Many of us are starting to have holidays from this summer and it would be time to get back to work..

So, it's time to really go back to that workplace, office, job, head office, you name it. Working at a remote workstation at home has certainly had its advantages. While working on your laptop you can also fill your dishwasher or even take power naps in your own bed. Even the commute hasn't often been many steps from the morning porridge (or sometimes the same table worked for breakfast and work). So why, oh why, would I go back to the open-plan office? Well, I have quite a few solid reasons for that.

And the reason has to be something other than a free porridge breakfast or functional ergonomics with roller mice and electric tables (although of course they are also great advantages). I call for communal activities and sociability. Personally, at least, I remember the times a few years ago when the team and I used to sit together on the sofa corner of the kitchen for a coffee break. I don't remember what we were talking about back then, but I do remember that I almost always got to laugh with water in my eyes and after a break I was full of energy at work again.

Doing things together can also be a 15-minute walk with a colleague. This morning we just completed this kind of empowering walk before the actual work. It was nice to exchange summer holiday news face to face and while walking, the ideas we're flowing and at the same time came up with ideas for a few work things to move forward (even so that we walked a little astray and a quarter of a walk could become a 45 walk, but still ).

And so what do we come up with? We thought that we could bring a casino table to the workplace and hold a playful gaming tournament for the afternoon's pleasure. A hodari cart could also brighten up the afternoon. Or how about a magician doing his tricks in the kitchen and even teaching everyone a couple of nice tricks to perform at a Christmas party? Motivational speakers have also been popular now. Especially the country fame Aku Varamäki is a work motivation guru. Under his leadership, you can, for example, draw up the rules of the game for how to be present at the office and how much remotely and when.

My favorite idea is to turn the lobby spaces into a yoga studio once a week and watch whose fingers hit the floor with straight legs. This if anything connects when you stretch together and your joints just bang. After the yoga class, you can order picnic snacks and go to the nearby park to enjoy the autumn colours. And I won't tell you publicly here that you could order a surprise performer to the park, even with a guitar, to perform a few nice songs for the group. Because that would be a great surprise and who wants to spoil the surprises now.

So the best reason to pull on your clothes in the morning, brush both your teeth and hair, and show up at work is definitely colleagues and a sense of community/doing things together! I would argue that any job is more fun when you do it together with your own team. Sociability rocks!

And so, a casino table, a hot dog cart, a magician + Christmas party, Aku Varamäki, yoga lessons, a surprise artist and even other fun things can be ordered through us! My team and I have plenty of ideas on how to attract those wonderful colleagues back to your office. If you got excited about the idea, either send an email laura.sillanpaa@wayment.fi or call me on 040 500 6446. Let's create memorable reasons for your gang to go back to the office!