10 Fun Ways to Welcome Employees Back to the Office 2024

Updated: February 01, 2024

As employees return to work after a year or more working from home, many offices and businesses are seeking ways to make the transition easier for their employees as well as less stressful. There has been a lot of tension and stress regarding work for many people over the course of 2020, and the return to work can be another source of concern for people who have grown used to working at home.

If you are working on a plan to make the return to work easy and enjoyable for your employees, you are not alone! Many businesses are working out ways to improve the transition back to work for their employees.

This list of great ideas will make the return to work easy and fun for your employees and start 2021 off on the right foot! 

10 Fun Ways to Welcome Employees Back to the Office 2021

You may not use all of these ideas for your welcome back process, but you should remember that people will need at least 30 days to adjust to this change. You might need to think about using different items on the list during the course of the first month back at work to help smooth things out and reduce stress for your employees.

1. Clean and Prepare

If you have cubicles at your office, you can make sure that your employees come back to welcome back gifts as well as clean and prepared cubicles. There is nothing that is less welcoming than a messy or disorganized work environment, especially if your employees left with short notice when the pandemic began. 

2. Personalize With Gifts to Greet Returning Employees

Make sure that you have small welcome gifts at your employees’ desks when they come back. This might be a gift card to a coffee shop or maybe a favorite snack. There are many ways to make this personal touch meaningful and to make your employees feel welcome again.

3. Allow Talk and Discussion

If your normal work environment did not allow socialization and discussion during work hours, you should consider allowing these activities now that people are back in the office. Many people have been alone in their homes for months and will appreciate the chance to engage and talk with others during their workday.

You might find that when your team is allowed to be more interactive, they will get more work done and feel more engaged in the work process. Being allowed to chat and have fun while you work can be a big help in making the work environment positive and stress-free.

4. Use Team Building Activities to Welcome Workers Back Together

Team building activities can be a great way to welcome people back to the office with a sense of fun. The best part of using team-building activities to encourage a fun work environment is that they will also allow you to review company policies and other regulations without boring your employees to death.

5. Make it Fun with a Welcome Back Scavenger Hunt 

Using the Scavify app, you can conduct fun scavenger hunt-style team-building activities as well as other team bonding events that will create new memories, help people work on their problem-solving skills, and re-create team connections that were broken down by working away from the office.

Use our app to track photos, videos, or to use QR codes for activities. You can have your teams move around to locations inside of their office or on your work campus to complete set tasks. They can then use the app to record their progress and to see how other teams are doing.

Team building activities are a great way to reconnect with friends and coworkers and to rebuild trust in the work environment and work policies while having fun at the same time. 

6. Be Flexible with Your Returning Workforce

You will need to remember that your employees were able to set their own schedules when they worked from home. You should consider offering flex time for extended lunches or be willing to allow team members to go to lunches together to reconnect.

7. Help With Time Management

Being open to creative time management will help generate trust in the office environment and you might even find that these new routines improve productivity and overall team positivity. Keeping open lines of communication with your team about their unique needs during these challenging times is a great way to add a sense of trust along with the other fun activities that you are including in your return to work plan.

8. Gamify Production as Employees Return to the Office

Making production goals fun can generate big results in employee engagement and team sensibility. Linking team goals with rewards or work parties can make a big difference in people’s willingness to work hard toward those outcomes. 

9. Use Goal Charts and Maps

Tracking team success with a goals board or goals chart can help to keep everyone working toward common outcomes and can help encourage teamwork toward the completion of tasks. You can poll your employees about the kinds of rewards that they would enjoy and then build your task-related games to their unique interests.

10.  Morning Huddles With Benefits

If your team has morning huddles to discuss goals and projects, bring doughnuts, coffee, or treats with you to these meetings. This sign of caring and fun will help create a relaxed atmosphere and will help people get comfortable with meeting in groups again.

Returning to Work Doesn’t Have to be Stressful

Using these tips and tricks, you can help your office staff to return to work on-site without stress. Using team-building activities along with fun perks and gifts can help create a sense of fun in the office that will bridge the gap between working from home and working in the office again.

Keeping your employees happy and stress-free will help with this transition process and you might even find that your team will be stronger than ever after you implement these tips and tricks for a fun return to work in the office!