Employee Events

Sharon McKnight SPHR

Does anyone have suggestions for implementing employee events that motivate and as well as show appreciation for employee efforts? I'm particularly interested in events that help improve morale during difficult times like the current recession with all the layoffs, etc.

Sharon

ACU Frank

We've tried quite a few here, but only one has had any lasting impact... It's a little thing we like to do every two weeks, and we call it Payday.

No matter what else we do, it seems they all just want every day to be Payday.

KSR6450

A novel concept. You pay people a fair wage to work where you are? Everyone here just wants to get out of the house for a bit. That has to be it; because it sure isn't the salary

NaeNae55

It depends on the organizational culture and the type of jobs. The lower the pay, the more it becomes about the money. The higher the pay, the more prestige and being appreciated enters into the mix.

If you are looking to improve morale, you might go for things that help the employees see each other as 'people' better. For instance, a game where you have the baby pictures of your employees and other employees have to guess who is who (or whose pet belongs to who). Trivia and similar games work too, even if 1st prize is only a pair of tickets to the local movie theatre. It doesn't cost much to get the employees involved and feeling like they belong.

One year we watched a movie together and gave everyone a gift package. The package was a bucket for popcorn (microwave popcorn in the bottom), with a cola, a cheap dvd movie (from Walmart), and a big candy bar. We ordered pizza and brought in a big bag of popped popcorn. The entire cost us under $15 per person (plus pizza), and went over very well.

Tomorrow to show our appreciation we are taking the employees to lunch (small company so we can close for 90 minutes) and will come back and paint ceramic coffee mugs. The mugs will be fired and then returned to the employees.

Nae

Sharon McKnight SPHR

Nae, great ideas.

Thanks.

Sharon

NaeNae55

The forum is a great source for ideas. When we were planning the movie event I asked for ideas from the forum. I received a lot of ideas and it was hard to pick one. We ended up choosing "Miracle" (hockey movie with Kurt Russell.) The movie was only a year or two old at the time, and was not only enjoyable, but promoted 'team' and 'anything is possible' ideas.

Good luck!

Nae

KSR6450

[quote=NaeNae55;715924] The [B]mugs will be fired[/B] and then returned to the employees.

Nae[/quote]

I know what you meant, but that made me laugh. In today's world everyone can use a laugh.

Apparently money is a driver at all levels - Pay is King Over Bonuses
[URL]http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/04/13/daily46.html?ed=2009-04-20&ana=e_du_pap[/URL]

Several times a month we order in pizza for the branch, they can then use their lunch hour as they please - we are also flexible with their time. This goes a long way towards boosting morale with them. There is, of course, the competition among the lenders to see who increases their portfolio by the largest percentage in a given time frame. The reward is monetary.

We used to do our training through videos. I would make popcorn and everyone would gather in the conference room. It made training fun and the employees loved it; they still talk about the 'Sexual Harassment' video - it was a bit corny. A nice byproduct was that everyone completed their training on time. Anything that brings all the departments together and allows them to 'bond' is good for morale and the company.

Great ideas Nae!

Sharon McKnight SPHR

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

Sharon

NaeNae55

Update:

There was some good humored grumbling about not knowing what to do or being poor artists, but the ceramic mug thing turned into a big hit. Employees were thoughtful to share materials, and complimented each other as we went along. Even with limited stencils, stamps, and colors, it was amazing how individualized the mugs were. I hope they fire well. We will know in a week.

BTW, I asked one of our long-term employees about which event in the past was ther favorite and she immediately spoke up about the movie event. A new employee sitting nearby told me that she had heard all about it from several employees. They both agreed we should do it again.

Nae

davids

We have an annual picnic in the summer in a City park for employees and their families. We supply hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages; and employees bring side dishes. Department heads serve as the chefs (yes, I cook up a mean burger!). We raffle off some prizes and usually baseball and/or soccer games seem to organize themselves. We have done this for three years now, and have received excellent feedback from employees.

Also for the past two years, we have had a similar event in the fall when we take over a local bowling alley. We provide pizza and beverages; and, again, raffle off door prizes.

We are a public employer and need to be very cautious on how we spend public funds; but our City Council has approved a small budget for employee events. Neither of these events cost a lot. The return in morale and good will has been well worth the investment.

Sharon McKnight SPHR

All of these ideas are great. Do y'all mind if I use them in a piece I'm working on (Building Morale with Fun and Games - tentative title)?

I'd like to give you credit for your ideas, too. (First name only - Susie in Nashville.) If you'd like to be included in the piece, just send me a private email.

Also, if anyone has more ideas, please share them with me.

Thanks to all.

Sharon