12 ways to bring summer fun to work

Woohoo, summer’s here! Plans to make the most of warm, sunny days don’t have to be restricted to your days off; there are ways to bring a little fun to the workplace for small- and medium-sized businesses. Plus, there are advantages to bringing fun to work: it boosts morale, lowers stress, and makes for a happier workplace. As a bonus, if you’re a client-facing company, your customers may enjoy an atmosphere where co-workers are having a good time.

1. Field trip : Is there somewhere relevant that it would benefit the employees to see, like the factory where your company’s products are produced? Alternatively, you can go somewhere fun for team-building, like a trip to the amusement park or to watch a baseball game.

2. Contest time : You could get everyone’s competitive juices flowing with a sales contest or skills challenge. Or find a contest in your community that you can collectively enter or challenge neighbouring businesses to a simple game.

3. Summer sports : Maybe your staff want to get together to play lawn games like Kubb, frisbee or croquet in the park, or maybe there’s enough of you for a regular softball game. Some might enjoy a relaxed outing to a mini-golf course, while athletically minded folks could plan to run a 5 km fun run together. The point is to get outside and have fun together.

4. Team barbeques : If your company has the space for a barbeque, plan an afternoon get-together that revolves around throwing some food on the grill and having a cold drink.

5. Fun dress code : Lighten up for a more relaxed dress code during hot summer months. Or take it a step further by adopting a theme like Hawaiian shirt days or flip-flop Fridays.

6. Ice cream sundae bar : On one of the hazy hot days of summer, bring in an unexpected surprise treat by setting up tubs of ice cream with a selection of creative toppings, such as syrups, candy, nuts, whipped cream, sprinkles, cookie crumbs and maraschino cherries.

7. Grow something : Adding a couple of flower pots to a balcony or indoors will add a summery spirit. Collectively deciding on what to plant in an outdoor garden plot could also be a way to grow team spirit from the ground up.

8. Virtual campfire : One fun summer idea for remote workers is to provide everyone a kit for making ‘smores (check local grocery stores), then find a fire video and have everyone tell ghost stories.

9. Charity event : Raise funds for a charity by hosting an outdoor event that promotes team building, like a car wash, lemonade stand, or ice cream social. You could also join a philanthropic endeavour organized by another group (does a local summer festival need volunteers?) or sign up teammates for a Habitat for Humanity build.

10. Cookoff competition : Everyone can bring in their favourite recipe for a standby like chili, or the most creative recipe to use fresh tomatoes or prettiest molded gelatin salad. Have fun inviting your “celebrity” judges, too.

11. Summer Fridays : Give staff a little extra time off, like the Fridays before long weekends, or every second Friday afternoon, and watch their energy levels boom.

12. Vacation time : The warm, hazy days of summer mean people’s thoughts are turning to long weekends and travel, so plan for a group lunch (or lunches) where everyone can share their photos and stories.

Summer won’t last forever, so take advantage of the season and think about adopting activities to bring a little fun to the workplace.

Sources:

https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/blog/11-fun-ways-to-get-retroactive

https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/lifestyle/grill-chill-6-backyard-bbq-recipe-ideas

https://www.chamberplan.ca/product/blogs/read,article/17/summerize-how-to-make-the-most-of-summer-in-your-workplace

https://wheniwork.com/blog/20-ways-to-keep-your-employees-engaged-through-the-summer

https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/summer-office-enjoy/

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