There are many different ways to make our staff happy, but nothing compares to bridging their happiness from home to the workplace. Ever wonder why people around work display a lot of different pictures of their kids, spouse or pets at their desk? The concept is simple, but goes a long way: it fills up their love tank. As much as they may love their job, as much as your team loves working for you, many leave their loved ones at home, day cares, or with babysitters, and seeing their faces may be that extra kick to get them through the day. Having that family vacation picture displayed or their family portrait is just a quick reminder of why they do what they do.
It’s a conversation starter
Some people are more private and choose not to share that part of their life, and that is totally worth respecting, but more often than not you will see a picture or two on someone’s desk. It’s fun when you get to encourage your staff to bring those pretty memories in because giving them the option to display their loved ones creates a friendly work environment because now different coworkers can relate on different levels. Do you know how many kids your coworkers have, if any? Are they married? Maybe they vacation at the same place as another employee. What happens is that now it opens the room up for conversation. Coworkers can now talk about their kids with other mommies and daddies. Employees can now talk about different life experiences depending on what’s on someone’s desk. It just creates an open and more relatable workplace.
It’s their happy place
Another benefit of allowing your employees to display photographs and picture frames on their desk is the fact that whatever is pictured is their happy place. Someone wouldn’t take the time to place something on their desk that didn’t mean anything to them or that they hated. For me personally, during a difficult call where a caller is testing my patience, I look at my family photograph on my desk, and it reminds me to take a deep breath. It’s a quick reminder that there are people counting on you. It makes tolerating difficult callers much easier. Your state of mind shifts, Also what tends to happen is that seeing a picture of your kids may be a motivator to do better or to do the right thing. As their first role model, you would hope that your kids look up to you, so seeing a picture of them may inspire to act on your core values.
There are many different purposes for allowing employees to bring in photographs of things that make them happy. Creating a bridge between work and home is a great way to create a friendlier environment full of communication. It also serves as a motivator in many different ways.
