Make the Office More Like Elementary School Want to Retain Your Employees? Try Giving Them Recess Scott Engler
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or organizations to return to the type of employee longevity and "happy family" workplace cultures that used to be common, we have to first use our imaginations to envision what that kind of change could look like in our present time. While thinking about this subject, I've personally come to a simple conclusion: An organization that plays well together stays together. By "playing together," I mean two things at once: First, I'm referring to all those factors required for an organization and its staff to thrive together: acquiring the right talent, alignment between employees and leaders, congruent values, and ensuring that your company has the right people in the right places. The other concept of play at work here is the literal sense of actually playing together! In my workshop training, "Boundaries in Business," one of the topics I address is the increasing rate of workaholism in the US. Many of us are working much more than ever before, and thus we have little time or energy to dedicate to play. The most play the average American experiences is watching professional athletes on the television. I'm sure many readers are familiar with the quote from the movie The Shining, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Though the movie tells a fictional story, I would vehemently agree to the validity of this statement. The character responsible for this quote, Jack, is a grown man — which implies the need for play may be just as critical for adults as it is for children. Again, I would vehemently agree. The problem is, if we are constantly working and not getting any play time, we may turn our urge for play into something more destructive, such as substance abuse and addiction issues. Aside from harming our personal lives, these destructive behaviors inevitably follow us back into the workplace, leading to negative changes in attitude, focus, and productivity. Recruiter.com Magazine
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