Make the Office More Like Elementary School

For 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.

How in the world do you expect a company to flourish if all the people working there are dull, burnt out, and unhappy? And why in the world would these people — this includes leadership — stick around if they dread going to work or lack the most basic levels of joy and passion to carry them through the day?

So, how do you bring play into an organization in a way that will yield the energy, joyfulness, and mojo needed to turnyour staff into the team that everyone else wants to play on? Many large companies are attempting to move in this direction, but they seem to be missing the mark.

In the past decade, I worked for a big company that took a similar approach to play as a company like Google might — massages, ping-pong tables, a large indoor gym facility, and other cool perks.

However, we employees were so overworked and had such tight break schedules that most of these perks were actually sources of depression. We either didn't have the time to use them or were so exhausted at the end of the day we couldn't wait to leave the place!

Over the years, I've heard of similar issues from people working at other companies offering similar perks.

Even though some of these companies may have failed to produce the results they were hoping to — e.g., a happy work culture — I believe they were headed in a great direction.

That being said, here's an alternative approach to playing at work that I believe will yield better results:

Run Your Office Like an Elementary School

That's right: an elementary school. Remember how easy it was to get all the play, physical exercise, and lighthearted laughter we needed when it was built into our daily routines? When a loud bell rang throughout the school at the same time every day, letting everyone know it was time to close our books, eat a snack, and have some fun?

If we brought recess — or something like it — to work, we could not only have more playtime at the office, but we could also strengthen teamwork and communication in a more joyful low-pressure context. Sure, there may be that guy who gets overly competitive during kickball, but that makes for a great opportunity for teammates (or the manager) to kindly remind everyone about the importance of working together.

I'm sure many of you are already thinking up reasons why this idea isn't practical at all — but before you completely disregard the idea, I want you to consider this example:

Let's say 150 people work in your office. Let's say you find a local park or recreation center where you could rent space during the day. One or two days every week, you offer people an extended lunch for a staff game of kickball.

With some exceptions, you make it a requirement that everyone show up to these games. Those who can't or don't want to play can sit in the bleachers and cheer for those who do play. That way, everyone gets involved in ways they enjoy and that match with their strengths. (Perhaps you can see how this is connected to building a stronger workplace culture?)

You eventually find the outings are going so well that you decide to take monthly field trips with your staff as a reward for good performance. This might sound silly at first, but recall how much you looked forward to field trips as a kid. Plus, who doesn't like getting paid to take a trip somewhere?

In truth, the specific logistics of your company recess are less important than the act of building designated playtime into your work culture. As with any new idea, it might take a little bit of adjustment for people to get used to, but if you remain consistent and tweak as needed, you might be pleasantly surprised by the results.

If you set a tone at your organization that mixes discipline, hard work, and passion with camaraderie, fun, and playfulness, why would anyone want to leave?