Happy December everyone! If you’re reading this, it means you survived November and a potential visit from your in-laws. Congratulations!! You should be celebrated! After all, your ability to successfully navigate the family drama and your drunk uncle Ted’s political rants is a feat which could only be accomplished by someone destined for amazing things. You’ve clearly proven yourself worthy.
Given the energy you likely expended to do those things, it’s time for you to take some time for yourself. You need to recharge and have some laughs! And let’s be honest. Nothing gets done at work in December anyways. Most organizations close their financial year early to avoid the lack of production they’ll get from a workforce using up vacation or spending company-time to order presents on Amazon. There is no better time to let loose in the office than December because odds are nobody is there to notice. So if you aren’t planning to take time away from the office in December, try out some of the suggestions below to have a little more fun with your daily routine:
Respond to all emails with only hashtags.
This one is admittedly my favorite. If social media has taught us anything in life – and I’m not sure that’s possible – it’s taught us humans are very wordy beings. Most forms of communication in the workplace (emails, conference calls, and meetings) are unnecessarily filled with massive amounts of words. Instead of inundating your “audience” with more words than they care to read, take a lesson from Twitter and instead only communicate via hashtags. You’ll quickly notice how fun it is to communicate like a fourth grader and you’ll actually get a sense for who reads your emails in the first place.
Constantly take fake conference calls in public.
And watch for people’s reactions! If you’re lucky enough to have a wireless headset, walk around the office taking conference calls. The trick is – make up completely random and off-topic conversation for those around you to hear! Example:
- Walk near your colleagues and exclaim into the phone, “You can’t fire me because I already quit!”
- Or act like you’re holding a team meeting and advising all of your associates to only send 1 email per day to “reduce expenses.” It makes zero sense and will quickly make those around start to question their own email practices.
Rearrange one person’s desk a day.
This was doesn’t have to be saved for December only. I would encourage this year-round, but if you’ve never tried it, take the liberty of rearranging a co-workers desk environment into a new configuration. The more creative, the better. You could do something as simple as unplugging their mouse to a full fledged desk move to another area (ex. The Office episode where Jim moves Dwight’s desk into the restroom). Please don’t copy that specific example. It’s a bad idea. But a few harmless moves here and there will keep things interesting and some of your colleagues may not even recognize it until January.
There are a few ideas to get you started. It’s a light-hearted way to get you laughing, enjoying the season, and also not taking yourself too seriously. Jokes aside, from my family to yours, I want to wish you all health, happiness, and love as we wind down 2018. I hope you get time this month to spend it with the people who mean the most to you!
(If you have other suggestions or fun ways to spruce up the office environment, I would love to hear them! Share in the comments below or reach out via IG or Twitter at @HavensSpeaking)
