Does your employer do anything fun? (Page 2)

I just got some good ideas.

So far we have had some good Christmas Holiday parties, but we now have a key employee that doesn't observe holidays, birthdays, etc...what to do???  We recently rented a skybox for a night at our AA Springfield Cardinals game...kids, fireworks after the game - it was fun.  I used to take everyone (small co. of 5-6) to lunch often, but they started to expect it, so that's rare now.

Our department used to have a huge holiday party - catered, with music, recognition of new and eparting employees, and generally a really good time.  People would dress up, bring spouses/SO's, and get to socialize for a few hours in the evening. Being a hospital, several people would also bring food back to the unit for the people who were working that evening.

But the last few years, under our new department chair, have been "bring your own" pot luck in the patient gym for lunch time. Woo. Hoo.

Used to have formal Christmas parties where the company rented the Museum of Science/Fine Arts, with caterers completed with raw bars and more.  The good old days when we were a local company.  When bought out by one of the Corporate America, they stopped doing that.  The holiday party reduced to a departmental party where we took 1/2 the day off work and hung out at a local restaurant.  The next year it became a 1/2 day off in one of our conference rooms, but party food is still provided.  The following year it became 1/2 day off pot luck in the conference room.  We still got to play games and such without worrying about going back to work.  Last year it was a 1.5 hr pot luck and everyone went back to work afterward. 

Few years ago we had summer outings at a beach with lobster bake.  This year, with threats to lay off, they have cancelled it. 

We have that, too.  But we have to work an extra 45 min Monday through Thursday to take that 3 hours off on Friday.  And that's more an insurance/cost-saving issue (as in no one is working in the lab from 2pm to 5 pm on Fridays)  than a benefit. 

I fourteenth asking your employees. Take them all out for a margarita lunch (hence, no expectation any work will get done for the rest of the day) and ask them to brainstorm what they want. Try each new thing on a month-long basis (if the PS2 doesn't work out, raffle it off to those interested in it, or give it to the employee who went above-and-beyond that quarter).

I worked for a company that busted their butts to do awesome stuff for the employees. They worked hard to do a wide variety of stuff. And while 90% of the company and families thought the amusement park day was a great idea, the fact that it was mandatory and that several employees were really not diggin' amusement parks put a pall on the whole day.

Do something for everyone's birthday or other special occasion. Most people really liked to be noticed. If someone is getting married, offer to throw a wedding shower for the couple. Same for babies. If you have someone in the office who doesn't celebrate those things, figure out a way to include them that doesn't exclude everyone else. A dear God don't do the one-party-a-month crap, especially not with such a small group. Get an ice cream cake and some sodas and do the singing thing on the person's big day (or Friday before).

Have a comfy place for people to crash for a nap. Especially with uber-dedicated folk, they might really appreciate a seven-foot couch with an alarm clock nearby.

Go you for wanting to make your workplace a nice place to spend a third of your life! 

Yeah...on occasion. 

- ice cream @ a local stand at least once each Summer

- spontaneous food parties brought in during stressful convention-prep times

- early release on Holidays

- you can borrow any of the company loaner bicycles to ride during lunch or after work

- Christmas float parade around the office

- a silly trophy that gets passed daily to the Employee of the Day

- free Gym membership to a local Gold's Gym

- takes us to Interbike & Dirt Demo beforehand (mountain biking in the desert)

- lets us have weekly yoga classes during a one-hour lunchtime (we pay)

I just found out that for my companies 60th anniversary we are getting free airline tickets to vegas and free rooms at Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas over the Columbus day weekend.

We do however have to pay the airline costs for our spouse/mistress(es)/significant other. Oh darn

 I think this counts as fun...