With the Olympics having ended earlier this month, research looking back on the impact of the experience is emerging. And some of this research covers the impact of the games on the workplace.
Noted in a People Management article by Michelle Stevens, workplace comradery enhanced due to their shared, participatory watching of the games at the office. In fact, “seven in ten managers said that their workplace had bonded over the joint viewing experience.” To boot, 37 percent responded has feeling “more personally productive.”
Stevens writes that ultimately the impact of the games on the workplace may have far more lasting effects in the business world; business leaders have learned what it’s like to have an unexpected, additional flexibility in the office. This should prompt leadership to consider what is and is not distracting activity in the office and how much of a real impact these “distractions” have on productivity.
If 37% of employees felt more productive when they were given the the option to watch the Olympics, what does that say about other activities in the workplace? How would an office react from other positive, community-based experiences in the workplace?
What may seem as counter-productive may in fact work for your company. The hottest example of this controversy is social media use in the office. But what could be next? What else will managers do to mesh both morale and hard-work in the workplace?
Do people in your business take part in regular morale-boosters? How often? How does this impact your productivity?