When most of us think about work, we think about, well, work. As in the opposite of fun.
But after watching a video from Ben at UpstartHR about employee time sheets and attendance tracking, I was reminded that even a dull task like “standard time sheet recording” can be made lighter, and even fun.
I’d really recommend you “hop on over” and watch it (you’ll understand that reference after you see his video) but just in case you don’t, here’s his point:
1) No matter what administrative task you have to ask employees to do, with a little creativity, you can make it more fun
2) Fun is not the opposite of work — in fact it’s a tool to get employees to do better work
3) People remember fun, which is a nice thing in a world where raises and bonuses are a dim memory for many
Some quick examples:
- When inventory time rolls around (or any annual equally boring company task) make it fun. Have everyone come in costume or set up a sundae bar or put episodes of sit-coms on a big screen. You’ll be amazed at how much quicker — and better — the task will go
- Have silly contests. If you have a restaurant, challenge your staff to see how many adults they can get to do the coloring pages. If you have a typo on your menu (and so many restaurants do), give a small award to the employee who has the most guests who find it (no fair pointing it out, or giving hints!)
- If you need to send out boring informational e-mails within the company, give them outlandish titles. And encourage your staff to do the same, when they communicate with in-house colleagues.
Choosing to make work fun will not only keep your employees smiling, it can go a long way towards reducing employee absences, building morale and stoking up the level of employee loyalty. That way, when the economy does come around, and jobs abound, your best and brightest will stay where they are. After all, it’s a fun place to work.
