A grassroots approach works best. In practical terms, this means your fitness challenge must be employee-led.

It all starts with listening. Find activities that the majority of your team already enjoy, or are interested in trying out.

This might be something as challenging as a marathon, or it might be something as simple as yoga or Pilates. It might even be something exotic like rock climbing or surfing. (Side note, climbing is all the rage at SnackNation these days.) You won’t know until you ask.

Action Step: Create an Employee Fitness Panel

Create a panel of employee leaders and find out what fitness activities interest them.

Identify your team’s most passionate fitness advocates from across your org and empower them to drive the information gathering that will help inform your plan.

You’ll be much more likely to come up with something that has widespread appeal.

Tip 7: Use the Fitness Challenge as a Kickoff to Larger Wellness Initiatives

The beauty of fitness challenges is that when done right, they’re a ton of fun. They create opportunities for your team to bond and energize them around physical well being.

To really maximize the value of fitness challenges, use their momentum to increase participation in a larger wellness program that includes access to healthy food, information on medical screenings, education on mental health and productivity, and other initiatives that support wellbeing.

Action Step: Demonstrate Individual ROI

Before your fitness challenge ends and all the rewards are handed out, make sure you collect data on how your team is feeling.

Some might be feeling more energized and productive. Others might have undergone physical transformations and lost weight!

Collect the data and present it to your team as a recap. Help connect the dots between this activity and more investment in their own health and wellbeing via the additional programs you’re offering.

What Is A Realistic Fitness Challenge Launch Timeline?

Week 1 – Convene your wellness panel. Determine what activities your team already enjoys or might be interested in trying. Make sure there is adequate choice to maximize participation.
Week 2 – Once the activity is determined, it’s time to design the challenge. Determine a BHAG that’s tangible, not abstract. Create rewards and incentives both on an individual and team level to foster some healthy competition. Make sure to also incorporate a feedback mechanism.
Week 3 – Paint a wall in your common area with whiteboard paint. This will be your leaderboard. Buy trophies or badges to reward employees for hitting milestones.
Week 4 – Launch! Get your team psyched. Make sure you have buy-in from executive leaders and managers – without their participation, your team might not take it seriously.

Employee Wellness Resources:

The post How to Create a Killer Office Fitness Challenge in 2022 appeared first on SnackNation.

14 Easy Ways to Create a Zen Office Space On a Budget

Jeff Murphy — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 09:13:30 +0000

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “the modern workplace”?

If you’re like a lot of people, it’s probably words like “ultra-connected,” “demanding,” “always on,” or “stressful.” No wonder companies experience such high turnover, low productivity, and burnout.

No bueno.

Now imagine a workplace exemplified by the following:

Peace. Calm. Tranquility. Focus.

A little better, right? That’s the idea behind Zen Office spaces.

Zen is a Buddhist philosophy that emphasizes meditation, intuition, and tranquility. Zen is also a practice that pulls you out of your routine, and trains you to live less automatically and more mindfully.

More and more companies are embracing Zen principles to bring tranquility to their employees daily work and help balance the demands that growing a business places on individuals and teams. As a result, these employers are seeing more creativity, better communication and collaboration, and less stress in the workplace.

We know that budgets are always a factor, and that most companies aren’t going to be able to spend 20k to transform their break room into a spa-quality rejuvenation space. But as it turns out, often all it takes is a little creativity and planning to create Zen on a budget. There are many ways to bring a sense of peace and tranquility to the workplace, without breaking the bank.

Here are 14 economical ways to embrace Zen and create a calmer, more joyful – and more productive – office.

1. Chill Out with an Office Water Feature

Water plays an important role in Zen philosophy and practice, symbolizing the dual nature of the human mind and energy.

As Bruce Lee’s famous quote illuminates, water can be both an unstoppable force that alters the landscape, or a formless substance that can adapt to any vessel:

“If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”

One of the most beloved features of SnackNation’s Culver City HQ is our twenty foot tranquility waterfall. The water flows in front of a window that faces southeast, so light streams in from different angles throughout the day. It’s a popular spot for focused work like writing, brainstorming, problem solving, and contemplation.

How to do it on a budget:

You don’t need to install a two story water feature to get the same sort of tranquility at your office. This mini desk waterfall from Nature’s Mark is less than $15. Plus, the sound of running water will have a nice calming effect on the employees who work in or around the workspace.

Cost: $14.99

2. Bring the Outdoors In with a Living Wall

Environment is everything in Zen philosophy, and greenspace can do wonders for your mindset.

Living walls are a great way to bring the outdoors in. GdB, a Minneapolis-based ad agency, found a clever way to do just that. Their spacious downtown offices feature two storey high live bamboo walls.

Not to be outdone, El Segundo skincare company Murad features an indoor vertical herb garden, and companies like Live Wall are helping companies create living works of art in their offices.

How to do it on a budget:

Of course, living walls can be expensive. Even the lower-end systems can run upwards of $500.

That’s why you should consider DIY air plant holders. Air plants are hanging plants that don’t require soil or much water in order to grow. You can make your own air plant holders with plastic easter eggs, inexpensive fishbowls, or items from your local hardware store – the options are only limited by your imagination. It’s a much more minimalist – yet no less impactful – way to improve you and your team’s daily wellbeing.

Here’s a great DIY air plant project Gathered Cheer that uses copper spray paint, copper wire, and other items you can find at your local hardware store.

Cost: Less than $40

3. Get Your Meditation On

In a recent podcast interview, workspace expert and Cross Campus CEO Ronen Olshansky made a strong case that every office space needs a space for active rejuvenation.

