Since the recession, companies have learned they can be more productive with less staff.

We’ve also learned that company internal culture matters significantly, and employees place a high value on the bonding experiences which help build morale and esprit de corps.

But boosting employee productivity sometimes lowers morale as your team takes on more tasks without extra help. Lower morale leads to other problems in the workplace, ultimately hurting your business.

Consider having fun scheduled events to boost office morale. This is especially important when you recruit younger workers who look for engaging workplaces.

In a study by BrightHR, researchers found that fun could boost your employees’ creativity, reduce absenteeism and lower stress. Fun and play in the workplace tells your employees they can be trusted and valued.

The study indicates that more millennials expect fun to be an integral part of their lives at work than any other demographic, in contrast with the very small number of business owners who think the same.

“The millennial presence in our workforce is only going to continue to grow over the next five years, and employers need to acknowledge their expectations and ensure that decision-making is informed by the needs of this group rather than past habits,” warn the authors of the BrightHR study.

Here are some ways you can boost morale in your workplace:

Wacky days.

There’s a holiday for everything, it seems. So, use them to your advantage: Jan. 9 is Clean Off Your Desk Day and you could have a contest to motivate people to tidy up their workspaces. Other trivial days include Wear Pajamas to Work Day (April 16), Uncommon Musical Instrument Day (July 31) and Ugly Sweater Day (Dec. 16). These are all good opportunities for your human resources department to inject some fun in the workweek. Find more wacky days here.

Liven up that dull office party.

We’ve all attended boring office parties where everyone stands around awkwardly. Next time, break the ice with a fun game. Here’s a website that has some fun ideas for your next social gathering at work. For example, organize a game of Desk Thief. You play by stealing one item from each person’s desk, then display them at a party. Everyone has to figure out what items belong to whom.

Build the team.

Team-building exercise is a fun way to boost morale and get people to work with each other. Millennials are especially comfortable with team-based approaches to learning because they’ve been exposed to it since they were in grade school. This article suggests three team-building games you can organize inside your office. For example, try the Mine Field Game. It’s simple and it’s well-suited for smaller offices.

Money is not the object.

Scheduled fun events don’t have to cost anything. For example, your employees likely have passions outside of work and they might enjoy hosting a lunch-and-learn event to share and discuss. For more ideas on morale boosters that won’t break the bank, glance at this Forbes article.

Let us know how we can take a closer look at your company’s internal culture, especially during a post-merger integration, to help connect the people in your organization.

To schedule a conversation please call 239-430-0303.