The Office Playground Blog

Fun Is Profitable! -- Just Ask Google

Google sets the standard for a happy work environment.

In 2007 and 2008, Fortune Magazine named Google the Number 1 employer in their annual 100 Best Companies to Work for. With a market cap of 120.97B and 12,000 employees in offices throughout the world, Google’s casual dress code and “work hard, play hard” philosophy is a prime example of when people are happy they perform better. It is a company that goes out of its way to ensure staff happiness and contentment. Their staff turnover is low, while job satisfaction is high. Google's playful approach to serious business is echoed in the many variations of their logo they create to honor interesting people and events around the world.

Great ideas start with just one person sowing a seed. You can make your workspace a more enjoyable place by adding colorful items, tactile toys and whimsical office supplies. Create variety by rotating items from your drawer to the desktop. You’ll be happier and your co-workers will be inspired. Watch your idea grow and spread throughout your company.

Office Playground is a provider of a wide variety of affordable products that add fun to any office. We’ve shipped toys and games to Google offices and we can ship them to you. Staff happiness encourages success.

Stress-Busting Watery Habitats

To look at my desk, you’d think I was a fish enthusiast because of the Magic Fishbowl, DeskQuarium and Jellyfish Aquarium. It’s not the fish that I enjoy; it’s their watery habitat and individual stress-busting movement that appeal to me. The two fish in the Magic Fishbowl swim constantly with joyous abandon. Sometimes they stir the blue and green beads on the bottom of the bowl and other times they dart to the surface. Their endless energy is comically inspiring. The behavior of the four fish in the DeskQuarium is just the opposite. They rest calmly as they wait until I place a pencil or retrieve a pen from their holder. They are motion activated and they spring to life at my touch and dart about in an excited frenzy for about 45 seconds before drifting back into a relaxed snooze. Their burst of activity never ceases to surprise me. In contrast to the fish, the three dancing jellyfish in the Jellyfish Aquarium are delightfully soothing to watch. The invisible current in the aquarium causes the jellyfish to sway and twirl while their tentacles wiggle and wave in a dance of grace and beauty. Their movements seem magical and a little magic is a welcome addition to any day.

Moms Deserve a Dose of Fun and Stress Relief

Mothers have the toughest job on Earth and their important role has been observed throughout history. Mother's Day is centuries old. It goes back to the times of the ancient Greeks, who held festivities to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods. The early Christians celebrated a Mother's festival that evolved into the current Mothering Sunday observance in Europe.

In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. Mother's Day became an official observance in the United States in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.

Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, with the United States, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrating it on the second Sunday of May. So, yes, moms deserve to have some fun and a healthy dose of stress relief from the lovingly hectic lives they lead.

Thank your mom for all the things she does for you with something different and entertaining from Office Playground. Shopping at our online store is quick and easy. May 10th is just around the corner. Show your mom you've learned not to wait until the last minute.

See our Mother's Day Gift Guide for help finding a great gift, or browse our wonderland of fun products. Thanks Mom!

Expert Says Business Meetings Need Toys

We've been hearing more and more lately from our customers that they want to have a little more fun during their meetings and training sessions. Apparently the experts are saying the same thing. One of the thought leaders in the business meetings arena, Michael Begeman, uses several strategies for creating effective meetings. In an interview with Fast Company, an innovative business magazine, Begeman reveals how he makes his meetings better.

Here are the steps Begeman uses to create positive and efficient meetings:

• Start with a plan
• Know the type of conversation the meeting should have
• Play by the meeting’s rules
• Schedule time for small talk to get it out of the way
• Hand out toys
• Get feedback

He hands out toys? Go figure. For a meeting with a group of senior executives he handed out a mouse pad and a stress ball. He also recommends Slinkys in meeting rooms. Begeman has found that "when people have something to play with, when they can get more of their body involved in what they're doing, they become more creative."

To read the full article from Fast Company, click here.

Best Practices in Using Stress Balls for Meetings

Toys, such as stress balls, can make your meeting or training event more successful. Please refer to our blog posting, Better Meetings with Toys to learn why you should offer toys to your meeting/training attendees. There are certain variables to consider when you shop for your next batch of meeting stress balls. (See all of our Stress Balls here.)

Distribution – We recommend laying out a variety of stress balls together, maybe in a large bowl, and let the attendees take their pick. The folks who show up early get the best pick and the ones who are late get whatever is left (they won’t be late again).

Top Picks – Here are some of our best Meeting Stress Balls:

Koosh Ball

Mood Dude Happy

Cyber Gel Ball

Happy Face Ball

Gripp Stress Ball

Customize a Stress Ball – We can print your message/logo/tagline or whatever you wish on a stress ball. Print the main takeaway message of your training session so attendees are reminded throughout the day as they see it on their desks. Click here to see the range of stress balls we can custom imprint.

Make the best choice for your meeting:
Noise – Some stress balls make noise and that is too distracting for a business meeting or training event. Avoid balls with water or any liquid inside since they’ll make a squishing sound when squeezed. Also, some stress balls actually talk back when squeezed. While that is funny the first couple of times, it doesn’t work when the meeting really gets underway.

Filling – Any stress ball with liquid or gel inside has the potential to break. Our stress balls are strong, we don’t sell weak ones, but sometimes they do fail. You don’t want the contents of a Fishy Squishy all over the table during a meeting.

During these stressful business times, giving out the right stress balls at your next business meeting, training session or event will yield huge returns.

Bill Ross
Founder & CEO
Office Playground, Inc.