The reasoning is simple – when you’re expending tons of mental energy creating, problem-solving, and innovating, you need somewhere to recharge.

And as we’ve talked about elsewhere on the blog, achieving personal and professional growth is hard! Getting your business to where it needs to be means requires a healthy amount of stress. Like a muscle, individuals and teams need to be challenged in order to grow stronger.

But in order to keep your stress levels healthy, you need to allow your employees time and space to rejuvenate.

That’s why Cross Campus’ location in downtown LA comes equipped with a world-class meditation room.

Ronen didn’t quite know how it would be received when he and his team deployed this space, but it quickly proved to be immensely popular – so much so that members from other campuses throughout the city were making their way downtown just to use the meditation room.

Of course, you can make meditation part of your workplace culture without splurging on a spa-like meditation retreat in your office.

How to do it on a budget:

One great solution is Meditation Trainer, a site that automatically provides an immersive meditation experience every time you visit. All you need is a few minutes and set of headphones.

For a slightly more robust (and portable) experience, Meditation Studio is a beautifully designed app for Android and iOS that promises to untangle your mind. The easy to use app includes expertly curated guided meditations, soothing background noise, step by step guidance and in-depth courses, as well as the ability to automatically track your daily progress.

What’s most important is educating your team on the importance of active rejuvenation habits like meditation. Set aside a few guided meditation sessions with your team so they can see for themselves.

Cost: Free (Meditation Trainer) or $3.99 (Meditation Studio)

4. Cultivate Serenity With Your Very Own Zen Garden

With their sweeping, minimal lines and perfectly ordered elements, rock gardens are quintessentially Zen.

One of the coolest Zen gardens we’ve ever seen was actually a notorious prank at LA-based Hulu. A team of Hulugans decided to prank VP of Distribution Pete Distad with a meticulously construction Zen garden at his desk, complete with raked sand, bamboo, and soothing stones placed all over his desk.

Of course, the joke was on them when Distad decided to keep his desk the way it was.

How to do it on a budget:

Not quite ready to dump 1,000 pounds of sand around your workspace? Try this mini desktop Zen Garden from Wonderful Zen instead.

Cost: $19.95

5. Provide Everyone with Zen Swag

Cultivating zen comes naturally when everyone has the proper tools. A little zen swag proves well worth a small investment when you see how many good vibes even small giveaways can inspire.

How to do it on a budget:

When you order zen giveaways from Swag.com, you’ll pay less than you would for individual retail items. Pick up a zen package for as little as $5.83 per unit or an essential oil diffuser for as little as $40.74 per unit.

6. Inspire with Motivational Prints

Zen is a philosophy that recognizes the power of words. Think of the concept of the mantra, for instance – a repeated word or phrase that aids in meditation practice.

You can create a mantra-like experience for your team with stylized motivational Zen prints. Daily interaction with phrases and images that promote peace, calm, and tranquility recenter your mindset, and remind you to practice mindfulness in your work.

How to do it on a budget:

Can’t find the budget for limited run screen prints or artisan wood block prints? How about our totally free printables.

Click on any of the images below to get a printable, high-res version of each poster.

Print these out, throw them in a frame, and watch as your team’s daily mindset improves.

Cost: Free

7. Sip Some Calming Tea

Santa Monica-based Riot Games – makers of the world’s most popular online game, League of Legends – built a gorgeous onsite coffee and tea bar based on one of the game’s environs called Bilgewater Brew.

As Riot co-founder and president Marc Merrill explained to the Awesome Office podcast, this space is a great place for employees to calm their minds and focus their creativity with a warm cup of tea in hand.

How to do it on a budget:

If you don’t foresee designing your own Bilgewater, Teaja is a much more budget friendly gourmet tea service specifically for offices. Their line of premium organic teas were developed to increase productivity and a sense of well-being.

We use it here at SnackNation (I am partial to their green tea and jasmine blend).

Cost: Varies

8. Filter Out Noise

Open office layouts seem to be all the rage these days. Despite benefits like increased collaboration and serendipitous encounters, there is certainly a downside: noise.

Cacophonous open layouts make focus-work like writing or designing virtually impossible. That’s why companies are taking steps to help employees focus in these environments.

Noise canceling headphones are certainly an option, but outfitting your entire company with these gadgets, can get expensive.

At SnackNation, we installed Crush Cubes – miniature soundproof pods that allow for maximum focus and minimal distraction. Crush Cubes are perfect for writing, brainstorming, and other forms of ideation.

How to do it on a budget:

If focus pods or noise cancelling headphones aren’t feasible, consider white noise. Noisli is a fantastic free white noise app that provides high quality environmental sounds to filter out noise and help your mind hone in on focus-intensive tasks.

In addition to sounds from nature (like rain, campfire, and wind), there are fan noises, cafe sounds, and white, pink, and brown frequency noises. If you are looking to learn more about the benefits of white noise at work, check out this article from Health Assured.

The just-released Noisli 2.0 features improved sounds, a timer, and even a text editor for distraction free writing.

Cost – Free

9. Relax with Office Massages

Massage is a classic way to achieve the calm and tranquility that Zen strives for. Colorado based software company Solidfire agrees: the company offers free on-site massages to help employees relieve tension and stress throughout the week.

How to do it on a budget:

Soothe app is a simple way to reward your employees with on-demand massages. Soothe will send a 5-star therapist directly to you with the touch of a button. It’s a great morale builder too.

Cost: $99 for one hour (tip included)

10. Become an Office Yogi

Yoga is becoming ubiquitous in tons of offices across the country – and for good reason. It’s an extremely effective way to bring a little Zen into office life.

