18 Feb 11 When Did Fun Become a Dirty Word?
Over the past couple of years, economic conditions and the state of the business world have created a corporate culture for many companies where a fun and relaxed atmosphere was “outlawed”. Any resemblances of fun or enjoyment were viewed as lack of focus or dedication. In the end, employee morale suffered and stress levels rose to new heights.
More and more, research is proving that FUN can actually be a good thing for the overall health of a company. As Maureen McKeon quotes in her article How to get from good to great – the shocking truth, “an increasing body of research demonstrates that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication — leading to lower turnover, higher morale and a stronger bottom line.”
For event and meeting planners, fun translates into greater participation and increased overall satisfaction from attendees. After all, who wants to sit all day in a cold, sterile meeting room listening to one monotonous session after another then lunching on the infamous rubber chicken? Instead, try spicing things up with exotic locations, fine dining, and a bevy of recreational activities to keep the “juices flowing”. Hosting a corporate function on a cruise ship might just be an ideal, economic way to inject FUN into a stale program and create excitement before it even begins.
It’s time to put the fun back in FUNction and remember…nobody ever complains when they’re having a good time!
Tags: Bevy, Business World, Corporate Culture, Cruise Ship, Dirty Word, Economic Conditions, Employee Morale, Employee Trust, Fine Dining, Having A Good Time, Juices, Mckeon, Mdash, Meeting Planners, Meeting Room, Recreational Activities, Relaxed Atmosphere, Rubber Chicken, Shocking Truth, Stress Levels
26 Jul 10 Themed Events, Colors, and Relaxation Are All Important Aspects to Consider
Companies do not have to ensure that all meetings and events are completely bland and uninteresting, even if that does have a certain old-guard appeal. Instead, consider the possibility that meetings can have elements of a party and that events could be given a theme to follow. The following ideas are not necessarily appropriate for all businesses at all times, but they may just make the daily grind a little less stressful for some:
• Holidays can be fun – Holidays can be fun, but do not go overboard. Not everyone seems to agree that celebrating holidays is fun, and some people seem more interested in complaining about cultural and religious influences than they do on having a good time. Colored napkins and other basic items that lack iconography could be appropriate and thematic.
• Colors for other purposes – There are many different non-holiday applications for colors as well. Colors can be chosen by departments or as part of promotions, and placing those colors everywhere can help build a sense of visual continuity.
• Events – Remember to take a break from the norm and relax a little bit. Some companies have discovered that short rest periods built into meetings or other events actually improve productivity instead of taking away from productivity as one might normally assume.
Tags: Applications, Break, Colors, Continuity, Elements, Fun People, Having A Good Time, Holidays, Little Bit, Meetings And Events, Napkins, Norm, Productivity, Promotions, Relax, Relaxation, Religious Influences, Rest Periods, Themed Events
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