Adding joy to your workplace can improve it, say experts. But before you do so, think of what traits you want your workplace to have. In this article, we have curated ways to add joy to your workplace easily:
1. Imagine joy. Set out to intentionally build the company and workplace that you want to work for. If you don’t try to build a joyful company, you’ll never achieve one by accident.
2. Build community. Good attitudes spread. A contagious joyful attitude can spread from your employees, to your clients, and to the community.
3. Foster communication. An open work environment creates natural opportunities for conversation and growth.
4. Set your employees free. One person shouldn’t be so integral to your organization that they can’t go on vacation or has to be on-call all the time. While these could seem like job security, ultimately, it’s too much pressure on one person and the infrastructure.
5. Design for living. “Whatever you do for a living, design plays a role.” Design helps tell your companies story and should help create the joyful user experience for your brand.
6. Kill fear. “Fear is one of the biggest killers of joy,” so it holds your team back from making bold decisions unless the bold decisions mirror what management wants. Which, come to think of it, often means they’re not really bold.
7. Make mistakes faster. “Small, fast mistakes are preferable to big, slow, deadly mistakes.” Create a culture where people can fail and succeed to survive and thrive. A small, fast mistake means you’re learning. A big, slow mistake means you’re dumb.
8. Add flexibility. Over the last decade GenY has been more and more complaining about the 9 to 5 work style. They are demanding more flexibility in time, place and way of working in order to achieve work-life balance. To many of the younger generations, giving up personal life is no longer an option.
9. Make your workplace more fun. Think outside the box for ways to make your workplace more attractive, like having a pet or a weekly movie night that is chosen by a different employee each time.
10. Play games. Working at an office can be boring sometimes. It doesn’t mean that you have to hate your job for it, instead try playing games. Playing a game can be a great ice-breaker particularly in the case of new employees.