Luckily for us at SnackNation, we’ve had several team members who also happen to be certified yoga instructors, and we’re able to offer free yoga to employees several times per month.

How to do it on a budget:

If you don’t have that luxury, hiring professional yogis might just be out of your company’s price range. Luckily – you – guessed it – there’s an app for that. Daily Yoga is one of several budget friendly apps that enables employees to practice self-guided yoga on the go.

Cost:Free (in-app purchases)

11. Practice Purposeful Living with My Intent Bracelets

My intent bracelets are the brainchild of Chris Pan, who wanted to help people find the purpose that’s within us all. He does this by creating simple, artisan bracelets that feature a single word pounded into a metal washer.

They’ve graced the wrists of everyone from Conan O’Brien to Kanye West, and have been gifted to employees at companies like Nike, Facebook, Lyft, and LinkedIn.

I chose the word “create” for mine, and serves as a daily reminder that I should approach every problem with a creator’s mindset.

Cost: $18-25, or pack of 10 for $150. Use the coupon code SNACKNATION at checkout before the end of the year to get 35% off.

12. Practice Gratitude

Part of Zen philosophy involves delighting in the basic miracle of life itself. One way to do this is to practice daily or weekly gratitude. Pausing to take stock of things we do have means we’re not lamenting the things we don’t, and will help your team see the beauty in everyday life.

WeSpire breaks down a few more of the benefits, here:

Baudville has a ton of creative ways to let employees know you are grateful for them. The company makes custom rewards to help you express your gratitude to your awesome team members and show you care.

Of course, the SnackNation “Crush it Call” works too – and it’s completely free.

As we’ve mentioned on the blog before, at the end of each week, the entire SnackNation team assembles in our HQ to name one person who “crushed it” that week and one thing they are grateful for.

Team members reflect on the week that was, recognize a team member for exemplifying one of our core values, and start the weekend on a high note. It’s a great way to finish off the week on a positive note with our team feeling excited and encouraged to recognize their peers when they see people go above and beyond.

We still maintain the practice to this day, despite the fact that our team has grown to more than 100 members.

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Cost: Free

13. Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a Chinese “internal martial art” that emphasizes health, form, and meditation. It is practiced in the U.S. mainly for its health benefits, and is a great way to inject mindfulness into any office routine.

Palo Alto VM Ware offers Tai Chi in their Palo Alto offices – which in part helped propel them to #10 on this Fortune list of the best places to work in California.

How to do it on a budget:

If Tai Chi is new to your employees, try an app called Tai Chi Workout, which introduces you to the essential Tai Chi forms.

Cost: $2.99

14. Harness the Power of Aromatherapy

Part of Zen’s emphasis on mindfulness requires us to hone in on our senses.

Smell is one of our strongest senses, with the ability to evoke powerful memories or emotions.

Aromatherapy is the art of using scents to calm our minds and relieve stress. Therapeutic essential oils can get a bit pricey. Try this aromatherapy diffuser from ArtNaturals instead. One spritz will create the perfect zen vibe in your office.

Cost: $39.95

Bonus: Disconnect From Work

Taking breaks is a great way to center the mind and decompress––it’s also budget-friendly. Instead of reading work emails, taking calls from your boss or checking your calendar, take a few minutes to call a loved one. Use that time to catch up, wish them a good day or make plans to see each other later in the week.

If you need a quick venting session, friends and family are also great listeners and may offer you some helpful advice. Having a healthy morning commute and disconnecting from work a few times throughout your day can actually help you avoid mental blocks and greatly improve your focus. So whether you call a friend or family member on your hands-free device on your way to the office each morning or use a 10 minute break throughout your day to do so, it’ll help your mind recharge and find Zen.

Cost: Free/Included with your monthly phone bill

Conclusion

As you can see, Zen is a great way to introduce useful concepts like mindfulness and tranquility into your office, and the options are really only limited by your creativity.

What are some Zen principles that your office practices? Let us know in the comments below.

Employee Wellness Resources:

121 Employee Wellness Program Ideas Your Team Will Love

6 Easy Ways How To Reduce Stress at Work (And Be Happy)

45 Successful Corporate Wellness Programs Employees Will Love

42 Corporate Wellness Companies That Are Transforming Workplace Health and Happiness

23 Surefire Ways to Boost Employee Wellbeing

How to Create a Killer Office Fitness Challenge

25 Office Exercises: Easy Desk-Friendly Ways to Get Fit

11 Data-Backed Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs You Need to Know About

Everything You Need to Launch a Kick-Ass Employee Wellness Survey

9 Simple Hacks to Stay Healthy at Work

What Is An Employee Wellness Program?

The post 14 Easy Ways to Create a Zen Office Space On a Budget appeared first on SnackNation.

19 Proven Ideas To Boost Employee & Staff Morale In 2022

Jeff Murphy — Tue, 17 May 2022 07:00:27 +0000

The Best Employee & Staff Morale Boosters (as voted on by our readers):

1. Express gratitude
2. Host team-building events with heart
3. Laugh out loud
4. Get weird
5. Post-it note wars
6. Send meaningful gifts
7. Invest in a virtual corporate wellness benefit for your team
8. Fail of the week
9. Provide healthy food options
10. Monday morning coffee

You can also get additional morale boosting and employee engagement ideas from The Assist — a free weekly email for professionals full of actionable workplace culture, productivity, and leadership inspo.

“One thing The Assist has helped me immensely with is keeping our company culture alive during this new shift to hybrid work. It is important for us to have a team who is happy and healthy and The Assist has provided tons of options to help make that possible for our team.” -Julie P. Executive Assistant, Classcraft

Can you tell which office suffers from low morale?

