What does the workplace experience encompass? 🤔
The optimal workplace experience creates an ideal workplace environment where happy employees can perform their best work. It's made up of three major components:
- Physical surroundings: The work environment your employees work in, whether that's a physical space or digital workplace experience. 🏢
- Tech: The tools and technology employees use to do their work. 🖥️
- Company Culture: The relationships between employees and leadership, values and policies, and standards by which work is done. 🫂
What are the benefits of a positive employee experience in the workplace? 😌
Simply put, a positive experience in the office environment is key to employee productivity, talent retention, and successful business outcomes.
A beneficial workplace strategy:
- Increases productivity: Employees who feel valued and satisfied are more motivated and engaged, leading to higher levels of productivity and efficiency.
- Improves retention rates: A positive work environment reduces turnover, as employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in their well-being and development.
- Enhances employee morale: A supportive and positive workplace boosts overall morale, leading to a more enthusiastic and cooperative workforce.
- Attracts top talent: Companies known for their positive employee experience can attract high-quality candidates, giving them a competitive edge in the job market.
- Encourages innovation and creativity: A positive work environment fosters creativity and innovation, as employees feel more comfortable sharing ideas and taking risks.
- Strengthens team Collaboration: Positive employee experiences enhance team dynamics, promoting better collaboration and communication among colleagues.
Ready to improve your workplace experience and boost employee satisfaction with your teams? Here are 8 ideas to get you started.
Ways to make your workplace and employee experience more exciting:
1. Add gamification to your Company Culture 🕹️
If you're not familiar with the concept, "gamification" is the strategy of adding game-like elements to tasks to make them more engaging and enjoyable for employees.
Employees are facing many challenges in the modern and remote workplace, such as boredom, repetition, busy work, and more. All of these challenges lead to employee burnout, decreased productivity, absenteeism, and poor workplace culture.
Studies show that 70% of organizations that gamified their work saw increased employee productivity. Here are some examples of gamification you can add to your workplace experience:
- Add elements of competition to simple tasks, such as offering a prize to whoever can respond with the correct answer to a question in your latest update from HR. 🏆
- Adding social interaction to tasks, like using colorful emojis to react to important updates in your Slack channels. ❣️
- Offer rewards when work is completed, whether those are individual tasks or larger, goal-specific achievements. 🏅
How to get started 👉 Have more fun at work with Games!
2. Share meals with your colleagues 🍽️
Did you know that sharing meals with your colleagues has an impact on productivity? Research from Cornell University shows:
- Employees who engage in shared lunches show higher productivity and morale. 💗
- Taking regular breaks from the workday to enjoy a meal improved employees' well-being and engagement. 💆
If regular workplace meals are a possibility for your team, check out CaterCow for exciting breakfast and lunch options that are certain to satisfy! If your team is distributed, fostering connection during the lunchtime hour is still possible through team building cooking classes, Lunch and Learn programs, and more!
How to get started 👉 Learn some new recipes from our Cooking Classes!
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3. Get active together 👟
Gym memberships may have been common perks when employees were operating in a central office space, and for good reason! Staying active, alone or as a team, is vital to our health, well-being, and quality of life.
Teams that are more active and operating from a more healthy state of mind are less likely to take time off work and remain more motivated and productive while they're at work. Instead of saving your workout for the end of the day, why not plan an exciting group fitness class, such as yoga or tai chi, that the whole team can enjoy together?
How to get started 👉 Pump up workplace morale in one of our Fitness Classes!
4. Throw onboarding celebrations for new hires 🎊
The onboarding process is a necessity for the workplace experience and employee lifecycle. Along with all of the standards and policies your new hires are learning, make time to introduce them to the whole company outside of the next company meeting.
Instead of a formal introduction, start the workplace experience on the right foot with a fun-filled onboarding celebration that the whole team can enjoy. There are plenty of easy team-building experiences that can help break the ice and build connections with your new and current employees, such as Two Truths and a Lie, Guess Who, and more!
How to get started 👉 Build company connection with an event from our Onboarding Collection!
5. Welcome employee feedback 💬
Creating an open channel for employee feedback is crucial for a positive workplace experience. Employees who feel heard and valued are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs. Here are some ways to effectively incorporate feedback into your workplace strategy:
- Regular surveys: Conduct anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback on various aspects of the workplace experience, such as management, company policies, and work environment. 📝
- Suggestion boxes: Offer digital suggestion boxes that allow employees to submit their ideas and concerns at any time. 💡
- Open forums: Hold regular meetings where employees can openly discuss their thoughts and provide feedback. Ensure these forums are a safe space for honest communication. 🗣️
- Action plans: Show that you value feedback by creating and sharing action plans based on the input you receive. This demonstrates that you are committed to continuous improvement. 📊
How to get started 👉 Here are some employee engagement survey questions to get you started!
6. Plan regular happy hours 🍸
Happy hours are a fun and informal way for employees to unwind and build relationships outside of their usual work interactions. These social gatherings can help foster a sense of community and improve morale.
Encourage fun themes or activities to keep things engaging. You could even spice up your happy hours with themes such as trivia nights, karaoke, or costume parties. This adds an extra layer of excitement and encourages participation.
Instead of making it a bring-your-own-beverage happy hour, make the event more interactive by throwing a mixology class where participants will learn how to mix their own cocktails!
Plan happy hours at different times to accommodate employees in various time zones and with different schedules.
How to get started 👉 Shake and stir up the fun in a Mixology Class!
7. Encourage breaks 💆
Encouraging employees to take regular breaks is essential for maintaining productivity and mental well-being. Breaks help prevent burnout and keep employees energized throughout the day. Here are some strategies to promote regular breaks:
- Scheduled Breaks: Implement flexible policies that encourage employees to take short breaks whenever they need to. Encourage calendar blocking so that other teammates know when their colleagues have stepped away.
- Break Rooms: For physical offices, create a comfortable break room where employees can relax, socialize, and recharge. Equip it with amenities like snacks, coffee, and comfortable seating.
- Mindfulness Sessions: Offer short mindfulness or meditation sessions during breaks to help employees de-stress and refocus.
How to get started 👉 Host a Mindfulness Class for your team!
8. Take a retreat when you can 🌴
Traveling with your coworkers is an exciting way to grow closer as individuals and bond over activities outside of the office. Workplace experience managers should organize offsites when they can, in order to form better connections and improve company culture.
Corporate retreats are opportunities to synergize business performance strategies, recognize and celebrate the work of your employees, have fun, and increase motivation!
How to get started 👉 Decide on what region or location is best for your dispersed employees, and add your company retreat to the company calendar!
Improve the workplace experience and increase employee engagement with Confetti 🥳
Many of us have embraced the hybrid or fully virtual workplace experience. Thanks to technology like video conferencing software, there are still many ways you can create an exciting employee experience and culture connection for your teams!
Ready to add regular team building events to your workplace experience strategy? Schedule a call with the Confetti Happiness Concierge to get started!
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Frequently Asked Questions ❓
What makes a great workplace experience?
The three things that make a great workplace experience are flexible options for working in-office or remotely from home, easy-to-use technology and tools that improve employee productivity, and a positive company culture that prioritizes connection between team members and business leaders.
What does a workplace experience manager do? Workplace experience managers ensure that an employee's time spent working, whether hybrid or in a remote setting, is a productive and positive experience. They handle the employee experience through management of the physical workplace, technology, and tools, helping employees engage and adjust to change and more.
What is the goal of workplace experience? The goal of the workplace experience is to empower employees to perform their best work and keep happy employees engaged.
