4 amazing ideas and activities to improve employees’ wellbeing at the office
5 years ago
4 minutes
in Blog
Staff wellbeing is a huge part of any successful business for many different reasons. From a human point of view, it’s important to empathise and care for employees. From a productivity point of view, the better someone is feeling, the more motivated they are likely to be. So it’s clear why it’s important to prioritise employee wellbeing in the workplace.
There are a number of considerations to make to ensure that specific activities are viable and are going to be well received:
- Determine what it is that you want to achieve. Is it to improve team morale, closer relationships within a team, give staff a chance to switch off from stress, or simply to reward them with a fun time? Whatever it is, your objective can frame your approach.
- Review the space. Make sure you’ve got the room and capability to do what you want.
- Be realistic. Setting a budget is a priority here; you don’t want to overspend.
- Involve staff. Do a survey to see what they’d like to do. You can start with a broad question or a host of options, and then finalise it by giving them three to four activities to vote on.
From arts and crafts to office pets and DIY hamster toys, here are four ideas that you could incorporate into your office.
- Set up an arts and craft station
Research has shown that engaging in art and craft can improve mental wellbeing, and there are a number of reasons why. For one, it can give employees the chance to focus on something other than their work tasks, helping lower stress and anxiety. Having a different focus is also a good way of achieving something separate to what they are expected to accomplish during the day, which can be great for building confidence.
It could be a knitting area, paint station or simply some adult colouring books. The point is that you’re giving staff an opportunity to switch off for a little while and enjoy something simply for what it is. The result of that will often present itself in increased energy and motivation when they return to their daily tasks.
- Organise a scavenger hunt
Another fantastic way of boosting morale and wellbeing in the office is to have some fun! And when that fun takes place during normal working hours, it’s novel too. Organising a scavenger hunt one afternoon also gives you a chance to observe how your teams work together.
Solving problems like you have to on a scavenger hunt helps foster team spirit and can promote a little healthy competition. That in turn can develop a really good spirit amongst teams and help foster working as a group to achieve one goal. This is a very bonding experience, and any time you can improve relationships in the workplace that’s going to help with general wellbeing.
- Arrange a games night
Sticking with the fun here, arranging an out of work activity is a great way of improving staff morale in the office. As they’ll be outside of working hours it’s far more likely that they’ll be able to relax fully. The best way to do it is off premises, as this will add to the relaxed feel and fun. But it can also work well in the office too.
It could be a quiz night or an old-fashioned games evening with classics like ‘Charades’ and ‘Who am I?’. Keep it light and the staff should have a great time socialising with each other.
- Get an office pet
Finally, getting an office mascot, in the form of pet, is a top way of bringing every one together. It’s also another opportunity for employees to step outside of their regular working day and focus on something other than their usual tasks.
You can set up a rota for different teams or individuals to look after the pet and encourage them to take ownership. Who knows, somebody might even be up for making DIY hamster toys in the arts and crafts zone.
Take these activities as inspiration to help support the wellbeing of staff in your office!
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