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Paula Russi

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Hello! What are some fun activities, events, or competitions that your office does to keep employees engaged and happy? I'm new to my HR role and want to create a fulfilling work environment. Some ideas I had were: Friday breakfasts (donuts, bagels, etc) and doing a team-building activity with a different department each month. Your thoughts and ideas are appreciated!

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  1. Margrit Patel

    We have step challenges where colleagues form teams (with some funny team names). Each team self-records their steps or miles walked for a given week for the duration of a month. At the end, the team that travelled farthest wins. Great way to also encourage folks to stay active or to go for a walk during a call.

  2. Paula Russi

    Love this! Thank you

  3. Andrea Sharpless

    We have an annual photography contest with a theme that aligns with our corporate values. The winner gets points to spend in the company store for things like pens, shirts, etc. The photos are used for marketing.

  4. Paula Russi

    Oooh I would love to hear more about the company store! How do people get points outside of the photography contest?

  5. Andrea Sharpless

    They also get points awarded when recognized by a manager. Each manager has a budget of points to award for the year. Team members who win points can also send them to a teammate with kudos with icons that accumulate to a public profile.

  6. Gretchen Skalka

    Here are some that I like to do with my team:
    > Handwritten notes
    > Public Recognition (we have a monthly staff meeting where we have a peer-nominated Unsung Hero reveal)
    > Trivia Games (great for getting to know folks)
    > Celebrating birthdays and milestones
    > An end-of-week recap to keep everyone in the know
    > Things like a healthy habits challenge. (a few years ago, we did a BMI challenge and one of our team made an actual winner's belt, like a UFC championship belt - it was amazing and he put it in a box that, when you opened it, it played the Rocky theme song. Brilliant.

    All of that being said - please remember that engagement begins at the management level, so anyone who supervises another human being is critical to their level of engagement. :)

  7. Natalia

    I agree with Gretchen, my division used to have monthly meetings where we would do public recognitions & birthdays, anniversaries, while updating us about the business. And then another fun we did as a company was how many steps you could get in & they kept track through an app & you got to form your teams with colleagues.

  8. Paula Russi

    Love it and the Rocky theme song, so great!! Will use some of your ideas for sure!

  9. Jocelyn Lyons

    We use an appreciation jar, where we write kind notes to each other throughout the month for any reason but mainly for special help/collaboration, and then we read a few at staff meetings and distribute them. Helps to encourage teamwork and makes people feel valued!

  10. Paula Russi

    Thank you!

  11. Aly Brine

    Hi there! Volunteer activities were a great team building and employee engagement activity for our site. We teamed up with United Way for small projects. Some were off site but others were on site. For a few holidays, I set up card making supplies in a breakroom and UW donated them to an Adult Daycare partner. Our employees really enjoyed being able to give back while at work.

  12. Eva Steortz

    My division at Disney used to be SO good at this. Popular ones were:
    -Painting a blank model (we did Mickey heads but it could be anything) and a gallery like showcase with appetizers
    -American Idol like competition inviting people to showcase their talents
    -Store checks. I worked in consumer products so we could car pool to Target and tour the store together- any field trip is good. We did art galleries and museums for inspiration too.
    -15 minute Chair Massages (VERY popular)

    Good luck! So happy you are thinking about this to build your engagement and team culture. Cheering you on!

  13. Anonymous

    We have monthly meetings where different groups/departments will host learning sessions, and leadership will share updates. At the end we play trivia (via Kahoot app) and there are prizes

  14. Rachel @ Life Advisors

    Public recognition for achievements, thanking in the form of compensation and freedom + flexibility. That makes me more engaged and fulfilled than a pizza party or trust falls ever will.

  15. Anonymous

    These activities have never caught on at any of my jobs. Food and raffle prizes are the only activities that I have witnessed working over my last 12 jobs

  16. Coach Nancie Kay Shuman

    Check out Virgin Pulse. They have some great ideas in this area.

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