Money & Career
Improving workplace motivation
©iStockphoto.com/skynesher Image by: ©iStockphoto.com/skynesher
Money & Career
Improving workplace motivation
Every week the team at Club Penguin's Kelowna office breaks out a deck of cards and orders in pizza. On these once-a-week launch nights, the gang hangs out while uploading new videos and animation to Disney's entertainment site for kids.
Team traditions
It's a tradition, even when the launch goes off without a hitch, to stay well into the night, playing cards and catching up. It's the unspoken rites around the office that make the Club Penguin team a tight one.
Like the tea club (all dudes!) that initiates new hires by sampling a variety of brews or the weekly Thursday jams at a nearby co-worker's apartment. It's hard to tally every act, but the team at Club Penguin knows it's the little things that make a workplace truly special.
Happy employees = greater productivity
Common knowledge dictates that a happy worker is a more productive one, while studies show happiness can boost productivity by almost 15 percent!
Sure, saying hello or asking about someone's weekend might feel like a struggle on Monday morning, but come Friday when the team needs to pull together on a project, the extra effort will pay off. These little extras cost nothing, but reap heaps of benefits in the department of mutual respect and teamwork.
Cutbacks, downsizing, walk-outs and buy-outs: the new world of work can sometimes be a scary place. Never allow that malaise to set in, and we have a better chance at cheering one another on -- and up.
Looking out for each other
- Upload your co-workers' birthdays into your calendar or smartphone. When the big day rolls around, send out an email with best wishes or stop by their desk to brighten their day.
- Take the extra time with someone's going-away card to remember personal moments that made a difference. Chances are this person helped you in some way. Now is the time to thank them.
Page 1 of 2 -- Find more tips on how to look out for your colleagues on page 2
- Have an upcoming event or rally you're excited to attend? Tell the whole office. Even if they're not keen on the issue, you'll discover new topics to talk about outside project updates.
- Keep a stack of blank gift cards in your desk for impromptu birthday or holiday celebrations.
- Office traditions make the workplace stronger. Bring back mementos from a trip to decorate the space or get the team to put together a mock newsletter of inside jokes.
- Create a team wall in a central space and post everyone's picture along with off-the-cuff descriptions of team members. This is an easy way to make newcomers feel they belong.
- Start a �lm or book club with members outside the office.
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Team traditions
It's a tradition, even when the launch goes off without a hitch, to stay well into the night, playing cards and catching up. It's the unspoken rites around the office that make the Club Penguin team a tight one.
Like the tea club (all dudes!) that initiates new hires by sampling a variety of brews or the weekly Thursday jams at a nearby co-worker's apartment. It's hard to tally every act, but the team at Club Penguin knows it's the little things that make a workplace truly special.
Happy employees = greater productivity
Common knowledge dictates that a happy worker is a more productive one, while studies show happiness can boost productivity by almost 15 percent!
Sure, saying hello or asking about someone's weekend might feel like a struggle on Monday morning, but come Friday when the team needs to pull together on a project, the extra effort will pay off. These little extras cost nothing, but reap heaps of benefits in the department of mutual respect and teamwork.
Cutbacks, downsizing, walk-outs and buy-outs: the new world of work can sometimes be a scary place. Never allow that malaise to set in, and we have a better chance at cheering one another on -- and up.
Looking out for each other
- Upload your co-workers' birthdays into your calendar or smartphone. When the big day rolls around, send out an email with best wishes or stop by their desk to brighten their day.
- Take the extra time with someone's going-away card to remember personal moments that made a difference. Chances are this person helped you in some way. Now is the time to thank them.
Page 1 of 2 -- Find more tips on how to look out for your colleagues on page 2
- Have an upcoming event or rally you're excited to attend? Tell the whole office. Even if they're not keen on the issue, you'll discover new topics to talk about outside project updates.
- Keep a stack of blank gift cards in your desk for impromptu birthday or holiday celebrations.
- Office traditions make the workplace stronger. Bring back mementos from a trip to decorate the space or get the team to put together a mock newsletter of inside jokes.
- Create a team wall in a central space and post everyone's picture along with off-the-cuff descriptions of team members. This is an easy way to make newcomers feel they belong.
- Start a �lm or book club with members outside the office.
| Excerpted from the book Living Me to We: The Guide for Socially Conscious Canadians © 2012 by Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger, published by Me to We. Reprinted with permission from the publisher. Illustration by TurnStyle Imaging. |
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