2 Exciting Culture Hacks to Energize Employees

Work doesn’t have to be dull. In fact, it shouldn’t. In order to keep employees engaged and morale high, you need to plug some fun into your organizational culture. Now, we’re not saying to throw out everyone’s projects and have week-long parties. We’re talking about rallying up your employees to spend a day or a few hours mingling and letting loose.

Here are two examples of fun hacks you can start using in your company:

Lunch-a-Palooza

Overit’s motion department started a fun event to develop interdepartmental relationships. Each team is responsible for coordinating food for the company of 30 people. For example, PR would make mac and cheese one time, then the next time another team would put together a Mexican Food Friday.

When Dan Dinsmore, the Founder and CEO, first heard about the first lunch challenge (his motion team took the initiative to start it themselves), he thought it was a wonderful idea. So he wanted to encourage some friendly competition.

“When you work at an agency with a lot of clients and busy schedules, it can be tough to find time to connect with your team — even more so when you’re trying to build friendships between departments. We’ve tried a lot of tactics to make this easier, but the response the lunch challenges got was incredible. Everyone was responding to the email chain talking about whose lunch was better, what department was up next, and thanking each other for the delicious food.

“Typically most people eat at their desks, but when there is a lunch challenge, we’re all crowded in the kitchen, chatting about things work and non-work related, and enjoying each other’s company.

“I started this company 20 years ago, and nothing makes me happier than seeing a team that we’ve pieced together over time enjoying themselves, looking forward to coming to work, and acting like a family.”

Mac and cheese frenzy from the PR team

Competitive Advantage

Competing against your colleagues is one thing. How about rallying up your company to compete against other local organizations? KoMarketing Associates holds monthly events, such as Extreme Crochet. Haley Sciola, their SEO / SMO Analyst, tell us about her fun experience:

“Our company culture is also about balancing a fun and low-key nature with a hyperfocused eye on strategic initiatives. Personally, extreme crochet helped me feel like I had passed some sort of initiation test and I was starting to belong. It's a great feeling when you realize you've earned the respect of your colleagues and are both a valuable and likable member of the team.”

KO Marketing at their Extreme Crochet event

Employees put so much time and effort into helping the company succeed. So why not show them a little appreciation for their work and indulge in a little fun? It’s a great way to develop relationships across your organizations — and frankly give everyone a nice way hit refresh before they tackle their next big projects.

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