With such hectic schedules in the workplace these days, and employees who seem to run from project to project with barely a moment to take a breath, leaders may want to consider enabling for some time for employees to relax a bit. To that end, how about Friday afternoon workplace gatherings?
I remember a company I worked out quite a number of years ago that would have Friday afternoon get-togethers in the conference room. They usually started at 3:00 PM and employees would get together and just chat about the week, weekend plans, sports teams, and a host of other topics. Often we would have a glass of wine or a beer and someone would bring snacks. It was a great way to unwind after a long week and enabled for building relationships and bonding with colleagues.
I also learned that over time, based on the bond built between colleagues in these informal get-togethers:
- There were less conflicts among employees
- Employees proactively reached out to help out colleagues
- Knowledge sharing increased
- Employees worked together to solve challenging problems
- Employees were more engaged overall
These simple gatherings at the end of a workweek provided many valuable benefits to the organization and its employees.
