You want well-rounded staff in your workplace. To get well-rounded staff, you need well-rounded people.
The best way to develop team camaraderie, boost morale and allow your talented staff to express themselves and increase their productivity is by embracing the power of play in the workplace.
Allowing your staff to play decreases their stress, thereby leading to decreased sickness and absenteeism and engages their minds. The idea of play in the workplace being frivolous is outdated and will only cause your business to lag behind the competition. Integrating play into your team's schedule is increasingly being acknowledged as a core component of a company's health and wellbeing policy.
Consider the data: a study commissioned by UK firm BrightHR found that 62% of staff who hadn't taken any sick leave in a 3-month period said they'd had 'fun' at work, whilst 79% of graduates in the same study said that 'fun is important.' As up to 75% of your workforce will likely be comprised of millennials by 2025, it's time to take a long-term outlook on workplace play strategy.
Prof. Sir Cary Cooper, who conducted the study, also highlighted a crucial point: With your team having to work longer hours and wait longer for retirement, they want greater returns for their time investment at work. Less time for play outside of work is raising staff expectations for fun to be provided in their workplace.
The ability of team activities to bring your staff closer together can't be understated. Allowing them to get to know each other better and take part in stimulating challenges and activities is a proven method of building trust. When your team learns to trust each other more, it helps to build an efficient machine of productivity at work.
Whether it's a pool table in the break room, an office pet or a team day out at an escape challenge room, there are countless ways of energising and engaging your staff that will have a healthy impact on your team's output and your company's bottom line.
Start bringing some play into your office today.