“We are in the early stages of building a unified world-class global finance team at Tyco. Your session definitely moved us in the right direction, demonstrating the importance of working together as a team. It was as fun as it was effective!"
Dave Fitzpatrick,
Chief Financial Officer
Tyco International
"We've worked closely with Leapfrog since 1996 because they help us get the results we need from our people. As we have trained our Olympic volunteer teams, Leapfrog continues to impress me with their creativity and flexibility."
John Touchette,
General Director of Meeting Management
John Hancock Financial Services
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"Toothpaste"
Here’s a script for a fun energizer we fondly call “Toothpaste”.
[FULL STORY]
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Serious Fun in the Workplace
Excerpted from a keynote speech by Julia Hector-Douglas at the May 5 Granite State Human Resources Conference.
Not surprisingly, more and more companies are taking their fun very seriously these days. With change being the only constant, the economy continuing to be volatile, and many employees in a perpetual state of “FUD” (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt), it has never been more important to create an energized corporate culture that fosters community. For this reason, organizations are recognizing fun is not only FUNctional but it is truly a critical business success factor that needs to be taken seriously.
But beware, warns Julia Hector-Douglas. Bringing fun into the workplace has consequences! According to the Fun Work Environment Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management in 2001, positive consequences of bringing fun into the workplace are believed to include increased:
• Ability to attract new employees
• Group cohesiveness
• Communication among employees
• Employee satisfaction
• Employee creativity
• Employee commitment to the organization
• Increased customer satisfaction
So what are some ways you can bring fun into your workplaces? Julia offered Granite State HR Conference attendees the following suggestions:
• Truth Fairy: Leave anonymous “Thank Yous” or “You did a great job” notes in people’s mailboxes so they find them when they come in in the morning
• Rotating Recognition Mascot: Have your team select a unique mascot that gets passed around from week to week based on any note-worthy moment or contribution
• Frisbee Memos: Send memos across the office by attaching them to a frishbee
• Brain Teaser Kick-offs: Introduce a 1 to 3 minute brainteaser at the beginning of each meeting that teams of 2 or more must solve together
• Employee Art: Hold a team building exercise where materials are provided (e.g. canvass, specific paint colors etc.) and decorate your office using the creations of your employees
Remember, building fun and celebrations into the organization's culture begins on Day One. And we practice what we preach at Leapfrog. At the very first team meeting with three new teammates, Dick Eaton kicked off the meeting by going around the table and having each person share a success and a difficulty they had experienced since coming on board. After sharing his success, Andy Cheng was instructed to stand on his chair. Perplexed, Andy did as requested. Then Dick proceeded to teach a Leapfrog ritual for honoring individual achievement. While Andy towered above the conference table, we honored him with a rousing Native American celebratory chant. So what did the new Leapfroggers learn? Individual contributions will be called out and celebrated (and that Leapfrog meetings are never boring)!
Got stories? Share with us how your organization has fun and celebrates accomplishments. Send us an email and we’ll publish some of your stories in a future newsletter. And if after reading this you decide that you need to kickoff some fun in your organization, consider creating a "Fun with a Purpose" Committee and Suggestion Box. Inject some serious fun into your workplace soon!
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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