Gamify your company goals, have fun at work and watch your staff engage and succeed.
[EasyDNNnewsToken:Left Justify Embed 300 x 250]It’s so easy to get caught up in the seriousness of your new business. There’s so much to be serious about! Everything is a struggle, from getting new clients to creating the systems required to keep them. But not everything needs to be difficult, and there are actually quite a few reasons to try and lighten the mood now and again. Numerous studies show that a fun and exciting work place can create better profits too – BONUS!
Start Enjoying Life Now
Chances are good that one of the reasons you’ve decided to start your own business is that you want to enjoy your life more than would be possible as the employee of someone else’s company. You’ll need to start now; otherwise you may find yourself creating habits that don’t allow for any type of fun and merriment. YES, I said merriment; it’s a good word! So let’s look at a few ideas for creating that merriment in your company! Who knows, with a little bit of fun thrown in you may be able to work even harder (if that’s possible).
Remember that having fun doesn’t mean being unprofessional – it just means fun. You may need to set a few guidelines to keep things from getting out of control, but if you set the standard, they’ll follow along. Fun out in the field needs to be monitored just a bit more closely so as not to offend, but once everyone understands the boundaries, you’ll find that your clients enjoy seeing your people having a good time. They may even join in.
Respond to Spontaneous Humor
One of the easiest things you can do to get started is just respond to the humor that happens spontaneously around you. Keep an eye (and an ear) out for what’s making your people giggle. Now join in! Add your own little twist to what others are already doing, and you will be on your way to a bit more fun.
Find Their Funny Bones
To get more engagement from your people, find out what’s important to them. What do they think is fun and funny? You might want to consider putting someone else in charge of fun if it isn’t really your thing – and even if it is, someone else being in charge will encourage broader participation. Give them a title like the “King of Fun,” and just watch what they come up with. A Fun Committee can make your job a lot easier too!
Gamify the Work Day
Another type of fun that is really catching on these days is gamification. How can you turn work into a game? Can you find a way to add levels and get prizes for completing especially difficult tasks (vacant cleans maybe?). Post a scoreboard and see how much more people want to do when they are competing with each other in a friendly way. Clean 40 bathrooms and level up to the Potty Pawn. Or vacuum all eight patterns into your client’s carpets to make it to the level of Vac Hack which comes with a new dusting cloth to help you as you begin on the path to being a Dusting Diva. Word of warning: avoid making the awards too large and be sure to make them available evenly to all who put in the same amount of effort.
Start today! Don’t let yourself get into the trap of being too busy to have fun, or you’ll never be able to dig your way out. Plus, I know you need good people to work for you, and everyone knows that “if you build it, they will come.”
Liz Trotter is founder of American Maid Cleaning as well as an entrepreneur and leadership trainer based in Olympia, Washington. She is also a former ARCSI baord member, a partner in Cleaning Business Builders, creator of the HiPEP employee development system and a charter member of Cleaning For A Reason.
