For the next three weeks, we’re encouraging companies and teams to participate in our Baudville Games competition. Not only do the participants have a chance to win $200 in Baudville product every week, but the Games provide an opportunity to improve employee engagement, team morale, and your office fun factor. 

We’ve created four events for your team to complete: Rubber Band Archery, Binder Clip Diving, Mental Gymnastics, and Office Soccer. Each event is simple to host and requires only a few supplies you already have in your office, like rubber bands and binder clips. We’ve created a few extra tools to make your events go off without a hitch.

Baudville Games Posters – Generating anticipation is one of the most important elements of hosting a great event. Download and print these posters to get your entire team excited about the upcoming competitions!

Rubber Band Archery Target – Are you behind on your Baudville Games event? You can still challenge your team to an event of aim and skill by playing Rubber Band Archery. Download our target to create an official playing field.



Mental Gymnastics Cards – In mental gymnastics, participants have to act out the different Olympic events. We’ve put together a set of cards for you, so all you have to do it print, cut, and play!


Office Soccer – Having the best equipment is a big part of the Olympics, and we have the same priorities for the Baudville Games!  Download our Office Soccer page and crumple it to create your ball for the shoot out.



Office Games eBook – Does your team love the events in the Baudville Games? Keep the fun going this summer with even more events! We’ve compiled all our favorite office games events and put them into a free eBook for your reference. Download the eBook today and plan your next games soon!
 

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 

Don’t have the budget to host a summer picnic for your employees? You don’t have to! You can boost employee morale and engagement with low cost activities right in your office.

At Baudville, our favorite employee celebrations include an activity every day of the week, like during Customer Service Week. You can put on a week-long celebration for your team – just because! – with a summer camp theme. We’ve come up with all the activities for you, so the hard work is already done!

Day One – Welcome employees to “camp” with a Sweet Treat on their desk and materials to decorate their camp name badges using paper ID badge stock. Display the new name tags in badge holders and lanyards. Encourage campers to wear their new IDs by giving on-the-spot prizes to campers sporting their badges.


Day Two – What camp is complete without arts and crafts!? Plan a craft like building photo frames out of popsicle sticks or making friendship bracelets. Set up an arts and crafts station in a central location, and encourage campers to visit it all week to work on their creations. Then, display your crafts in the office!

Day Three – Test your campers’ aim with your own archery field. Draw a target on a white board in a meeting room and mark the shooting line with a piece of masking tape. You can arm your campers with either a toy bow and arrow or rubber bands. Present certificates to the campers with the highest score.

Day Four – Host a camp potluck lunch. Ask your team to bring their favorite picnic dish to share and a copy of the recipe. Create a cookbook out of the recipes and give it to every camper at the end of the week.

Day Five – Divide your campers into two teams, and begin a game of capture the flag in your office! The objective of capture the flag is to discover the opposing team’s flag and return it safely to your home territory. For a work-friendly version, hide several flags around the office. The team to find the most flags by the end of the day wins!



Day Six – End the week with a campfire. Gather your team in a meeting room or outside gathering area to share a treat together. If you’ve taken pictures of the different activities throughout the week, show them in a slide show set to camp songs. Present each camper a certificate of completion to celebrate their successful week at “camp!” 

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook. 

Fourth of July is on a Wednesday – who scheduled that!? It’s tough having a holiday in the middle of the week, and we know that it will probably zap productivity today. Most likely, your staff is waiting for you to say the magic words (time to go home) and begin their mid-week summer holiday.

Take advantage of the mid-week summer holiday to express appreciation for your team. Download our free Freedom Passes and write a short note of thanks for each individual on your team. Pass it out to employees and send them home with a Happy Fourth of July!



Why? This appreciation is easy, free, and meaningful. Your employees will love it, and they’ll appreciate you in return.

Have a fun and safe Fourth of July!

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Picnics and summer go together like vanilla and ice cream!  Hosting a picnic for your team or organization is a great opportunity to show your appreciation and boost camaraderie. At Baudville, we have a summer picnic every year where employees and their families enjoy a local attraction. This year, we’re heading to the minor league baseball park for an evening game, dinner, and fireworks!

Are you celebrating summer with a team picnic or event? Here are four theme ideas and activities to spark your creativity for this year’s memorable event!

1. Company Carnival. You can put on a full carnival right at your facility! Rent games from a local event company for both kids and adults, and order prizes for the winners like Twist Top Tumblers and lunch bags.