Play-Doh

FB Stamps!

Legos

Nerf Guns

Bull$#!t Bingo during meetings. Attached is a PDF of 5 versions to print and use…just make sure your office can handle the language! 😉

Another fun idea is to use those cans of air (used for cleaning computers…we have tons) and paper crumbled into balls for air-soccer games! This might be a fun activity on Friday afternoons when we hang out.

My personal recommendation was to have everyone take an extended weekend (quarterly) where the office is closed early on a Friday and a Monday. I thought if everyone was able to expect a certain holiday it would give us time to relax and regroup until the next vacation. There are plenty of studies that show that employees are capable of getting higher-quality work accomplished if they feel mentally and physically rested. America has the least amount of sick/vacation days…some countries like Norway allow both parents to take a 6mo pregnancy leave! Sitting at a desk weekly from 9-5 takes a toll on all of us, and our creative minds at Think especially need the occasional break. Although we do our best to have fun, we can’t deny the amount of work that we do!

Lastly, we are working on a list of “achievements” that would allow someone to receive Think Bucks. Achievements might include being on time to work everyday, getting a certain task done quicker than normal, etc. etc. Although some of these things are expected in daily work, it’s nice to have some incentives to work toward. Think Bucks may accumulate to an extended lunch break, gift certificate to a local business, etc. In a small office where we all pitch in for every project, it’s wonderful to have some recognition…and who wouldn’t want a longer lunch as a bonus!?

I hope some of these ideas inspire other offices to incorporate more fun. We spend more hours at work than at home, so why not make it more enjoyable? Working our creative minds to the maximum requires a break from the norm… [signoff][/signoff]