Business owners innovate to keep employees engaged in rough times - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Asked how current economic conditionx have affectedtheir employees, 48 percentg of respondents to a Robert Half Internationapl survey cited increased stress. Furloughs, pay cuts, hiriny freezes and layoffs all resulyt in employers asking workers to do more for less with Combined with potential mortgage woes on the home front and the challenge of making ends theaverage employee’s workday can be a powder keg. “Companies are dointg what they can toimprove work-life says Andy Decker, staffing servicee firm regional vice president.
“Theyh are thinking outside the box for ways to alleviat e stress and improve moralse without it costing them a lot of Tothat end, several small businesses are going on the giving their employees opportunities to decompress through a variety of innovativs options. In 2004, the employees of , a 56-year-old family-ownedx business, approached president Ted Benning aboutt including a fitness component in their employeebenefits package. a fitness buff, decided to turn unusedc warehouse space intoa state-of-the art gym.
After consulting with personal trainer Randy Nicholsomn of TheFitness Firm, Benning outfitted the 1,000-square-foo gym with weight machines, stationary bicycles and as well as shower In addition to providing the equipment and Benning provides his employees access to a trainer free of charge. Twelve employeezs out of 23 in the offic initially joined Nicholson fora 40-minutew workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays after The cost to the company was characterize d by Benning as being “les s than $10,000,” but it has paid off in increasedc employee wellness and morale. “Out philosophy is to be proactive rather than reactivde tohealth issues,” says Benning.
Not all stresx originates in the Receptionist Georgia Hood began working out afterher divorce. “I was very hesitant at but as my weight loss continued I realized this was agood [helping me] to get my mind and body in a good says Hood. While the Benning employees get in physical the owners of anothe Atlanta business are working on their employee’s mental well-being. For Craig and Liz Kronenberger, co-founderas of the online gaming companyElf their company culture mirrors that of their digital Elf Island is a gamint site that introduces children to the worlx of philanthropy through a conceptcalledx “Gaming for Good.
” In essence, childrenb play games online that have very real charitable outcomese through the company’s In one instance, houses built by children in a game onlinre translated to real houses being built by . The couplr exhibits the same ingenuity in their office of 16 The duo and Manager of Operations Melanid Ford have developed inventive ideas to keep their worker engagedand entertained. Theme weeks, wheree employees dress up. Formal attire, “Weare the oldest thing in your closet” and Mexican Fiesta are recentf examples.
“Tchotchke Thursday” where Ford collects smalo toys and objects from local stores as well as souvenires collectedfrom employees’ travels in a small bag. Evergy Thursday, employees get to select an item fromthe bag. Kronenbergedr likens the company’s philosophy to its Web site. “We are runningb a social network online, and our officse is just like she said. “Our feeling is to create an environmenf that parallelsElf Island’s values with a twisg of fun.” Souper Jenny restaurant owne r Jenny Levison uses the same basic premise to keep her staf engaged and productive, but she reliexs on a wrinkle that othersd have perhaps overlooked: surprise.