The beatings will continue until morale improves...
I am sure some of you have seen a sign that says this "The beatings will continue until morale improves!", and I bet you laughed, right?
Well, at my corporate-crazed-morale-deficient workplace I have taken on a new pseudo-role of "team morale builder"! Hmmm, how did that happen?? I got tired of the same old sad-faced people looking at me day-to-day saying "that other department sure seems to have a lot of fun", but then they didn't get off their tushes to do anything about it. I considered begging to move back to the "fun" department from whence I just came, but decided to give it the old college try first.
I told my director that I would like to throw a small office party - just a potluck. I convinced him that it would cost the department nothing (would be done at no cost and during lunch). He agreed.
The potluck was a couple of weeks ago, and it was a HUGE success. You would think our team was the first corporate team to ever have a potluck from the excitement it generated! Also, the director got BIG kudos from the team and his peers for letting us hold the event.
Well, this week I got the good news that I was to head up the employee committee for building team morale! Wait, did I just say that? Yep, I am the one now responsible for the happiness of the entire department - just over 125 people, I think.
Hmmm, there is how much money to spend on making them happy? How many days are set aside on our project calendars for events? How many other directors and VPs have bought into this idea? The answers, in order are: None, none and none.
So, if you have any team-building ideas for the "Happiness and High Morale Fairy" please send them my way!!!! I am looking for low to no cost ideas for the team to do. Things like contests, silly games, "good job" awards - that kind of thing.
If any of you are still out there watching - I need help guys!!!
4 comments:
Oh goodness. I am no good at this sort of thing. Congrats on being picked for this role though! It sounds like fun!
Fundraising events might help. You could have a sweepstake of some kind. People can pay to enter and give the winner some money and then the rest to charity.
We also have a 'Splat the Manager' event where people pay throw wet sponges at the management team (if they are game!)...again the money goes to charity. Lots of random rubbish thoughts but here's a few:
1. Team Member of the week
2. Dress down days
3. Baby photo competitions (pictures of the staff, not their babies!)
4. Treasure Hunt
Apologies for the cr*p i've just written, but it may help with the thinking.
We give out Kudos candy bars for a job well done. Kind of cheesy but people seem to like it.
Just found your blog and catching up. You should have 50/50 draws. They won't cost the company money and they will start to build you a fund from which you can plan much larger events. You can do these drawers weekly, biweekly, whatever you want. People can kick in there $2 (or whatever you deem the entry fee) and they aren't restricted from entering more than once unless you make that a rule. Then on the day of the draw, you pull a name and that person wins half of the cash for that draw while the rest of is goes into your "events" fund. You'd be surprised how quickly you can raise money to do something realy big. Perhaps if you raise enough money for something like a boat cruise or something, you can ask your employees to pay for their partners to attend. But this is just an idea anyway. Good luck.
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