8 Ways To Make Your Office Awesome This Summer

There's no mistaking it! Summer is just around the bend. With everyone breaking out the swimsuits and sunblock, staying stuck in an office all day can start to take it's toll after a while, but it doesn't have to! There are plenty of fun ways to bring the life of summer into the workspace. Here's a few work-friendly tips for summer fun to brighten up the office. Enjoy!

Do Fun Crafts

The great thing about summer is that with the kids out of school, most working parents cook up a ton of fun crafts to keep them entertained. Why let all that fun stay at home? Crafts in the workplace can be just self-expressive and enjoyable as the one's from the kitchen table, and with all the gadgetry in the office, everyone can get creative. Deck out pencil holders by gluing on colored pencils for a snazzy summer decoration, and goggly eyes look fun on everything, from staplers to notebooks! Dressing up computer monitors and desk chairs to look like monsters, animals, or even summer sunflowers is great fun. Origami, tie-dye, or papier-maché! All it takes is a few inexpensive materials like glue, construction paper, and a little creative ingenuity to get started!

Get Outside

The best thing about the summer is the outdoors. Not only is the warmth a much needed break from spending all those winter months cooped up in the office with a heater, but with the summer heat, all sorts of sporty activities are back in fashion. Instead of heading to the break rooma tough office day can do wonders for the mind and body, so don't be afraid catch some rays on off time. Instead of heading to the break room, suggest walks or outside picnic lunches to co-workers. There will definitely be some biters on that fishhook, and you may even be able to reel each other into an after-work beach trip to kick off the season! (Just tell the boss it's a teamwork exercise!)

Improve Your Furnishings

Everyone loves to don a new look in summer, but why leave the office out of the loop? Summer themed office furniture looks great year round and always makes a nice pick-me-up for when the winter months roll back around again. Instead of forcing guests and coworkers into boring old  seating, why not dress up the workplace with trendy furniture sets for guest reception and colorful new chairs for office use? Choosing summer colors like yellows, greens, and blues all have positive color psychologies that can improve mood. Jazzing things up with a few splashes of pink or orange will help ensure that bright summer attitudes continue well into the rest of the year!

Add Cool Plants

Plants make excellent desk companions for offices that don't allow occasional pets or desk fish. Since people typically don't spend their days outside hunting and gathering anymore (especially if they work in the city), it's always a good idea to bring a bit of the outdoors in. Not only do plants enliven the look of the office, but they also make excellent decor in the summer, and other seasons as well. Many plants flower in these months, so their cheery appeal is infective. Some options like golden pothos, lemon balms, peace lilies, and spider plants, are like natural, low-maintenance affordable air purifiers for office use. Proven by many studies (NASA, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Rutgers University) to be especially adept at removing harmful VOCs from the air, they make beautiful companions for the elderly, those with breathing problems, anyone working in the city, and anyone that loves summer!

Have A Barbecue

From shopping to swimming, there are a lot of things about summer that everyone loves, but it's hard to top a good summer barbecue! Hosting barbecues instead of lunch breaks, or even where coworkers can bring kids after work is an excellent way for the office to get to know one another. Instead of a single person spending a fortune on burgers, hotdogs, chips, and barbecue sauce though, see if work buddies are willing to make something for a pot luck barbecue! One person can bring a grill and a kiss-the-cook apron and everyone else can bring their specialties. Have it at the office, or set a date in the park and let everyone know about it with flyers, emails, and texts. It will be a fun work experience that no one will soon forget!

Fun Games on Fridays

Fun is the spice of life, and what better way to spice up office life than with fun games on Fridays! The internet is full of great office party themes and suggestions, and breaking up the work day with a bit of activity definitely helps to keep things exciting! Simple games like scavenger hunts help improve teamwork, and can be done throughout the work day without being too distracting. On the other hand, anyone willing to stay after work a bit or come in early can participate in "Summer Office Olympics"where coworkers can race cool task chairs with mesh backs, or build paper sail boats for the fastest time. Setting aside a date for a volleyball tournament, water ballon fight, hula hooping contest, or ice cream eating competition is a great way to get everyone out of the office for a bit of fresh air and build relationships that last careers!

Get Ergo Friendly

Summer is a season that's all about comfort. However, if your office buddies are plagued with office pains, it may be hard to get them to participate in all the summer fun. Fortunately, we have ergonomics! Office workers all over the world are known for experiencing the pain that comes from a relatively sedentary desk job. Back pain, joint problems, and poor circulation are all common office aches that can lead to serious health issues. Instead of missing out on the fun, just bring some modern office chairs with ergonomic features into the workplace. Getting the boss to spring for some new ergonomic desk chairs is easy if you stress the importance and affordability of mesh chairs. Adding ergonomic keyboard trays, monitor arms, and height adjustable ergonomic office desks to improve health can do wonders for a workplace. Not only could it lower your company's health insurance rate, but it also leaved coworkers feeling a bit more up for some summer games!

Create Contests

It's the office - there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. One of the best things about the summer is summer games, and in the office, there's plenty of stuff to work with. Trash can basketball, paper airplanes, paperclip chains, and push-pin dart toss are all classic office games that can easily be turned into contests for a bit of summer fun. If you want something little more unique, adhesive goggly eyes are all the rage, and they can usually be found at a local craft or prank store. Get them in different sizes and colors to hand out to different work buddies and stick them on anything! Staplers, computers, desks, binders, and even shoes all become laugh-out-loud creatures with a pair of goggly-eyes on them. Start a contest and enjoy the merriment of summer!