If you want creative (and productive) employees, you need a fun work environment. This applies to all companies, no matter what industry you’re in.
Ad agencies often try to make work life more fun than other companies, perhaps, because creativity is our business. Even Hollywood thinks ad agencies are cool places to work – just think of how many movies you’ve seen where the star worked in advertising: Boomerang, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kramer vs. Kramer, What Women Want, etc. And, let’s not even get started on AMC’s Mad Men, an entire show dedicated to the ad industry and the people who work in it.
So, how do you make your office more fun?
Give Creative Breaks
In a study of 300 Australian workers, researchers found that short breaks during the work day make a person up to 9% more productive. At Echo, we usually take breaks together. Someone will yell “Skate Break” and we’ll all grab our skateboards and run out to the parking lot. Now, thanks to Ray, we’ve added motorcycles to the break.
Surround Yourself With Cool Stuff
Give your employees freedom to decorate their work area however they want. This small thing leads to greater motivation and job satisfaction. In our agency, we draw on the walls, keep toys on our desks and make sure the latest creative magazines are around for inspiration.
Share Offices
Sharing work space makes it easier to collaborate on projects and brings your team closer together. Peek into any of our offices and you’re sure to find a mini brainstorming session in progress. When we’re not thinking about work, we’re having deep philosophical discussions about sports and TV, specifically really bad TV like Glee and Shahs of Sunset.
Get a Creative Box
Yeah, we know, you’re supposed to think outside the box. But, it’s important to have a place where people can share and store ideas and content that inspires them. Our box is completely digital so there’s plenty of room for everyone’s stuff.
Laugh
Take time to share jokes, videos, images, websites and anything else that makes you laugh out loud. Here, we let people know we have a sense of humor from the start. Just call our office and ask to listen to our on hold message, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
However you make your office fun, be sure it’s something your employees find fun too. The goal is to turn your company into a place where everyone wants to be.