3 Fun Ways to Motivate Your Team on Fridays
Fridays – the day of the week where an employee’s mentality magically shifts from “what do I have to do tomorrow” to “what do I get to do tomorrow”. So, it is probably no surprise that studies have shown Friday to be the least productive day of the week.
If that’s the case, what can a manager do to keep his team motivated? Start by implementing these 3 fun ideas to keep your employees more excited about work-hours than after-hours.
1. Jeans for Dreams
Everybody loves casual Friday – it’s a fact. But just because an employee feels more comfortable, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll feel better.
Studies conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Dunn at the University of British Columbia showed that asking people to spend as little as $5 on someone else over the course of a day made them happier at the end of that day than people who spent the $5 on themselves.
Instead of offering dress-down days as a given, encourage employees to bring $1-$5 if they want to participate and donate the money to charity. It’s a win-win!
2. The Email Quickdraw Challenge
Tell your team you will be sending out an email at an unspecified time and the first one to reply wins a prize!
The idea here is pretty simple; your team will be checking emails on a more consistent basis throughout the day, keeping them focused on the work at hand.
Feel free to get creative with this! Email them a trivia question that they must be the first to answer correctly or send a clue leading them to where the prize is hidden.
3. Employee of The Month Week
Employees appreciate recognition for the hard work that they’ve done, but it appears that the vast majority do not feel that they receive it.
A 2014 study revealed that a staggering 79% of employees do not feel strongly valued at work.
If you currently recognize an Employee of the Month, begin giving recognition to the Employee of The Week to ensure your team is getting the praise they deserve on a more regular basis. And if you are not doing either of these, start now!
