Nick Lawry, reward manager at Virgin - Treat your employees like adults that want to enjoy work

The article quotes Rupert Poulson, founder and chief executive of Avinity, who believes that true employee engagement can only come from internal happiness rather than external stimuli, and that companies that focus overly on creating ‘fun’ working environments for their staff may be neglecting the longer term benefits of offering genuine opportunities for experiences that will enrich their employees’ lives (whether that be inside or outside of work).

A collaborative environment

Whilst it’s true that we have our fair share of funky furniture at the Virgin Management offices, there is a distinct lack of slides, helter skelters, and adult-sized soft play areas for our staff. Don’t get me wrong: it is still a fun, vibrant environment to work in, as anyone who has ever visited our offices can testify. 

It’s just that we don’t feel the need to have nerf guns or giant Jenga blocks in the middle of the office to promote ‘creativity’. What we’re aiming for is a collaborative environment where people can be themselves and are comfortable sharing ideas with each other.

Autonomy

We recognise that people want to work in different ways; not everyone is going to want the stereo up full blast, sometimes you want to concentrate on a particular piece of work. That’s okay- there’s quieter, more studious areas in the office where you can sit to do that, just in same way there are buzzier places where you can hot desk if you’re feeling social and want to bounce some ideas around (or listen to Katy Perry at 10,000 decibels for that matter).

It’s about giving people the choice to work in the way that best suits them, as well as the trust to take responsibility for their own jobs which is why we introduced super flexible working and unlimited holiday. We try to empower our employees in a genuine way.

Faux fun

I have friends that work for tech start-ups that have really embraced the “faux fun” concept. Their offices are filled with nerf guns, giant jenga blocks, and inflatable sumo suits aplenty.

You could be forgiven for assuming they would be happy in their jobs, that their employers are really looking after them, but behind the faux fun veneer, all too often are stories of working absurdly long hours, below market pay and – the one that really gets me – next to no staff benefits.

They are not engaged- they’re enslaved essentially, in their funky furniture prisons. The dreaded ‘senior management’ members have had their way, or so they think. Distracting staff with the “shiny, shiny” office toys with the one hand, whilst simultaneously taking away their freedoms with the other.

Sustainability

But it doesn’t have to be that way and clearly that kind of working environment is not sustainable. Staff will eventually burn out, or see through their employer’s crass attempt to infantilise being at work.

And that’s a shame, because people come to work yes to be paid, but also to be challenged in new ways and to make a difference. Work can sometimes be hard and that’s unavoidable, but it can often also be rewarding and joyous too, and – dare I say it- fun.

This article is written by Nick Lawry, reward manager at Virgin