You care about your team. You want them to be happy and healthy and you understand this means they need to take regular breaks to rest their eyes and recharge their brains.
But what is there for your team to do on their breaks? If you’re not offering your team something fun to do, they’ll probably take their breaks at their screens, which kinda defies the point… At Contactzilla HQ we have a pool table which our team are free to use whenever they like. At regular points throughout the day, someone will challenge a co-worker to a game of pool.
The pool table gives our team the chance to take a break from their work and their screens. It’s also a great way of helping new team members to feel a part of our culture and build relationships with their co-workers.
Bob Fox, publisher of Work Design Magazine noticed that in his office, spontaneous business conversions would occur over the foosball table. People were away from their desks and taking breaks, but still getting things done. At Contactzilla HQ, we’ll often hear team members chatting about problems they’re working on over a game of pool.
To follow this workplace hack, you need to create a space in your office where team members can go to relax for short 5-10 minute breaks. Try to offer activities that require your team to work together or compete against each other as this will help them to build healthy working relationships, as well as giving them a rest from their work.
If a pool table isn’t for you, you could try a foosball table, dart board, video games, board games, a ping pong table… the possibilities are endless. On a budget? Why not ask your team to bring in old games they don’t use anymore, or scour Craigslist for bargains!
Do you have a games area in your office?