Did you know that October and November have shown to be the most productive months of the year for employees? It’s true! Research from YouGov found 35 to 54 year-olds say that Autumn is their favorite season. The 18 to 34 years old group tout Autumn as their second favorite season, right behind summer.
And, according to a study by Redbooth, October is the most productive month of the year for employees, with November in a close second-place.
If you’re looking for a new way to reward employees for their hard work, engage team-building and motivate as the Autumn season gets underway, read on for a few ideas.
Scavenger Hunt
Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year! Before winter strikes, take an opportunity to get your team outdoors with a scavenger hunt. It’s easy to create on your own or with a small committee of colleagues. Choose items that can be found in, and around, your office or go a little broader and include items that can be found throughout your city. Small teams or individuals can compete. Everyone will have fun teambuilding and competing.
Carve Pumpkins
This annual tradition makes for a fun element in the office. Make it a contest and collect votes from team members and customers, if your business interacts with the public. Place photos on your social media pages and consider prizes for first, second and third place. You can even select a pumpkin carving theme such as sports teams, cartoons, or the traditional Halloween.
Host a Halloween Costume Party
Make it a fun day with a catered or potluck lunch, play festive music, encourage everyone to dress up and host a costume contest. For extra fun, have special treats for the team and surprise everyone!
Make Scarecrows
If your team is creative and crafty, this can be a really fun activity. It can be accomplished easily and inexpensively in your office too. You’ll need some supplies such as a hammer, nails, scissors, old clothes and hay. There are several websites that offer step-by-step instructions online and local craft stores also have kits. Scarecrows are great because your office can use them for decoration throughout the fall months.
Host a Thanksgiving Pot Luck
There is no better way to celebrate the season! To make sure you get a great variety of food, simply send around a potluck sign-up sheet with items already listed such as stuffing, cranberries, green beans, mashed potatoes, etc. As the business owner, you may want to supply the cooked turkey, which can be ordered and purchased from a local restaurant or meat counter.
Participate in a Charity Event
Autumn is a popular time for 5k runs, golf tournaments, bike rides and more. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce to check-out what’s on the community calendar and see how your team might participate and get involved. This is a great team building activity that also gives your business positive PR and promotes goodwill in your community.
Virtual Autumn Trivia
If you have fully or partially remote employees, consider adding a virtual event, or two, so that everyone can participate. You can create a Autumn-themed trivia game, a virtual treasure hunt that includes items found at home and or an Apple Cider happy hour where everyone gets together for a chat and a company meeting.
Whether your team is large or small, together in one place or spread-out through many locations, these are all great ways to get everyone together in-person and virtually to celebrate the season.
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*Southland Data Processing, Inc. (“SDP”) is not a law firm. This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in reaching a conclusion in a particular area of law. Applicability of the legal principles discussed may differ substantially in individual situations. Receipt of this or any other SDP materials does not create an attorney-client relationship. SDP is not responsible for any inadvertent errors that may occur in the publishing process.