How Can I Create Fun and Suitable Engagement Activities for Senior Management Staff?

Dear Seniors, My office consists of about 12 employees, including 2 female staff members. These employees are very senior in terms of their age and designation. Many of them are HODs, and we work on Saturdays. I wanted to conduct some employee engagement activities for them, especially on Saturdays, to keep them engaged. Also, some activities on Monday to avoid Monday blues. Our business is in manufacturing, but the plant is located in a separate state, so the office consists of higher management staff only.

Due to the small number of staff, age, and seniority, I am not able to design the right employee engagement activity for them. I also face challenges like, due to their age and seniority, they may not be able to participate in games or activities that take a long time. Hence, I request the seniors here to share some ideas with me.

You mention that all the employees are seniors and HODs. Seniors are expected to be engaged with the organization. They are supposed to be role models to their juniors and responsible for maintaining the motivation level of their subordinates.

Now, my question is: do you have evidence that shows they are mentally disengaged, or do you wish to conduct engagement activities just for the sake of it? I raise this question because if seniors need engagement activities to stay motivated, it may indicate they are unfit for their roles, or there could be something fundamentally wrong with the organization's structure.

No training manager worth their salt could measure ROI on these (so-called) employee engagement activities. My concern is that their precious time should not be wasted.

Seniors and HODs are expected to understand the organization's strategy and devise strategies for their functions based on the business strategy, such as procurement, production, and HR strategies. These strategic activities should be motivating in themselves. Furthermore, they should interpret the organization's vision, mission, and values and communicate them to their juniors. This is the essence of their work. I doubt that they would need engagement activities to achieve this essence.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

As you mentioned having mostly senior employees working in your company, you can organize some employee engagement activities in your organization with their age in mind. These activities help in relieving stress and boosting productivity. Here are some activities you can arrange if you like:

1) Align the employees in two rows parallel to each other and name them row 1 and row 2. Then turn aside one row and let the other row make changes among themselves. Ask the second row to notice the differences among them. Whichever row notices more differences is the winner.

2) Organize a short cricket or badminton match between them.

3) Play Dumb Charades with old movies.

4) Instruct them to form a circle. Pass a roll of tissue paper to all employees according to how they are seated, and ask them to take as much tissue paper as they think they will need. At this point, do not reveal the game. After they tear and hold the tissue paper, request them to write 10 things about themselves and share them aloud in front of all employees. This way, everyone will get to know each employee better.

5) Conduct role plays in groups of 3-4 employees on topics such as the launch of a new deodorant, social issues like water conservation, saving the girl child, tree planting, busy lifestyles, smoking, etc.

I hope you find these activities suitable to organize at your company.

Regards, Swati
HR Executive
Innov8 Coworking

Dear Swati, you have provided a list of activities that are supposed to engage the employees. However, have you tried these activities with a group of Heads of Department (HOD) or top management professionals? My question pertains to engagement activities for top management. I am skeptical about the effectiveness of the above activities for HODs. For a no-nonsense taskmaster, these activities may prove frustrating. They may not even be suitable for individuals from prestigious institutions like IITs or IIMs. Therefore, could you please share your experience regarding the use of activities for engaging top management?

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. I work as an Assistant Manager - HR in the global recruitment staffing industry. I am seeking ideas for employee engagement and fun activities on the floor. We have covered most aspects but are looking for some innovative thinking. I would greatly appreciate it if you could assist me with this.

Thank you.

Dear Colleagues,

In employee engagement, please do something for their career growth, development, and welfare for them and their family members, such as job security, medical benefits, education, and work-life balance activities, etc.

Kind regards,