Six festive fun ideas for small businesses that work all year round
- Business Rescue Business Growth
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‘Tis the season to be jolly. As small business owners, we work hard all year round. At this time of year, although we keep on working, we tend to let our hair down a bit and have some fun. Perhaps there is a mischievous elf on the shelf in your office! However, fun needn’t be reserved solely for the festive season, a bit of merriment can benefit your business whatever the time of year.
Here are some hints and tips from Be Rescued on how to have a laugh while also doing good for your small business.
1. Laughter in the workplace
How often do you see ‘sense of humour’ as a prerequisite in a job description. It is a great asset. Having a sense of humour will mean while you take running your business very seriously you don’t take yourself too seriously.
Having a sense of humour when things are not going to plan will help improve staff morale. You can convey the seriousness of the situation while also ensuring it isn’t all doom and gloom. A negative workspace will not help business owners or produce good results from staff.
What’s more, laughter is good for you as it can boost mental health. Having a good laugh relieves physical tension and stress.
At Be Rescued, we work hard, but we like to have fun too. So, here’s a seasonal joke:
What do sheep say at Christmas?
Wool-tide greetings!
Not sure that’s going to get many laughs, I know cheesy Christmas cracker! But have some fun in the office this festive season and beyond.
2. Team building games
Yes, we might get that sinking feeling in our stomachs when the note goes around about team building games, but they really do benefit businesses and they doesn’t have to cost the earth!
As a small business owner, perhaps you think that team building games and away days are more relevant to the corporate world of big business. Time to change perspective!. Small businesses can and do benefit from spending time doing team building exercises.
There are real benefits to taking time out of the office and working on tasks that are different to the usual day to day work whatever the size of your business. Whether you are a team of three or 30.
Team building exercises allow everyone to take part on a level playing field, the business owner and the administrator will perform the same task. This gives the opportunity for staff members to demonstrate skill and also for the team as a whole to work together, socialise and have some fun.
At Be Rescued, we sometimes combine strategy meetings with a lunch out, so as well as developing good ideas for the business, there is some social time too. Perhaps your team could have a strategy session followed by a trip to the local escape room!
3. Brainstorming
Sometimes the most unlikely ideas can develop into something really amazing. Just think about the Compare the Meerkat advertising campaign featuring the lovable characters Aleksandr Orlov and Sergei.
Surely now one of the longest-running and most successful ads on TV. You can’t help but wonder how the idea of using meerkats to promote insurance came about.
Encourage your staff to bounce ideas off each other and be creative in informal brainstorming sessions. The sessions can be fun, and it is also a great way of involving staff and boosting engagement within your small business.
The key is to make people feel that no matter how daft their idea might seem they can feel free to share it with the group. You never know, you might uncover a gem!
4. Role play
The response of most people when asked to take part in role play is an emphatic ‘Oh, no!’ However, there are numerous benefits to doing role play exercises in the workplace.
One of the main benefits is that staff can practice real life situations in a safe environment which helps them should the situation actually occur.
Role play in business can help develop skills and competencies necessary for carrying out a job role or a task. It can also help you understand customer needs.
A great way for small business owners to train staff, role play is also a good team bonding exercise with a lot of fun to be had by all.
5. Relax and have fun in the knowledge that everything is ok
For small business owners, it is much easier to have fun at work if everything is going ok with the business. If you are worried about the state of your finances or your business is not growing as planned, fun will be the last thing on your mind.
Here at Be Rescued, we are there for the good times and the bad. We provide turnaround services and help with business planning.
We can help you solve any business issues and put plans in place to help your business grow, leaving you free to enjoy work more and have some fun along the way. Do get in touch if you have any concerns and we can work together to help your business thrive.
6. Set a workplace challenge
Setting challenges for enjoyment and good causes can be a lot of fun for small businesses. There is nothing like a bit of healthy competition in the workplace.
Whether it’s walking, swimming or cycling, why not set a challenge that whoever does the most in the month wins a donation to their favourite charity.
Or you could run a ‘Great British Bake Off’ challenge and whoever wins (no M&S Victoria Sponge cheating!) gets a glass plate from a charity shop.
These activities, while being a lot of fun, can also be shared with customers. By sharing things other than business news, you show the human face of your business which can help drive customer engagement.
Here to help in 2020
As ever, we will be here to help with your business issues in 2020.
In the meantime, the Be Rescued team wish you Happy Holidays and all the best for the New Year.