Monolithic organizations such as Google have proven that no matter what stage your business is at, a fun culture is still possible to maintain. Small business owners can learn from companies such as Google while attempting to foster their own unique offices.
The issue is that companies as large as Google have the resources to pour millions into defining a culture alone. Small business owners usually don't have quite the same spending power. It is possible to keep a fun culture up without spending too much, though. If you're not putting enough thought into the culture of your small business, then there's a chance that it fails before it ever really gets going. Sometimes going over the budget can be a little boring, so why not hand it over to a financial services expert and pencil some fun into the schedule for you and your team. For more on how to make sure that you're maintaining a fun culture that people want to work in every day, read some of the tips below:
1. Set up office challenges for your team to participate in
Google has a unique way of motivating its employees to achieve their goals, according to Entrepreneur. Challenges your employees compete in can promote teamwork, illustrate your company's culture and fire up your staff. Cooking competitions, ping-pong matches and kickball tournaments are all ways to get your employees excited and make sure that your small business is an enjoyable place to work at. Things such as this are nearly always fun and, even better than that, often affordable.
2. Check in with employees often to show that you care
Updating your staff often will show that you care about how they are getting along from day-to-day and that you want to hear from them, according to Yaniv Masjedi, vice president of marketing for Nextiva. For example, a 10-minute long meeting every Monday, or even a quick video clip explaining what's ahead for the week, will do wonders for your business's culture. One idea for these videos is to have one employee each week sit down and explain where they have recently succeeded and where the business needs to improve.
3. Make sure that you and your team occasionally get out of the office
Employees at Google go on plenty of trips, and while it may not be easy to keep this sort of thing up consistently, getting out of the building every once in a while can be useful for small business owners and their employees, Entrepreneur noted. This will give your team a break while allowing the individuals the capacity to stay motivated without burning out. Summer cookouts, visits to local institutions such as museums or participation in local charity events are all ways that small business owners and their employees can take a break from the everyday grind.
4. Treat your employees with surprises every once in a while
Surprising your employees with things such as an office party when the opportunity arises is a great way to foster a fun culture for your small business, Masjedi noted. For example, set up an employee appreciation day, have someone decorate the office and pick up a few prizes – just don't tell too many people about it. The party doesn't have to last a full 8 hour day, and it will show your employees that you appreciate them and all the hard work they do every day to help your small business succeed.
If you'd like to foster a fun business culture like those found at some of the most successful companies around these days, there are number of ways you can do so without spending too much, such as the four tips above. Use them to make sure your employees are enjoying working for you.