In recent years, employee experience and the development of culture has come to the forefront of corporate conversation. But how does one develop culture? While this question may seem deceptively simple, managers, people teams, and top executives alike struggle to find a simple, concrete and easily repeatable answer. Although we may not have that secret formula either, we here at Epoch have developed a list of weekly office traditions that will help to bolster the culture in your office.

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Importance 💼

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The importance and impacts of weekly office traditions is far reaching.

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The first advantage to having these regular, informal events is that employees are able to feel more comfortable. Not only that, employees will feel more involved with the workplace community when given an opportunity to socialize and engage with each other in a casual setting.

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The second benefit is the improvement of employee mental health. It is no secret that work is often stressful and demanding, with employees often working under immense pressure. Dedicating time out of the week for employees to do something relaxing other than work will help to reduce mental fatigue and make your employees feel better mentally. Having regular workplace traditions can also help to improve/spark employee morale; giving your employees the feeling that they’re part of a team really helps to provide a source of motivation.

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Lastly, these traditions help to develop culture, as they set a precedent for the type of atmosphere and environment your office has. Most importantly, traditions provide a sense of importance and meaning to your employees’ work-lives.

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Ideas 💡

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• Adult Recess 🔔: Give your employees some outdoor time to relax and socialize! Feel free to organize additional activities for them, such as scavenger hunts or three-legged races. Note that activities can be hosted indoors or outdoors, meaning recess is happening rain or shine!
• Movie Nights 🎬: Bring your team together during after-hours to enjoy a movie together! Watch together either in-person or online to accommodate your employees, and be sure to ask for movie suggestions.
• Game Nights 🎮: Games are such a powerful tool because it shows managers how their team solves problems, handles loses and interacts with the rest of the team. Not only that, games are a fantastic way for your team to unwind and get to know each other. Whether it be party games or video games, try to tap into the competitive nature of your team!
• Company Happy Hour(s) 🍺: Host a company happy hour, and take your team out for drinks and food! Happy hours help employees connect, network, relax and get to know their colleagues better in a casual environment! Make sure to pay attention to state alcohol laws and have a sober monitor!
• Food Fridays 🍤: Hungry? Have an end of the week potluck or rent out some food trucks to end the week off with a bang! Food Fridays provide a social setting for employees outside of the rigorous hours of regular work. 

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We hope that these tradition ideas prove helpful to developing your company’s culture and employee experience! This is by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to use it as a starting point and build up routine events unique to your team and company!