Last week a friend sent me an article on ‘What is Professionalism’. It was a thought provoking article, and yet, the thing that stuck with me like glue was the line that read: “Professionalism is not in the job you do, but in how you do the job.” I’ve often thought that the HR’s role in a company was perhaps the most difficult. A number of companies implement guidelines, introduce incentives, invite guest speakers, organise seminars/ company events and more. Often those of you that work in HR tend to feel like you’re going blue in the face just trying to think of new ideas/ gimmicks, that can help those new (and old) hires to maximise their potential and be satisfied with their job or work-environment. But wait! Think out of the box and you will be pleasantly rewarded.
Ultimately the goal is to inspire your employees to strive to be professionals for the sake of
quality output. Here are some more ideas to keep your employees satisfied:
Music band
Ask the musically talented employees to put together a show for the company which they can perform on talent night, during lunch hours, or on any other such relevant occasion.
Board game night
Scrabble, carom, cards, monopoly.
Karaoke/’jam’ Sessions
Music evening for the singers, musically talented or otherwise.
Dinner
Education courses/diplomas
Company sponsored part-time MBA’s / Engineering etc. for higher learning & career growth.
Surprise lunches
Occasionally hire a live band, or decorate the cafeteria to keep things exciting and new, organise a surprise catering crew outdoors on certain festivals or important days.
Casual Mondays’
Minimise the Monday blues by declaring it a ‘casual’ dress day.
Theme Parties
Office parties with different dress/ ambience/ themes (e.g. cowboy, 60/ 70’s, disco theme, etc.).
Workplace decorations
Put up cricket posters during cricket season/ football during the world cup/ tennis, pink balloons for Women’s Day, a surprise red rose on the desk of each employee for Valentines Day, etc.
Fun dress codes
Ethnic wear, all-pink-day for girls/ blue for boys, all in company logo T-shirts (this can even be a nice way to advertise for your company free of cost!), all in something with stripes, bright colours, etc.
Remember that these are only ideas. You know best what will work for your specific situation. Plan well & achieve great results!