The Olympics are celebrated every four years and we are currently celebrating the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Originally, the Olympics were created to honor the Greek gods and the religious traditions behind Greek mythology. Over time, this evolved into more of a sporting event for gladiators to battle it out in the arena.
Both initial traditions are far from the Olympics that we watch and celebrate today, but some elements of the games have been passed down throughout the centuries. We celebrate pride in our country and cheer on our favorite athletes in hopes that their Olympic dreams come true.
While we might not be able to attend the actual Olympics, we do like to champion and encourage the Olympic spirit in the workplace. Planning fun activities, bringing in treats, and offering up some encouraging words and emails jumpstarts a strong morale for everyone in the office.
If your small business wants to get in on the excitement too, here’s what you can do to bring Olympic goodwill to your team.
1. Bring in sweet treats for your employees
Bringing in tasty incentives during the work week can go a long way to make your employees feel appreciated. Add an extra spin by creating “treat levels” for your employees if they reach a certain department goal. Just like Olympic athletes receive bronze, silver, and gold awards, you might start your team off with a “bronze” treat, like cookies or bagels and work your way up to “silver” eats like cupcakes and “gold” with a catered lunch.
2. Enjoy a little friendly competition
A little competition never hurt, right? While we all can’t be Olympic athletes, who said we can’t try to compete like them? Here are a few fun workplace games to try at your own office:
- Desk chair soccer
- Pencil javelin
- Rubber band archery
- Bender clip diving
3. Hold a weekly raffle
Setting certain goals within the office can be hard if there is no extra incentive to keep each respective department motivated. If your employees reach a certain benchmark on set goals, include their name in the weekly raffle for the chance to win some prizes like Starbucks or Target gift cards.
4. Create an employee/department leaderboard chart
Some employees work individually, but many others work together as a team. Create a chart and display it in the office and hold a weekly leaderboard update with your respective team members. This will give employees a better look at their own progress and encourage others to work a little harder to catch up to the rest.
5. Hold your own Ceremonies!
While some small businesses may have the time to do weekly Olympics-themed activities, they can host an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony tailored just for their startup. If you’re holding a Closing Ceremony, create awards or medals for those standout employees who have gone above and beyond throughout the last couple of weeks!