Believe it or not, some companies are still skeptical about the value of workplace morale boosters.

Sure, morale is nice to have, their argument goes, but it’s not critical to our business, and therefore not something I need to focus on. Right?

Well, Doubty McDoubterson, you couldn’t be more wrong.

The benefits of high employee morale in your company can be summed up in one word: performance.

Research shows that high morale organizations consistently benefit from less stress, which in turn means higher productivity due to reduced turnover and absenteeism.

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.

Pro-Tip: Speaking of employee morale, an effective way businesses are retaining their employees this year is by seeing if they qualify for the Employee Retention Credit program. It’s a simple 60-second online qualification process, and some businesses are reaping 7-figure awards.

The reality is, businesses can’t afford to NOT focus on morale. But to put the argument to rest, we’ve compiled a list of 19 Proven Employee Morale Boosters That Won’t Break The Bank.

Without further ado, here they are:

1. Express gratitude

There’s a growing body of scientific research that points to the benefits of gratitude. These studies show that gratitude improves physical and psychological health, improves sleep, and lifts mood. The challenge for many companies is, how do you integrate gratitude into our work lives?

At SnackNation, it’s part of our culture. We hold a Friday afternoon “Crush-It Call,” during which each employee calls out a colleague for “Crushing It” (i.e. embodying one of the company values that week), and names one thing that they are grateful for. It allows us to reflect on the week’s accomplishments and gets the weekend started on a positive note.

Here’s what the Crush It Call looks like at SnackNation HQ:

We also dole out daily appreciation and gratitude using a platform called Bonusly.

Built straight into our company’s flexible work culture, this morale boosting platform lets us shoutout our coworkers for putting in great work, finishing projects, reaching goals, giving helping hands, and just about anything worth recognizing.

For dispersed workforces, distance can make expressing gratitude a challenge, but Grace Zuncic from Chobani shares the way Bonusly allows them to express gratitude in new ways:

“Bonusly has transformed the way we activate peer-to-peer recognition at Chobani. The program has brought our amazingly diverse company together behind a common goal of real-time acknowledgement and fostered a genuine spirit of recognition in all that we do.”

Why we like it:

Focusing on the negative is an easy trap that anyone can fall into. Expressing gratitude helps put our daily challenges into perspective, and aids in emotions like empathy, which is essential for communication.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a weekly all-hands meeting, either at the beginning or end of the week.

2. Choose a theme and have team members share something in their lives for which they are grateful. It can be work-related or personal.

3. Explore company-wide programs to promote peer-to-peer recognition — whether through a platform like Bonusly or a committee of employees interested in company culture.

4. Plan events to celebrate the end of the quarter or the culmination of a large project. Sometimes an entire team deserves gratitude for its contribution to the larger company mission.

2. Mini Sabbatical

Courtesy of Blueboard

Why we like it:

With a schedule free from Zoom meetings and slack notifications, your employee will have much-needed time to relax, enjoy a hobby or favorite past-time of theirs, and return to work with a refreshed sense of wellbeing.

Here’s how to do it:

Inspired by the experiential reward experts at Blueboard, this morale-boosting idea is designed to let employees de-stress from the worries of work for a day or two during their very own mini-sabbatical. Request a free personalized demo and see why companies like GoPro, Salesforce, Glassdoor, and more leverage this employee morale idea!

3. Host team-building events with heart

Make employees feel good with one of Outback’s team building activities with heart. Event planning professionals handle all the planning and logistics for games that bring you and your co-workers together as you reach out to your community. Spend a day building bikes or playing games to benefit a local charity.

Why we like this:

Helping others makes you feel good.

One Deloitte survey even found that most people believe that giving back activities, such as volunteering, can improve employee morale better than other events.

Here’s how to do it:

It’s easy! Just head over to Outback, request a quote, and then make magic happen.

4. Laugh out loud

Lift spirits, and keep employees connected with laugh out loud exercises for your whole team! “Pandemic blues,” is not just a catch-phrase and the comedians at Laughter On Call are uniquely qualified to address the stress and anxiety your people are likely feeling!

Why we like this:

With morale boosting events such like their virtual Happier Hour and Laughter Gym, they create a respectful space that distinguishes between laughing at people, which is not allowed, and laughing with people, which is celebrated!

When teams establish this kind of “no wrong answer,” communication, they create a psychologically safe environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas, and opening their minds to what is possible beyond the conventional.

Here’s how to do it:

The team at Laughter On Call help to create connection through shared laughter, with a variety of group-friendly programming.

5. Get Weird

Say it with me:

“Let’s. Get. Weird.”

Ok, don’t get too weird, (let’s not get ourselves sued), but a little weirdness is a-ok. In fact, it’s beneficial to your business.

How? By embracing the quirky, off-kilter aspects of your culture, you’ll lighten the mood in the office. The idea is to make things that people tend to dread – like meetings – more fun by doing something out of the ordinary.

Ideally, you want to do things that are both weird and authentic, meaning things that reflect the culture of the organization.

Why we like this:

Because weirdness = fun. Allowing for weirdness also promotes outside the box thinking and creative problem solving.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Embrace your inner weirdness.

2. Take something boring – a weekly product meeting for instance – and make it extraordinary by injecting something unexpected into the agenda. Start the meeting with jumping jacks, or, like Michigan-based Menlo Innovations, require the speaker to wear a Viking Helmet.

3. Don’t force it! Do something that is authentically YOU.

6. Post-it note wars

In the last few years, DIY office supply expression has been elevated to a true artform, with increasingly complex designs.

