Happy employees lead to happy customers.  At The Crane Bay Event Center, it is our mission to provide a positive work culture that we truly believe translates to a higher level of customer satisfaction. We have found that when our employees enjoy what they do, they do it well. The trick is consistently following a program that promotes and maintains good employee morale. The last blog post highlighted how we impress our customers through keeping current with culinary trends,but there’s so much more that goes into perfecting our customers’ experience.  Here are some of the ways we make our employees happy in order to keep our customers happy.

Set the Tone from the Beginning

New employees are brought into the workplace culture early and shown that this is a great place to be.  At The Crane Bay, we welcome new employees by having them introduce themselves and share their favorite past-times during our pre-shift meetings.  They shadow with a different employee for three shifts and we designate a captain to check in on them even after their training period is over. The buddy system works! Additionally, the new employee develops relationships, and even friendships, with existing employees early in their Crane Bay career. Work is always more fun with friends!

Team Building Outside of Work

The #CraneBae staff never tires of each other! We find time to gather several times throughout the year for activities like: laser tag, bowling, arcades, bocce ball, restaurants, Indianapolis Indians games, the annual Christmas party, networking events and more. The more we get to know each other outside of work, the more we truly appreciate each other.  This team building also helps us anticipate each other’s needs and work together seamlessly so that our customers get the highest-level of service. Happy employees = happy customers.

Happy employees from the Crane Bay play laser tag.

Fun at Work; Oxymoron? We think Not!

Who’s to say you can’t have a little fun AT work too? Friendly contests, employee of the day and attempting the latest viral internet challenges (except the Tide pod challenge, of course) are just some of the ways we make enjoyment a priority in the workplace and help create happy employees. #mannequinchallenge 

Bring Your Pet to Work Day(s)

It is a prerequisite of being a Crane Bay employee to adore animals! Not really, but we all certainly do. We schedule days for staff members to bring their animals to work and then we all take a break to meet and greet with them! According to research from the University of Missouri-Columbia: “Just a few minutes of petting a pooch signals our brain to crank up production of the hormones: serotonin and oxytocin — two calming chemicals that make us feel more relaxed and at peace. And running your hand against your dog’s fur also decreases levels of the stress hormone: cortisol.” This experience makes break time more fulfilling, putting everyone in a positive head space when they return to work! We are even lucky to have a coworker with a pet monkey!

Happy employees with their pets!

Stay Connected

Communication is an important part of making sure employees remain engaged at work.  At The Crane Bay, we have a private, internal Facebook Group where we share information, pictures from our outings, memes and laughs.  #cranebaesquad We also share testimonials and kudos from events.  Client compliments are so motivating, and we want to ensure that every employee sees them! For a list of our testimonials visit: https://thecranebay.com/testimonials/ We also have an idea box where employees can submit ideas about improvements we can make, trends to consider and other ways we can team build. Every voice is heard here at The Crane Bay!

Coworkers and Family (Same Thing)

The average American spends 39 percent of their waking hours at work (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). That’s almost half! Who wants to spend it unhappily? The answer is: No One! Work is our home away from home, so we try to treat it that way. We find ways to make each other feel special on birthdays, support each other’s accomplishments outside of work, and welcome each other’s babies, specifically with a Crane Bay Onesie!  If someone experiences a loss or has a need, we create funds to help. A positive work environment isn’t achieved through a couple of group outings; it takes constant involvement. We want our work family to feel appreciated and supported both in their work and personal lives!

Happy employees can be very tiny!

Happy employees can be young at the Crane Bay!

Happy Employees Give Back to the Community

Giving back to the community has become a big goal at The Crane Bay. According to Greater Good Magazine, not only does giving back make us feel happy, but it’s good for our health, promotes cooperation and social connection, evokes gratitude and most importantly, it is contagious!

In a recent blog, we shared information about how restaurants and catering venues can donate unused food to reduce waste and feed those who are in need. But we want to do more! So, we have investigated ways to do so, like volunteering at and collecting donations for the animal shelter. Check out this photo of donations that were collected by The Crane Bay staff and many others for Indianapolis Animal Care.  We had some happy employees when they saw their combined impact.

 

Happy employees give back to the community.

These experiences create genuinely happy employees and results in a thoroughly impressed clientele. A bit of fun can go such a long way. Let us know if you have any other ideas of how to make the workplace more enjoyable!