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In reaction to the widespread shift to remote work caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, organizations redesigned several aspects of the office, such as virtualizing on-site practices, adding monitoring systems, and expanding meetings. These tactics have aggravated employees’ existing exhaustion.
When employees experience significant levels of fatigue, their performance can decline by up to 33%. Also, 54% of employees are less likely to stay in the same organization. One of the best ways to let this pressure off employees and boost your business is by hosting office happy hours.
This can be a great way to connect with people in your company while also showing them how much you appreciate their hard work. Not only will it help build morale and loyalty within your organization, but it may also encourage collaboration on projects and ideas.
The key to successfully hosting an office happy hour is making sure it’s actually enjoyable for everyone involved:
Put Your Own Spin to The Classic Happy Hour
The great resignation is very real. In 2021, 48 million people left their occupations. While 25.6 million people “left” their employment in the second half of 2021, 8.6 million people had left their jobs as of March 2022.
Employees need a breather, and organizations need to keep their employees happy. Hence, the easy way is to organize activities that help employees blow off steam.
Happy hours have been around for quite some time, which means your employees expect them to be a certain way. But we’re bringing some fresh ideas to the table, which will make your next happy hour a big hit among the employees. Also, they’ll look forward to what’s in store for the next one.
This, in turn, creates a positive atmosphere and happy work environment, leading to retention and employee satisfaction:
1. Create An Exclusive Menu
It’s important to make your happy hour special. You can do this by booking a happy hour catering service that can create an exclusive menu for you. An exclusive happy hour menu will help you stand out, and it might even become a fan favorite.
If you don’t want to limit yourself to one specific dish, consider creating a theme around your celebratory spirit. For example, if you normally serve sandwiches or burgers at lunchtime but want to switch things up for the evening crowd, why not create a new specialty?
Offer an extra-large order during happy hour so people can get their fill without feeling like they’re missing out on anything else.
2. Appeal To Groups With Large Plates
There are ways that you can appeal to groups by offering larger plates and unique service options.
Here are some ideas:
- Offer a variety of food choices, so that everyone in your group can find something they enjoy. This is especially important if the group includes some picky eaters or vegetarians.
- Offer different service options, such as platters for sharing, extra forks, and knives on the table so people can help themselves, or even “family style” dining where everyone shares a few different dishes at once on one large plate.
You could also have servers bring out each course individually instead of all at once. That way, everyone gets exactly what they want without having to wait too long while others finish their first course before they’re able to start eating themselves.
- Make sure the food itself is high-quality and well-presented. It’s always nice when there’s something pretty on your plate.
3. Get Local Bands And Entertainers
You can get local bands and entertainers to perform at your establishment. If you book a restaurant that has a lounge area, booking a live band would be a great idea for the evening.
If you book a bar or club, having DJs is always awesome because people love dancing to their favorite tunes. You could also hire magicians, fire performers, and caricature artists during happy hour events, which would make them more exciting for everyone.
4. Have Fun With Themes
Another way to add more fun is by incorporating themes into your happy hour. A great theme can engage employees, attract customers and tie in with your business’s overall brand image.
You can use themes to lighten the mood at work by using them as a reward or recognition system. For example, one month you could have “Movie Night” where everyone wears their pajamas and watches movies together. Another month could be “Dress Like Your Favorite Superhero Day” or “Rock Band Night,” where employees get together to play some tunes on their guitars and drums.
Themes are also useful if you want people outside your industry to know about what type of company yours is.
5. Host a Mystery Brew Promotion
Have you ever thought of hosting your own beer festival? Well, this is an affordable way to give it a try. Engage your employees with their favorite beverage and offer them gifts if they guess the mystery brew correctly. You can also use social media to create a buzz and make it more exciting.
If you’re looking for ways to boost your business, there are plenty of other options. But if you want something that’s relatively easy, fun, and can be done in a few minutes at the end of the day or before heading home, then happy hour might just be what you need.