The REAL fun begins when you inject some healthy competition into the mix. Recently, New York ad firms engaged in a very public Post-it art war, with each firm trying to one-up the other with large displays on the windows of their Canal Street offices. But it was Havas Worldwide who claimed victory with a massive mic drop. The display created buzz and lifted spirits around the city.

Photo belongs to JAM Project

Photo belongs to Caroline Lena Becker

Why we like it:

Post-it note art is the epitome of “surprise and delight.” It provides an unexpected lift and improves morale all over the workplace. Plus it’s something you can do on the cheap.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose an image. Classic pixelated video game images (like super Mario Brothers or Space Invaders) work great.

2. Plan your mural on a sheet of graph paper using available post-it colors.

3. Map out your wall space – or put it on glass to show your creation off to the world!

4. Apply your post-its. Remember, the surprise factor is key here. People love post-it note art because it inspires wonder and delight. The best way to do this is with a small team at night.

5. Post-it maker 3M has some advanced tips here.

7. Send meaningful gifts with Caroo

Everyone loves receiving gifts, and when those gifts are thoughtfully curated, personalized, and beautifully packaged like Caroo’s, they show how much you care about and value your employees. The more employees feel you care, the more your company morale will soar.

Why we like it:

Personalized gifts are lovable, useful, and memorable, and when you send them via Caroo, they’re also a stress-free, delightfully easy way to boost morale.

Here’s how to do it:

Simply visit Caroo to find pre-curated or customized gift boxes your team will love. After that, you can add your own branding and personalization features and then send everything off with help from an automatic address collection feature. (When you’re ready to repeat the delight, Caroo’s platform makes it ridiculously easy to reorder.)

8. Invest in a virtual corporate wellness benefit for your team

You know what your team really wants?

They want to come together, outside of work and learn how to feel better, together.

With Remote Team Wellness, the world’s first live-taught, virtual corporate wellness agency, it’s easier than ever to do! That’s why companies like Facebook, Microsoft, L’Oreal and more trust RTW’s vast pre-vetted network of world-class practitioners to guide their teams through virtual sessions covering Burnout Prevention, Sleep, Nutrition, Fitness, Team Building, and much more.

Why we like it:

This is a great way to show that you care about both your employees’ physical and mental health journey, and with a session from Remote Team Wellness you can get live-taught virtual classes more conveniently than ever before. Their team handles everything from sourcing experts to conceptualizing your team’s event, all comms and everything else too!

Here’s how to do it:

To get started, you can browse their current virtual wellness sessions on their website or book a free consultation with the RTW team to get a custom proposal.

9. Fail of the Week

You’d think that something called the “Fail of the Week” would be the perfect way to decrease morale, but Los Angeles-based mobile gaming studio Scopely has proved that the opposite is true.

As former GM Jason Weiss told the Awesome Office Show, during Scopely’s weekly all-hands meetings, team members share their biggest failure that week and what they learned from it.

The point isn’t to call out mistakes, but to acknowledge that failure is part of the process and to share the lessons learned.

“If you’re asking people to work extremely hard, and aim high, and be ambitious, they’re going to fail [at times],” Weiss explains. “So we need to acknowledge that it’s ok to fail, or people are going to stop aiming high.”

The light-hearted tone of the fail of the week puts people at ease, makes risk taking easier, and actually improves morale.

Why we like it:

A healthy relationship with failure should be a part of your culture, particularly at growth-oriented startups, where big risks are critical to success. This practice communicates that it’s ok to fail, and emphasizes growth and learning.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create a forum for sharing mistakes. All-hands meetings, weekly communications, or slack threads all work well.

2. Make sure to emphasize lessons learned, and what the individual is doing to prevent the same problems from happening in the future.

3. Make it fun! Brand it with a catchy name and create an award for the biggest fail.

10. Provide healthy food options

Some things in life are just indisputable. Like gravity, inertia, and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, the healthy foods to morale correlation is one of those immutable laws of nature.

In all seriousness, healthy office snacks and meals provide a morale-boosting perk that will raise spirits and productivity.

Mood and cognition are affected by our nutrition, so providing healthy options is not just a great way to demonstrate that your employees are cared for and appreciated, but provide them with the fuel they need to work at peak performance.

Why we like it:

Nutritious foods boost productivity, and engagement. Also, snacking affects your overall diet more than any other food category.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Try a free discovery box of SnackNation today. Your team will thank you for it.

11. Thirsty Thursday

Ah, the good old fashioned happy hour. Is there anything that brings employees together better than good conversation and a few adult beverages?

But don’t make it an escape from work – and definitely don’t settle for jalapeno poppers and a blooming onion over at TGI Fridays. Create an interactive libation experience in the workplace

Sam Whiteside of The Motley Fool describes their take on the traditional happy hour:

“Every Thursday starting at 4 p.m. and running until around 6 p.m. a different team from around The Fool hosts Thirsty Thursday in our game room! The team gets to select what drinks and food are provided and also get to showcase any projects they are working on. Lots of fun, collaboration, and Foolishness is spurred from these happy hours!”

Here’s the scene from a recent Thirsty Thursday at The Fool:

Why we like this:

Social bonds are a necessary part of creating an engaged culture and high morale org. Nothing achieves this more than the tried and true happy hour.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Set aside a day of the week or month for a company-wide happy hour.

2. Have a different department host the event. Encourage each department to create a theme that reflects the character of that department.

3. Do it on company time and at the office to demonstrate your company’s commitment to fun.

12. Monday Morning Coffee

Garfield was right: Mondays can be tough. Even when you love your job, the weekends never quite seem long enough.

