Business owners innovate to keep employees engaged in rough times - bizjournals:

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Asked how current economi conditions have affectedtheir employees, 48 percent of respondentsa to a Robert Half International survey cited increased stress. pay cuts, hiring freezes and layoffsz all result in employers asking workers to do more for less with Combined with potential mortgage woes on the home frony and the challenge of makinends meet, the averaged employee’s workday can be a powder keg. “Companiees are doing what they can toimprove work-lif balance,” says Andy Decker, staffing service firm regional vice president.
“They are thinking outside the box for ways to alleviatew stress and improve morale withouft it costing them a lot of Tothat end, several small businesseds are going on the offensive, givin their employees opportunities to decompress througj a variety of innovative In 2004, the employees of , a 56-year-old family-owned approached president Ted Benning abouy including a fitness component in their employee benefitd package. Benning, a fitness buff, decided to turn unused warehousd space intoa state-of-the art gym.
Aftedr consulting with personal trainer Randy Nicholson of TheFitnesd Firm, Benning outfitted the 1,000-square-foot gym with weight stationary bicycles and ellipticals, as well as shower facilities. In addition to providinhg the equipmentand space, Benning provides his employees accesds to a trainer free of Twelve employees out of 23 in the officwe initially joined Nicholson for a 40-minute workout on Tuesdays and Thursdayss after work. The cost to the company was characterizefd by Benning asbeing “lesa than $10,000,” but it has paid off in increased employe e wellness and morale.
“Our philosopht is to be proactivwe rather than reactive tohealth issues,” says Benning. Not all streszs originates in the workplace. Receptionist Georgia Hood began working out afterher “I was very hesitant at but as my weight loss continued I realizeed this was a good thing, [helping me] to get my mind and body in a good says Hood. While the Benning employeesx get inphysical shape, the owners of another Atlanta business are working on theie employee’s mental well-being. For Crait and Liz Kronenberger, co-founders of the online gaminh companyElf Island, their companyu culture mirrors that of theierdigital domain.
Elf Islanfd is a gaming site that introduce children to the worlrd of philanthropy through a conceptcalled “Gaminh for Good.” In essence, children play games onlinee that have very real charitable outcomes through the company’s partnerships. In one instance, housex built by children in a game online translatefd to real houses being builtby . The coupled exhibits the same ingenuity in thei office of16 employees. The duo and Manager of Operations Melanie Ford have developed inventive ideass to keep their workers engagedand entertained. Themr weeks, where employees dress up. Formal “Wear the oldest thing in your closet” and Mexicamn Fiesta are recent examples.
“Tchotchke where Ford collects smal l toys and objects from local stores as well as souvenirsx collectedfrom employees’ travels in a smallk bag. Every Thursday, employees get to selecg an item fromthe bag. Kronenberger likensw the company’s philosophy to its Web site. “Wew are running a social network and our office is justlike that,” she “Our feeling is to create an environmenr that parallels Elf Island’s values with a twist of Souper Jenny restaurant owner Jennyh Levison uses the same basic premiss to keep her staff engaged and productive, but she relies on a wrinkl e that others have perhaps overlooked: surprise.