Did you see the opening ceremonies on Friday night? Wow! What an amazing way to start the 2012 Summer Olympics! My favorite part was the lighting of the Olympic torch. It was so cool to see David Beckham flying down the Thames River with the torch at the bow! And how about those fireworks? London certainly provides a beautiful backdrop for the Olympic games. 

Being responsible for Baudville’s social media has many perks, but my favorite benefit is meeting professionals from around the country. Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know talented professionals who not only excel in their day jobs but have also made a name for themselves on social media. They share their knowledge and experience on blogs, Twitter, and more with the goal to help others excel in their careers, too. 

Ben Eubanks, of the UpStart HR blog, is one of those individuals. Not only have Ben and I swapped tweets, emails, and phone calls, but we’ve been able to meet in person at HR conferences like the Society for Human Resource Management’s Annual Conference in Atlanta last month. When Ben and I connected this summer, we started talking about having fun at work. It turns out Ben’s workplace is a fun place to be! I asked him to share some of his office’s favorite fun activities here on the blog and lucky for us he obliged!

Check out Ben’s fun at work activities below and visit his blog for more tips and ideas you can use in your workplace! 

Having fun at work 

I just returned from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2012 Annual Conference and Expo, where we’ve been chatting with HR Professionals from all over the US. Part of our fun is sending the Baudville team to this show outfitted in fun (and sometimes funny) T-shirts that are guaranteed to spark some conversations. 

Back in 2009, Baudville decided it was time to re-invent itself. We hired a consulting firm who redesigned our logo, our color scheme, the look and feel of our marketing materials, and the tone of our messaging. As I write this, I feel like I’m revealing the man behind the curtain; but, hey, we’re all business people here and we know that this is what happens in the corporate world. Meijer did it. JCPenney did it. We did it.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer in Michigan, and many of us enjoyed the warm weather last weekend doing summer activities: boating, swimming, visiting the beach, and anything else outside. After five months of cold, wintery weather, Michiganders love to be outside! 

I especially love to be outside in the summer, so sitting in the office on those beautiful days can be tough. But I also love the chance to participate in the many summer team events Baudville plans. Whether it’s a short tournament of backyard games over a lunch break or an evening at the ballpark, summer is a great opportunity for team building.