Creating a thriving community and a great culture in your business can’t be done by words alone. Having a great intranet and communicating by email is important, but nothing is more important than human relationships and the feeling of belonging and socialising. In this article, we uncover the secrets behind holding a social event that your people will love to attend, and why it is a worthwhile thing to do.
Why You Should Be Socialising
There are a few ways to reduce stress in the office, such as filling your space with beautiful office plants, but you should know that holding the occasional social event can also go a long way towards reducing tensions in your office environment. The Guardian even suggests that social events in the workplace could be vital to finding happiness at work, they include the following quote by Geoff Pearce as the parting message of their article:
“HR teams can have a huge impact on company culture and employee satisfaction. Team-building days, social events and ensuring a pleasant office environment – all are vital to happiness at work and creating a community spirit among colleagues.”
We can help you to create a pleasant office environment through our plant design service and also with office flowers, but the rest largely depends on you and your HR team. Our blog is here to help you with hints and tips on how to secure a strong community to promote higher staff retention and engagement.
We’ve already written blogs on world health and what workers really want, but this blog is dedicated to helping you host some amazing social events that have positive effects for both physical and mental health.
BBQ
We aren’t strangers to hosting fabulous social events and BBQ season is a shared favourite amongst our employees. A good BBQ is one that can cater to all your staff’s dietary needs, which means including Quorn burgers as well as regular beef. Making each and every one of your staff feel cared for is extremely important when hosting a social event, otherwise, you may end up highlighting the differences between your staff rather than successfully bringing them together.
BBQ’s are best when the weather is fine and everyone can relax outdoors, being weather dependent, it’s a good idea to name a week in which you are planning to host the BBQ and take the first good day that you come across. Hosting the BBQ during an extended lunch in working hours is a great idea for ensuring a good turn-out.
Here are some of our staff enjoying our delicious BBQ event:
Forest Bathing
The less intimidating version of an office hike, forest bathing is a promising new trend that seeks to reduce stress and tension in individuals by bringing them closer to nature. It is a relaxing activity that can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, as well as allowing people time to breathe healthy fresh air.
This activity is simple enough, just take your office to a nearby green area and encourage everyone to wander off in whichever route strikes their fancy. The aim is to enjoy exploring nature, as well as taking some time to reflect on your emotional well-being. Give your employees a time to be back by and regroup at the end of the day to discuss how forest bathing helped them to focus and improve their energy levels.
Lunch and Learns
Looking for a joint experience with added benefits? Then you may consider hosting a lunch and learn event. These socials are made to enhance your employee’s wider knowledge of your company or industry through presentations given by staff or industry experts. They can be a good opportunity to network too if you plan in time for a buffet lunch and some informal conversations after the event. If you want to learn more about how to set up an effective Lunch and Learn, you can read more about it on our blog.
Extra Ideas
Generally, getting your staff outside is one of the best things you can do, especially if the weather is warm. Why not go for a double whammy with some charity fund-raising? A sponsored run or a softball game? Some other activities that can help your staff to connect with one another in the fresh air include setting up an office picnic, or how about a round of crazy golf or croquet? If an adventure sounds good to you or you think it would appeal to the colleagues of your business, then some other outdoor activities that may interest you are kayaking and zorbing. If the weather is bad, then you can use Escape Rooms as an alternative to your outdoor plans – Escape Rooms are a great way to test your co-workers’ deduction skills and keep them on their toes!
Last year, Forbes created an article about office environments which stated that ‘strong social connections make people happier and physically healthier, which can translate into work performance’. Combine a few effective socials with a beautiful office refurbishment and you might find that your investments in your team sees a return in future output. If you have any questions regarding improving your office environments with plants, please contact us. For any other hints and tips regarding office life, check back here for future blogs and articles.
