The chances of you heading into your first day at work and becoming best friends with your co-workers is slim. Dealing with a pedantic boss, deadlines, and the subterranean cold that somehow afflicts every office on earth won’t make coming in that much easier either. Offices can be quiet and boring, and most of us will always be on the tail end of a Miranda Priestley-esque employers’ demands. Still — you have to go in every day. Don’t stress out too much though! There’s no need for you to suffer in silence until something better comes along. It’s all about making the best of a bad situation, and maybe even surprise yourself in the process. If you’re really fed up of your unexciting office, then scroll through these five ways which can help you make your workplace more welcoming.
1. Decorate Your Cubicle
Your surroundings play a key role in determining your mood. Sitting around plain white walls can make you feel uninspired and tired. Decorate your space with some frames of your favourite quotes, pictures with your friends and family, colourful wallpaper/stick-ons, or even birthday cards. Bring in some paperweights to plop around too — anything that makes you feel more like an owner of this new workspace. You’ll feel 100x more productive too.
2. Eat With Your Colleagues
You all work together, so why not eat together? Between different deadlines and tasks, everyone at work is often hunched over their own laptops quietly slugging out their day. There’s not too much time to get to know each other, which can make coming into the office a lonely, isolated experience. The next time you get up to head out for a quick bite, ask the five people nearest to your space if they’re free to join you. Worst-case scenario they’ll be busy and reciprocate the offer next time, and best-case scenario you’ll have made some new friends to at least complain about work with. Sounds like a win-win to us.
3. Make One Day Of The Week A Themed Day
No one wants to be the first to put themselves out there, but when things are dire you’ve just got to take initiative. Talk to your colleagues and suggest having any one day of the week be themed — then set a theme for that day. For example, everyone could wear the same colour (‘Blue Day’) or dress up as their favourite movie character. It’ll be cheesy, but fun. Initiating little ideas like these won’t just make your sentence in the office more fun, but also get your bosses to notice you. Having interpersonal and leadership skills are a key part of any job anywhere in the world!
4. Build A Wall Of Fame
Select any wall and name it “The Wall of Fame.” Decorate that wall with photographs of the employee of the week, or month, and other general achievements by people in your company. If this seems too formal, then just call it a ‘Yearbook Wall’ and put up pictures of the staff with little monikers like ‘Office Joker’ or ‘Best Smile.’ This will make everyone feel noticed and present, and boost their morale too. Other than that, it’ll just make your office prettier – and who doesn’t want that?
5. Celebrate Every Occasion
Make it a point to find out when everyone’s’ birthday is, and fill up an office calendar with them. Make sure to celebrate everything — someone’s birthday, a coworkers marriage or new birth, or even if Pakistan wins a match. The monotony of work can drive everyone a little insane, and small breaks like these uplift everyone. These don’t need to be grand celebrations by any means. You can simply cut a cake with everyone, or decorate your office with balloons.
What do you think?
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