by Annette Naif
It’s hard to keep your employees happy these days. It’s been shown that happy employees are more productive with greater longevity. Why else would Google and Facebook go to such extremes to make their offices so employee-friendly? One thing we’ve found is that events are a great way to improve company morale. Here are a few reasons why:
Recognition
Especially with the millennial generation, employees more and more want to be recognized for their work. Some may even feel they deserve certain perks for a job well done. Sure you can give them a bonus or a gift certificate, but the experience of an event will stay with them longer because the experience will result in an emotional response. They will remember that great event with the live band and amazing food more than a bonus check. Giving them an experience to remember the next time their job seems difficult, will help motivate them to achieve a similar success. Even better yet, bring in some sort of photo booth (it’s a really fun experience) to document the event so that your employees have that reminder of the achievement and recognition sitting on their desk for them to look at every day!
Relationship Building
It seems pretty obvious that people who like each other and get along are going to make a more efficient team. Events are a great way to encourage employees to get to know each other better. Add fun activities for employees to do together (white water rafting, zip lining, casino night, etc.) and they’re more likely to have a good time and in turn enjoy each others company. They will forever have stories to tell at work…”remember when Jan won the scavenger hunt at the party last year?” These memories will reinforce why they like their co-workers as well as the company. Better yet, team-building events encourage the employees to work closely together and learn things they wouldn’t normally know about each other in the day-to-day workplace. Whatever you do at the event, be sure it allows for good stories to be told afterward, team building is encouraged and everyone is having a great time.
Reinforce Your Company Culture
Company culture seams to be more and more important to potential employees. People want to work at a place where they will fit in and one that has a culture they want to be a part of. Events are a great way to reinforce what you want that culture to be. Events are fantastic marketing tools and can allow the company to showcase their branding to their employees. Plan the event to exemplify your company’s culture. There are hundreds of things you can do at events to show your employees what kind of company you are. For example, branded signage, branded handouts, branded gift bags, branded pens, branded step & repeat, etc.
Don’t just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you’re all in it together.
Need help increasing your company morale through events? Give us a call at (646) 559-9886 or email us at annette@forteevents.com.
WE’D LOVE FOR YOU TO SHARE THIS IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEBSITE BUT PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING COMPLETE INFORMATION: Event Planning Expert, Entrepreneur, and Coach, Annette Naif, Owner & Creative Director of Forté Events NYC and publisher of the E-Zine, “Forté Today.”