Top Ten Office Hacks: How to Make Work Fun.

Every employee wants to work in a “fun” office, and every business wants to be known for having the “fun” office. Here at Industry Threadworks, I would say that we have almost mastered how to keep the employees happy and make coming to work a little more exciting each day. And note, I say almost because everyone has room for improvement, and we wouldn’t want to say we are quite experts at everything yet.

Here are some pro-tips that have been proven to increase employee happiness and productivity!

1. Dog-friendly office

Now, I don’t want to assume that everyone is a dog lover, but for the most part, I think it is safe to say that people enjoy a cute dog being in the same room as them. We love that we have a dog-friendly office, and the dogs here feel like our own! And for the employees that own dogs, it is such a relief to know that their dogs are happy and can be with them during the workday.

Of course, we don’t want to get too crazy, and we make sure to have a cap on how many dogs are allowed in the office each day. We enforce this by using our calendar to show which dogs will be coming on that day. We have a total of about eight different dog owners on our staff, so each day is a super fun treat to see whom we get to hang out with for the day!

**Pro-tip for non-dog owner employees is to just casually forget to check the calendar so that when you get to work, it’s a super fun surprise when you see your favorite cutie.**

2. Comfortable places to work

We all know that feeling you get halfway through the day after you have been sitting at a desk for 5 hours; it’s a feeling of being uncomfortable. Since most of our staff works on laptops, having a couch, comfortable chairs, and even bean bags has been WONDERFUL. Getting a change of environment and sitting on a bean bag while you work for a little bit is a total game-changer. I am substantially more productive when I am comfortable. You aren’t distracted by your horrible chair, back, or neck getting tired; you can just lay on the couch and focus on important work.

3. Homie lunches

Our team enjoys going to get lunch or eating lunch together. We all choose a place close by, order online, and pile in the car to go pick it up. We try new restaurants and new foods, and it’s an excellent way to take your break and be surrounded by your friends!

4. Collaboration

We love the idea of all of our employees being able to talk with each other, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. We have a very open office space, so nobody feels like they are in a cubicle or separated from everyone. This is a great way to generate ideas and make the employees feel heard. Every time we decide to start something new, change things in the company or the office, everyone gets to be a part of the decision-making process, making them feel more empowered and involved.

5. Payday Friday Hangouts

Many of our Fridays have become early days, but one thing we started doing was having payday Fridays be a day where we stop work early and have happy hour/hang out together and do something fun! This gives us something to look forward to and allows the employees to spend time together and get to know each other more! Most of us enjoy hanging out even outside of work, so we look forward to spending time together and doing something fun to start off the weekend!

6. Music

Having a happy and lively office environment is crucial for keeping employees motivated. Also, I’m not even going to pretend like keeping people awake isn’t sometimes part of it as well. We love having a Bluetooth speaker in the office to play music on throughout the day, choosing a station we all like, and maybe even having a quick dance party with a dog once in a while.

7. Flexibility and encouragement to take breaks

Something that we do is always try to be aware of the staff and their well-being. If a staff member has an off day, maybe isn’t feeling 100%, or something is weighing on them, we encourage them to take a break and maybe go for a walk or talk it out with another staff member. We even have what we call a “Zen” room that has tinted windows, so at any time, someone can go in there if they need a moment of quiet. Additionally, allowing employees to work from home occasionally is very appreciated on those days where we might have an appointment, aren’t feeling well enough to make it to the office, or maybe are out of town and still want to work. This helps employees feel trusted and inspired to work when they can, even if they are on vacation!

8. Laptops for moving around

As I mentioned before, it is nice to work from a laptop because it allows us to move around and change our scenery throughout the day. Of course, working on a bean bag or a couch is terrific, but it’s also nice to be able even to go outside and work in the sun if we want! Additionally, it allows for even greater collaboration because we can move around and share ideas amongst our coworkers.

9. Fun Games

We like to spice things up every once in a while when the mood is low and do some fun activities randomly throughout the day, such as chair races around the office. Don’t get me wrong, most of the day, we are working very hard, but a good old-fashioned rolling chair race always lightens the mood and gets your blood flowing a little.

10. Stocked fridge and snacks

At ITW, we like to make sure we have a cupboard dedicated to snacks for the staff and some white claws, margarita supplies, and cold brew in the fridge for the occasional pick me up or last-minute happy hour. It’s essential that we have the fuel we need to be productive.

Don’t get me wrong, having all of these awesome office perks has been amazing, but one of the best parts of working here comes down to ITW and the staff’s overall culture. Creating and maintaining the culture has created the environment we have and has encouraged the team to speak up and ask for things they need! Working full time can be taxing but paying attention to what the staff needs are and making them feel heard and happy is the key to having a fun office environment!

We hope that this is helpful and gives you some ideas about how to improve your workplace!