Invest in Jest

Retailers spend countless hours and enormous resources in developing successful strategies and tactics that will position their businesses for continued growth. However, only the truly innovative companies have embraced the "fun-day-mental" attitude that humor in the work- place is a powerful tool for both recruitment and retention. Countless books and studies support the notion that fun and humor are an important part of the most productive workplaces. The immeasurable costs associated with stress and burn-out in today's workforce has been countered by companies who commit to the premise that humor can minimize work-related stress and set the stage for more creative thinking. Humor acts as a powerful antidote that can re-kindle the team spirit and create strong commitment bridges at all levels of the organization.

For thousands of years we've heard that “laughter is the best medicine". Experts say that the most productive workplaces have ten minutes of laughter every hour. An extremely key ingredient to keeping a high morale environment in the workplace is to have a company where employees feel good about coming to work. Ann McGee Cooper in her article “Fun at Work" in the AT WORK Magazine, says "Intense pressure brings a shift in the body's neuropeptides, which can lead to feelings of exhaustion, depression, and just plain-dullness. Deep belly laugh stimulates the brain to produce endorphins. Endorphins renew you physically, mentally, and emotionally; they contribute to feelings of relaxation and refreshment, as well as a positive outlook."

I suggest that clients use humor as a powerful way to open doors, open minds, and open hearts. The use of humor can be very inspiring to the staff. Webster tells us that the root word of inspire is "inspirare" - literally meaning "to breathe into." Use humor as a way to inspire passion, energy, and the courage that will give your staff that "fire in the belly mentality.

So, how do you start to inject this type of adrenaline in your business? Use this outline as a guide for your "funcilitator:"

· Start talking about fun - why it's important, what it can do, ways that we might incorporate it, etc. Make it okay to have fun.

· Host a fun innovation focus group.

· Appoint someone to coordinate fun programs.

· Conduct a humor audit of recent ways and specific events that the company has done to spike morale.

· Jazz up your staff meetings by using a variety of ways to inject humor.

· Set up a 'fun budget." Designate a specific budget for each month (it does not need to be big bucks - most important is the commitment and execution).

Discuss reward and recognition strategies and tactics specifically as they relate to what the associate values. Rewards help keep the momentum. Too often we think that the most coveted reward is money - not true. In addition to the ones your staff comes up with, consider these ideas:

· Donation to the employee's favorite charity.

· Set up a mini scholarship for a specific course of study.

· Offer a self or family portrait.

· Give a gift certificate for a two-hour massage.

· Send flowers to the associate's home for one month.

· Take a subscription to a magazine of interest.

· Personalized note cards or stationary.

· Gift certificate to a greenhouse.

· Negotiate a specific arrangement for vendor.

· Discounts as part of a reward package.

· Buy a phone card.

· Get creative and give them rewards that they value.

· Create a year at a glance fun calendar with 52 reasons why we like to come to work.

· Start a quarterly staff newsletter that is about lifting team spirit. Fostering a sense of a caring organization and recounting fun ideas.

· Rent a popcorn machine or cotton candy machine to have on hand for both the customers and associates.

· As the manager designate a specific number of “joy breaks” that you authorize each week. Just give them $5.00 and 20 minutes.

· At a sales meeting, give each associate a piece of white construction paper and have it titled “My Worst Customer Nightmare.” Have each person draw his interpretation of this nightmare. Have everyone show their drawing and select three of four to tell why they drew this.

· At the end of a long sale day or with paychecks at the end of a very tough period, send off each associate with a “Coke and a smile” as a way of showing your appreciation for their dedication. Ice down your favorite sodas in a big tub.

· Use a 15-minute segment of a meeting to write a mission statement for the company that incorporates how you use humor in your business.

· Start a scrapbook named ….. A Fun Place to Work, that keeps dates, photos, memories, etc. encourage everyone to contribute to the book.

· Go to the candy counter and select candy to use as instant rewards, i.e. Lifesavers (“You were a lifesaver to us”), Crunch bar (“without you we would not have made it through that crunch”) $100,000 Grand (“let this be a small token of our gratitude.”). Get creative as you stand and gaze at the possibilities.

· Sponsor a recipe contest. Make teams of 2-3 associates and have them write a “recipe for success” at your business. Use the format of a traditional recipe. “Cook up” original ideas and “Blend” them in a recipe. Reward all who participate. Post, publish, and share with staff and customers. It makes a great addition to the newsletter or part of an ad.

· Create a "whine cellar" - that special spot where an associate can go when they need to get off the floor. Stock the area with a few stuffed animals, Lego's, stress toys, etc. Put up a colorful sign denoting the "Whine Cellar."

As owners and managers, your role continues to evolve more to that of coach and cheerleader. Your actions directly affect the daily espirit de corps with your staff. Your ability to "spread the sparkle" in your organization will definitely have a bottomline effect and will infuse your organization with determination and hope. This myriad of thoughts on the premise of "investing in jest" needs to be approached with "everything in moderation" mentality. Certainly we must remember the old adage "all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy" but "all play and no work makes Johnny unemployed."

- courtesy of Shop Talk

with Margie Johnson