Iko Iko!
(not sure what this means exactly; I just wanted to say it)

Mardi Gras Day is next Tuesday but parades have been rolling for a few weeks now. How wonderful to have time dedicated for a community party! It makes me think about workplace fun and how to cultivate it in a serious, focused company.

Years ago I worked for such an organization. Our employee opinion survey was designed around the company’s core values and one was being a great place to work (GPTW).  In our survey feedback meeting, my team learned that we were not so convinced it was a GPTW.

Action planning targeting the problem happened next. We decided to draw names first of each year. Everyone had to bring a birthday cake for another’s birthday. Because we were a ten person team, this meant we started gathering regularly to hang out while eating cake. Over time, it evolved into a really cool thing. People used sneaky tactics to figure out the birthday person’s favorite cake. Or possibly, brownies with ice-cream and fudge sauce instead. Birthdays became something special and we had fun doing it.

To you, this may sound like too simple a solution or maybe even a dumb one. But for us, it worked! That was fifteen years ago and sometimes on my birthday or that of a former team-mate, I will remember those little work celebrations and smile.

Plus, over time, our GPTW scores went up. This is a great example of how the survey feedback process really can work.

Happy Mardi Gras!!