The global outsourcing industry has definitely put the Philippines on the international business map.

The southeast Asian nation has been attracting companies from nearly all industries to put their faith in the once virtually unknown business practice that is outsourcing.

This is largely due to the cost-effective solutions that business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are offering, and the excellent work that the Filipino workers are providing.

While working the phone lines for hours may seem tedious, it’s not all work for reps working in call centers in the Philippines. Compared to most industries in the country, call centers are known for providing a fun and positive workplace for their employees.

The Value of Fun in the Workplace

The operative word here is fun. Unfortunately, not all companies acknowledge its value. Some may even regard it as counter-productive and influences workplace inefficiencies that prevent employees from doing their work and consequently prohibit the company from reaching its business goals.

Call centers in the Philippines, on the other hand, simply operate differently. They understand entirely how valuable fun is. These companies even encourage it, allocating budgets and designating Employee Engagement officers to develop workplace cultures that are open and fun to keep their workers happy and thoroughly motivated.

Keeping employees satisfied with their jobs and the company they work for offers a lot of benefits for businesses. For starters, employees look forward to coming to work every day and are motivated to attend to their daily responsibilities.

Employees need this, given how stressful their work can be. Having fun activities in the workplace every now and then eases stress, lightens the mood, and raises morale.

It also helps boost office productivity, which can improve performance quality, increase revenues, and ensure targeted goals are met efficiently.

Moreover, having a fun corporate culture reduces absences and helps lower employee attrition rates.

Similarly, a positive workspace also influences creativity—something managers and those in the higher-ups will find valuable when managing their teams and when developing business strategies.

Injecting Fun in a Busy Industry

Given its advantages, many call centers in the Philippines are implementing ways to make their offices fun environments for their employees.

Here are ways you can inject some fun into your workplace.

• Spruce Up the Operations Floor

  

  Positive visuals can really help put your employees in a sunny disposition every single workday. Liven up the workplace with colors and objects they can associate with fun and happiness.

  The color scheme of the walls, carpets, and cubicle dividers play a crucial part here as it can affect moods. You can also add decorations around the office that show bright colors and invoke memories, such framed popular comic books, video games, or music album covers.

• Gamify Tasks

  

  Not entirely a new concept, gamification adds key gaming elements to everyday activities.

  This involves devising a scoring system for completing tasks or goals, and, of course, accompanying rewards. When properly rolled out, it can greatly engage employees in the spirit of competition against each other, resulting in improved performance quality and the efficient completion of tasks.

• Fun Activities in and Outside the Office

  

  Call centers in the Philippines commonly find other fun activities for their employees to take part in, aside from your usual annual holiday events, summer tours, and team-building trips.

  Many of these companies hold events like film showings, bake sales and cook-offs, and potlucks in the office mess hall. Some even do themed costume days (modified Casual Friday) and start small chess competitions, art contests or sports tournaments, among many other fun activities.

  All these are meant to encourage employees to engage with each other and break up the monotony during and after work shifts.

Companies need to understand that professionalism does not necessarily equate to being serious and mundane all the time. The strict rules and schedules within a business may keep workers focused on achieving their goals, but keeping fun and positive work environment can also be more beneficial.

It can provide a much-needed work-life balance that keeps employees happy and motivated to take on their tasks no matter how stressful their day can get.

Like most call centers in the Philippines, Open Access BPO provides an upbeat work environment for its employees—from the positive and open culture of diversity and inclusivity to the employee engagement activities.

All these ensure they are well motivated to provide our clients with high-quality call center solutions.

Contact us today and we’ll create a program for your needs.