That’s why it’s important to offset the occasional Monday blues.

Sabrina, from engagement software TINYpulse, shares their strategy:

“One thing that we do on our own marketing team is Monday morning coffee. Let’s admit it, we all get the Monday blues. And most of the time, we’re not ready to jump head-on into our work on Monday mornings. So instead, our team visits various coffee shops around the neighborhood (we’re located in Seattle, so there’s no shortage of coffee shops within walking distance) just relax for about half an hour.

Sometimes we talk about work, sometimes we talk about our weekends — our goal is to start off the week on a positive note so we can feel productive for the rest of the day and week.”

Another great way to use coffee to boost morale?

Use it to schedule one-on-ones. Alex Khurgin from Grovo explains:

Coffee is all it takes for a manager to treat her report to a one-on-one outside the office. It’s probably the most important thing a manager can do.

For one thing, just the act of scheduling these meetings tells employees their manager cares about them enough to spend time regularly chatting. But beyond that, savvy managers have these meetings down to a science. They start by asking the employee for any recent “wins,” rather than jumping right into the minutiae of day-to-day work.

This gives employees permission to think about their effort in terms of achievements, not tasks. That’s the point at which it’s appropriate to move on to asking about frustrations and addressing them head-on. All the while, the manager gathers feedback, takes notes, and does it distraction-free.

One-on-ones that start with positive progress and then address serious blockers help employees cultivate a winning mindset and get accustomed to feeling capable. Making a team member secure and confident is the most powerful morale booster any manager can give.

Why we like it:

Simple, but effective. It gets the team out of the office and immersed in the community, in a relaxed atmosphere.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Research local coffee shops. Half the point is exploring your neighborhood and getting to know the community. Don’t just settle for Starbucks!

2. Set an objective. It can be personal or work-related, but don’t miss out on an opportunity to have a directed conversation.

3. Appoint a note-taker to make sure any action items are recorded so team members can follow up.

13. Nerf Battles

Think Nerf guns are kids stuff? Think they have no place in the office?

Think again.

Darby Dupre from YouEarnedIt shares her company’s epic Nerf tale:

“Last week, we held our first ever Nerf Battle Royale. Our employees pooled together their YouEarnedIt points to fund and launch what turned out to be a powerful team-building exercise.

For 30 minutes, the entire office became a battleground where strategy, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking meant the difference between life and (virtual) death.”

Why we like it:

It’s not just fun and games. Nothing says teamwork like launching a full scale Nerf invasion. The bonds you create will strengthen your team’s ability to work together and solve problems. Plus, Nerf battles signal to your employees that it’s ok to have fun at the office.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Pick up some Nerf guns at a local toy store.

2. Set ground rules. Try a capture the flag style game, which involves strategy, teamwork, and collaboration.

3. Create a trophy for the winning team. You’d be surprised how motivating bragging rights can be.

14. Kick out the Jams

Nothing quite sets the mood like music, making it a fun and easy way to improve morale in any office setting.

What’s more, certain types of music make repetitive tasks more enjoyable, improve focus, and can even make us more creative.

Instrumental music works best, as lyrics have a tendency to distract. Luckily there are great instrumental versions of popular songs available from artists like the Vitamin String Quartet.

Why we like this:

Music not only sets the right mood, but can also help aid focus and productivity.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Subscribe to the SnackNation Ultimate Productivity Playlist on Spotify. This constantly updated playlist contains more than ten hours of instrumental music curated by the music fanatics at SnackNation. Artists include Explosions in the Sky, Classix, Tycho, Deceptikon, El Michels Affair, Menahan Street Band, and a ton more.

2. Press play, bliss out.

15. Connect Employees with On-Demand Services

Inspired by the likes of Uber and Lyft, the on-demand economy is in full swing. Workplaces amenities like massages, haircuts, and car washes are available on-demand in most major cities.

At SnackNation, we utilize the LA and Orange County based car wash service Washos, which provides a quality, on demand car wash at a reasonable price. But since SnackNation just facilitates the service, it’s of no cost to the company, and still provides a morale-boosting amenity that our team appreciates.

Why we like this:

Your employees are always pressed for time. Help them get weekly errands done during the workday by facilitating access to these on-demand services.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Research locally available on-demand services. Massages, haircuts, laundry services, and carwashes are all popular in the on-demand economy.

2. Appoint a team member – either an HR staffer or office manager – to facilitate the service at the office. You can often negotiate a lower price based on a guaranteed number of customers.

16. Get Your Green On

Studies have shown that green space improves mental health. Humans, it turns out, are hard-wired to appreciate natural beauty, and people are happier and less stressed when they have access to parks and open spaces.

Of course, if you work in an urban environment or an area with harsh winters, this access isn’t always easy to come by.

The solution? Bring the green spaces indoors.

Barbara Moy and her team at CaseWare International Inc. out of Toronto, Canada decided to do just that. She and her team provided everyone at the company with a small potted sunflower at their desk.

They found that the experiment brightened the office and lightened people’s moods, helping to offset the dreary Canadian winter. Plus, the mere fact that the plants required daily care reduced absenteeism.

Why we like it:

Cheap, fun, and proven to counter phenomena like seasonal affective disorder (SAD). What’s more, a University of Queensland study found that an office outfitted with plants can actually increase employee productivity by 15 percent.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Buy small pots, potting soil, and seeds for easy to manage flowers like sunflowers (this will run you about $3-4 per employee).

Tip: you can buy pollen-free varieties to accommodate employees with allergies.

