When a company has been developing their office culture and company traditions over several years, it may not consider whether it’s time for a refresh or not. Unfortunately, with so many different generations coming under the same office roof, it’s important for a company to consider whether their office traditions bring employees together to feel a sense of community or inadvertently drive their employees apart – and away from the company altogether.
5 Out-of-Touch Workplace Traditions to Reconsider
If you’re not sure if any of your workplace traditions might drive your employees away, check out this roundup. If you find you do any of these practices, you may want to reconsider.
Ordering the Same Pizza for Every Party
Sure, one of the ways to your employees’ hearts may be through their mouths, but if you’ve only done the same pizza order for every celebration, it’s time to step it up. A pizza party could be a great way to congratulate your team for exceeding goals, landing a large client, or excelling in another way. But if that is the only way that you recognize your team, it’s time to switch things up.
Scheduling Meet-Ups During After-Work Hours
Another idea for creating a sense of community is having out-of-work meet-ups and social events. However, over the past few years, employees have a much harder time striking that work-life balance. Plus, employees often feel pressured to attend, even if the meet-up is not deemed mandatory. Employers should reconsider the after-work-hour meet-ups so that employees don’t feel pressure to dedicate even more of their time to their work life.
Group Lunches with an Agenda for Community
Some companies have made fostering a community a priority in their office. To do this, they’ve scheduled group lunches that have specific topic discussions with the intent to build connection and community. Unfortunately, planned discussions can often stifle conversations. If you want to bring the group together for lunch, that’s fine – just let the conversation flow naturally for genuine connection.
Office Theme Days or “Spirit Week”
Remember high school when there were theme days for dressing up? Seventies day or tie-dye day? Crazy hair day or PJ day? Yeah, those days stay back in the high school memories. Let your employees dress their normal, professional way and be comfortable. Not only can theme days cause your employees undue stress, but they might need extra attire, which only becomes a nuisance.
Not Viewing Your Employees as People
On a more abstract level, one of the most out-of-touch workplace practices is when employers refuse to view their employees and people with real lives and real issues. When they have schedule conflicts, family emergencies, appointments or concerns, managers need to listen with empathy. If employers only consider their employees by the tasks they are supposed to accomplish, not only will they miss out on a lot of opportunities to grow their own company, but they might drive away valuable employees who could make a real impact.
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