Remember those days when you laughed with your colleagues over lunch in the breakroom, found a personalized note on your desk for your birthday, or went out for happy hour on the third Thursday of every month? Pre-pandemic office life often offered social connection and enjoyment.
As many of us head back to the office, at least some of the time, we have a chance to return not just to in-person, collaborative work, but also to the things that make work fun.
While what’s fun is different for everyone, research shows that having joyful moments at work helps to promote resilience and employee retention, in addition to increasing engagement, creativity, and feelings of purpose.
Here are a few tips for bringing the fun with you back to the office:
- Spend some time identifying what you enjoy about your work and workplace. It will likely take intentionality to recalibrate and reconnect with the parts of in-office work that were fun for you before the pandemic.
- Reconnect with your colleagues by dedicating a portion of your time in the office to conversation. For example, take lunch with your colleagues, rather than at your desk.
- Let yourself laugh. After years of putting our heads down and working hard to get through a global pandemic, it can be hard to remember to laugh at all the silly things that happen in an office. (The TV show “The Office” was a hit for a reason!)
While there are many challenges that come with returning to in-person and hybrid work, remember, there can be bright spots too!
Contact us at Focused Solutions to learn about how we can help you navigate the return to in-person work and to find your fun again.