2. Incentivize ongoing participation with awards for biggest bloom, most beautiful specimen, and greenest thumb.

17. Food Trucks

One of the most appreciated on-site perks at Google is their famous cafeteria, which provides gourmet-quality food for their employees. Of course, very few companies can afford to provide an amenity like this.

Food trucks are a great solution because they provide access to new and exciting food options, without the need to build a kitchen or hire a world-class chef.

SnackNation’s Steve Odachowski is a big food truck fan:

“Food trucks are a cool perk. You get to eat something new every day, and it’s not just different food, you know it’s local food. It’s really a taste of what the local food scene has to offer. It’s also something to get excited about every day. One of the happiest emails I read every morning is definitely the food truck email.”

Why we like this:

This is completely cost-free, but you’ll get credit for providing your employees with gourmet quality lunches. Bonus benefit – your employees will waste less time driving to and from local eateries or grocery stores, and thus will be more productive. Score!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Research local food trucks in the area and contact their owners. Let them know that you can supply them with customers.

2. Promote food truck arrivals with a company-wide email.

3. Get in touch with an office manager or HR leader in neighboring businesses to coordinate and share information on food truck arrivals. Once your location has a reputation for providing hungry lunchtime workers, the food trucks will keep coming.

4. Bon appetit.

18. Personal Development

Ever heard the phrase, “Dead-end job?”

It’s very common for morale to suffer when employees feel like there’s no room for growth.

To ensure this isn’t the case, be proactive about growth and development.

Personal development is huge here at SnackNation. We hold weekly personal development meetings (Sensei Sessions), during which senior leadership or regular team members present on personal development topics.

Here’s our CEO, Sean Kelly, talking about goal setting during his sensei:

We also recently launched Individual Development Plans (IDP). These plans ensure that team members are setting personal and professional goals and making steady progress. If you want to download a template of our IDP, click here.

The result is a feeling that we’re all getting better, both as individuals and as a company.

Why we like this:

The success of your business depends on the quality of your people. Why wouldn’t you assist your employees grow and get better?

Here’s how to do it:

1. Have employees fill out Individual Development Plans, which layout a framework for personal and professional goals.

2. Plan monthly meetings with managers to track against goals.

Bonus: Form a Book Club

A company sponsored book club solves a problem that tons of employees face, but few employers take the initiative to address:

Most people want to read more, but simply don’t have the time.

Gallup recently found that Americans with full-time jobs work an average of 47 hours per week, or the equivalent of 6 full work days. Nearly 40% logged more than 50 hours per week. With family obligations presumably taking up most of our free time, this leaves precious little room for personally-enriching activities like reading.

The scope of your book club can vary. A book club that focuses on the Harry Potter series is perfectly ok, but for double the value, throw in some business or self improvement titles as well. Your company as a whole will likely benefit from new ideas and more focused workers.

Matthew from MyEmployees elaborates on how he runs his book club:

“Every week we hold a 1 hour book club meeting (half the company on Wednesday 10a-11a, half on Thursday 10a-11a). We use this time for discussion on personal development books on subjects like motivation, financial discipline, stress management, interpersonal relationship development. It’s one of the highlights of the team’s week, and one of our primary employee engagement drivers.”

Why we like it:

Sure, books are great, but book clubs aren’t all about learning – half the benefit is social. These casual meetings create the bonds and connections between individuals that help improve day-to-day morale.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Announce the formation of a company book club at an all-hands meeting or company-wide email, and ask employees to sign up and join.

2. Crowdsource book ideas to ensure that employees are engaged with the material.

3. Pick one person to present each week. Make sure the leader has some talking points to get the discussion started.

4. Assign snack (or wine!) duties to individual team members. Half the point is to socialize with colleagues in a casual, low-stress situation.

19. Group Fitness

Group fitness is a great way to kill two birds with one stone – create a bonding experience for your employees while improving the organization’s overall health and fitness.

Exercise, of course, has been shown to improve mood and cognition. Group fitness adds a social element that will help strengthen personal relationships at work.

Group fitness fanatic (and SnackNation’s resident yogi), Kelsey Cook, explains:

“Group fitness is great for team building and getting to know people. It’s a relaxed setting that’s still in the office, but apart from the typical day-to-day office grind. Plus having the company arrange group fitness activities shows that they care about our personal wellbeing, not just what we can contribute to the company. Plus it’s a fun way to let off some steam!”

Why we like this:

There is virtually no downside to group fitness. It’s a great bonding opportunity, increases mood, and the health benefits will result in higher employee productivity in the long run.

Here’s how to do it:

1. You don’t have to hire a fitness coach or build an onsite gym. Start a running group or meet for group workouts, yoga, or meditation at a nearby park.

2. Appoint a fitness leader to keep the enthusiasm going and team members motivated.

3. Be consistent! The more workouts, the more benefits you’ll see.

Bonus: Clothing Swap

Recently, SnackNation Project Manager Hannah Avellaneda wanted to de-clutter her closet. But rather than just throw out or donate her clothing, she felt like she could be doing more.

Noticing that the women in our office had great style, she coordinated with other office fashionistas, and the SnackNation Clothing Swap was born.

It worked like this: the group all gathered their excess clothes, laid them out in the company warehouse, and traded with each other. The remaining clothes were then donated to a survivor of domestic violence through an organization called Becky’s Fund.

Hannah explains:

“The clothing swap was a lot of fun and a great ice breaker for a lot of the new employees. It also gave us a good sense of accomplishment and purpose. We are able to give back both internally and to the external community. We all got to de-clutter a little bit, and were super appreciative that our hand-me-downs were put to good use.”

