One of the central messages in I’ve given during my recent keynote presentations have focused on what is consistently missing from most companies’ staffing solutions for building world-class engagement and attracting fantastic new talent: FUN.
This woeful absence and missed opportunity is beginning to get noticed and corrected by more and more organizations. Hence, the major rise of gamification in the workplace, and the widespread incorporation of modern perks (e.g., Ping-Pong tables and beer carts) into the employment value proposition. While these types of “fun” benefits used to be limited to tech start-ups, companies in all industries are following suit. Why? Because it’s good for business. Having a fun company culture helps engage current employees as well as attract top job candidates.
Coworkers are the unheralded glue of what makes employees come back to work — and even look forward to it. As an employer or manager, feeding coworker satisfaction is in your best interest. Eighty-seven percent of employees say their coworkers are friendly and helpful. Considering how positively employees respond to this survey item, employers can easily capitalize on this engagement driver. By giving staff the opportunity to socialize and have fun throughout the day, organizations are able to foster employee camaraderie and coworker satisfaction to bolster engagement.
Take a look at this wonderful rap video created by GlobeSherpa, a small tech company in Portland, Oregon. This is quite possibly the first rap recruitment video ever made, and it shows us how important it is to have a fun culture, as well as to openly show that while recruiting. There is no doubt that GlobeSherpa’s current employees had fun making the video as well. You can see it in their faces and feel it in their movements. The video also illustrates how thinking creatively helps organizations stand apart from the standard,“same-old,” competition. Lastly, the video exemplifies that actually showing innovation far surpasses simply saying you are an innovative company.
A job should not be all work and no play. This important aspect of the staffing work environment has been left out of the equation for far too long, but some smart employers have recently realized the impact a little fun can have on employee engagement, and they are not turning back.
Fun Linked to Engagement
Recently, many companies have begun providing unique levity-building benefits to create a magnetic culture that attracts and retains an organization’s best talent.Engaged employees are 3.5 times more likely to stay with their employer, lowering turnover costs. Creating an environment where employees are having fun while performing great work makes good business sense.
In my next post, I will showcase one company that is consistently ranked as a top employer and provide more examples of what you can do to drive employee engagement.
