Team Culture – There’s nothing worse than forced fun

Every business wants their teams to be happy and productive.  Owners, Directors, Shareholders – they’re not stupid.  They know full well, if their employees are happy, there will naturally be a knock-on effect on productivity and the bottom line.  Similarly, employees who feel disengaged, unhappy and devalued, will most probably not perform as well.

So, how do you make them happy?  We’ve seen it all down the years from pool tables and pizza Fridays through to table tennis and a fridge full of beer.  All this is fine of course.  There’s nothing wrong with creating a fun working environment.  However, you’re in dreamland if you think this alone will create a happy culture.  We sometimes hear leaders saying, “We’ve given them all of these things and still they aren’t happy.”  It simply doesn’t work like that.  ‘Forced fun’ doesn’t create a happy culture. Employees aren’t daft.  They know what’s going on and in many ways, it’s counterproductive when it comes to creating a positive, healthy and fun culture.

In our opinion, creating a positive, fun culture doesn’t require any spend at all, it’s completely free of charge. 

Here’s what you need:

• Treat people with manners and respect – It should go without saying, but all too often this doesn’t happen. Some leaders speak to people in such a derogatory and disrespectful way that it’s humiliating for the person on the receiving end.  The bewildering thing is that leaders then expect that person to be happy at work – it’s mindboggling! 

• Give them some recognition – If people do a good job or they complete task for you, thank them, give them some positive feedback, give them some recognition. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just a simple thank you will do, whether it be face to face, via email or a WhatsApp message.

• Create psychological safety – Build an environment where everyone feels safe to challenge, to speak up and air their opinions. An environment where people can speak up if they are struggling, without the fear of being belittled or made to feel stupid.

• What do you think? Ask for their opinion.  Stop with the hierarchical structure where the manager makes all the decisions and feeds the changes down the line.  Wherever possible, ask your team for their thoughts, opinions and ideas.  There’s a good chance they’ve got better ideas than you.

You see, it’s not hard to create a positive, healthy and fun culture and it costs nothing.  Mind you, we still think a pizza will always be warmly received by any team!

Do you need a hand improving the culture of your team? Why not give us a call