Why we like it:

Not only did the clothes go to a good cause, but the swap became a great conversation starter, and the basis for several close friendships in the office.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Set a date for a clothing swap.

2. Have team members clean out their closets and gather excess clothes.

3. Find a space to layout clothes and trade items.

4. Find a suitable charity to donate to.

Bonus #2: Volunteer Days

Like expressing gratitude, volunteering takes you out of the myopia of your day-to-day work and provides a broader perspective. They’re a great way to get out of the office, relieve some stress, and do some good – something that will always improve morale.

SnackNation’s resident volunteer coordinator Elisa Silvestro had this to say about the impact of volunteering:

“Company-sponsored volunteer days are great for morale. For starters, they show that your company is invested in you becoming a well-rounded person who is involved in the community, not just an employee.”

The SnackNation team helping out at Feeding America HQ in Los Angeles, CA

Morgan from the employee reward company Blueboard agrees:

“Volunteering is an awesome way to boost morale and give back to your neighborhood community. We recently volunteered with San Francisco’s Project Homeless Connect to help share aid to the homeless community in our immediate SoMa neighborhood which was a really cool way to get out of the office routine and build more understanding and appreciation for your local community.”

Why we like this:

Besides the bonding benefits, nothing boosts mood and morale in an office than helping others.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find a local charitable organization that aligns with your company’s mission. At SnackNation, we’re all about health and nutrition, so we chose Feeding America, which helps fight food insecurity for millions of Americans.

2. Arrange a volunteer day during a Friday workday.

3. Make it voluntary – you’ll still get a massive turnout, and it will be more meaningful when people chose to donate their time.

Conclusion

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?

Have a great idea that you don’t see above? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear it.

Free bonus: Download a cheatsheet of our Top 50 Fun Office Games and Activities That Make Work Awesome. Easily save it on your computer for quick reference or print it out the next time you want to plan a fun event for your coworkers.

The post 19 Proven Ideas To Boost Employee & Staff Morale In 2022 appeared first on SnackNation.

Jeff Murphy – SnackNation

31 Best Corporate Office Party Games, Activities, & Ideas For Work In 2022 (Have Everyone Buzzing For Weeks)

Fun Corporate Office Party Games For Work

1. Charity Office Party

2. Office Christmas Party Games

3. Virtual Office Party

4. Office Game Show!

5. Murder Mystery Office Party

6. Scavenger Hunt

7. Unique Office Party Games

8. Holiday Office Party In A Box

9. Bonding Together Over Food

10. Escape Room

11. Happy Hour

Fun Corporate Office Party Activities For Work

12. Don’t Forget The Pets

13. Office Talent Show

14. Food Truck Rodeo

15. DIY Photobooth

16. Karaoke Night

Fun Corporate Office Party Ideas For Work

17. Office Awards Banquet

18. Throwback Game Night

19. Mini Basketball Hoop Tournament

20. Obscure Holiday Party

21. Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork Party

Fun Corporate Office Party Themes For Work

22. Hawaiian

23. Holiday Ugly Sweaters

24. Roaring 20s

25. Olympics

26. Decades

Fun Corporate Event Ideas Outside The Office

27. Tour Around Your City

28. Sporting Event

29. Around The Potluck

30. Rent an Epic House on Airbnb

31. The Great Outdoors

How to Host a Successful Corporate Work Party for Your Office

People Also Ask these Questions About Office Party Ideas

Q: How do I throw an office party in 2022?

Q: Are there any good games to play at a work party?

Q: What are some party ideas for work to bond outside of the office?

27 Surefire Ways To Boost Employee Wellbeing In 2022

Before we get to brass tacks, first a quick note on what we mean by employee wellbeing:

1. Make Recognition and Praise Part of Your Company’s Culture.

2. Throw Down Fitness Challenges.

3. Recognize your top talent with gifts that inspire wellbeing & connection.

4. Launch an Employee Wellbeing Survey.

5. Plan a Mental Health Awareness Month Activity.

6. Create A Monthly Virtual Wellness Event Program.

7. Show You Care with Caroo.

8. Take on mental wellness with shared laughter.

9. Invest in Affordable Weekly Virtual Employee Wellbeing.

10. Break Out In an Impromptu Dance Competition.

11. Empower Wellness with Swag.

12. Give Employees The Tools to Discover Their Purpose.

13. Encourage Employees to Develop Friendships.

14. Get Some Steps in During Your Meetings.

15. Institute Flexible Work Hours for Improved Work/Life Balance.

16. Fight The Harmful Effects of Sedentary Lifestyles with Standing Desks.

Bonus: Focus on Personal Development.

17. Allow Remote Days to Renew Focus and Remove Distractions.

18. Encourage Bike to Work Days.

19. Extend Trust by Offering Unlimited Vacation.

20. Grant Sabbaticals to Celebrate Individuals and Reduce Burnout.

21. Give Unlimited Paternity/Maternity Leave.

Bonus: Incentivize Employees to Practice Gratitude.

22. The “Undercover Boss” Competition.

23. Take the Vegan Challenge.

Bonus: Incentivize Preventative Care, Like Flu-Shots.

24. Urge Sick Employees to Stay Home.

25. Let Employees Set Their Own Goals and Work Strategies.

26. Set Up Volunteer Programs and Volunteering Days.

27. Renovate Your Office to Bring in More Natural Light.

Bonus: Promote Mental Health Awareness and Counseling.

Conclusion

Employee Wellness Resources:

Everything You Need to Launch a Kick-Ass Employee Wellness Survey + Wellness Survey Questions & Templates

What is an employee wellness survey?