Ah, Friday. Everyone says they look forward to it, but do they mean 9:00 Friday morning? Of course not. They mean 5:00 Friday afternoon.
I can’t promise you 5 ways to change that; I work in advertising, not science fiction. But some of the suggestions below can help you make Friday a tasty appetizer to the weekend’s main course.
- Have a Status Meeting. No, I’m not kidding. Moving these from Monday to Friday gives folks a chance to wind down with stories about the week they just had, and gives you a chance to celebrate the week that just ended. Acknowledge folks’ contributions during the week while they’re still top of mind. Besides, your employees are more fresh on Mondays than Fridays…when do you think they’ll get more actual work done?
- Get Folks Talking. You should know your team well enough to know what they find interesting; give them a reason not to switch their brains off at the end of the week. Toss them some humorous or intellectual conversation chum, like an ad or video, and get them together to share their thoughts.
- Celebrate Something. Maybe the agency just closed some new business. Maybe Elena from HR just came back from maternity leave. Maybe it’s just “National Ice Cream Sandwich Day” (August 2, FYI)…it really doesn’t matter; the point is to give folks an excuse to enjoy each other’s company.
- Grab Some Grub. If ice cream isn’t enough to satisfy the office’s appetites, take everyone somewhere for a bite (bonus points if it’s on the company dime). Treating your employees to a meal somewhere shows them you appreciate them by combining two things that most of us enjoy: getting out of the office, and free food.
- Send Everyone Home Early! This one should be self-explanatory.
Any of these can bring a bit of fun to help wrap your week, but here’s a bonus freebie:
- Don’t limit this sort of thing to Fridays. Give folks a Monday Funday every now and again with an office Happy Hour, lunch trip, or party. The Sunday Scaries aren’t as bad when your Monday afternoon features a 4:00 meeting of the Margarita Committee.
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