Staff Meeting Morale Boosters

It’s fantastic that we are seeing more and more people revert to in-person meetings, with offices and meeting rooms reaching full capacity again. Here at the University of Exeter, we have a selection of individually decorated meeting rooms that sit from 8 to 100 people and are ideal for holding your meeting. Our spaces have an abundance of natural daylight, ensuring there is no chance of anyone nodding off mid-meeting! However, we know that meetings can be mentally draining, and it’s easy to become stale sitting down for a lengthy amount of time. We have come up with a list of 5 staff meeting morale boosters and well-being activities to increase productivity during meetings.

Have a 5 minute stand up every half an hour

We are all aware of the post-lunch slump and can feel drowsy after a long time sitting down in a meeting. It has been well-researched that standing up can increase productivity rates by up to a whopping 46%. Taking a micro-break every 20 minutes or so has also shown to have great results, and increase productivity by 15%.  Getting the blood flowing and taking small movements helps you to feel alert and awake and gives a little burst of energy.  

Get creative

Another staff meeting morale booster than can help increase productivity is to get creative! All you need is a pen and some paper – split into teams and designate someone as the first drawer. They must draw a picture of something (try not to make it too complex!) and whichever team guesses it first wins a point! Keep rotating the drawer until everyone has had a go, then tot up the scores. Adding a creative element, ideally at the start of the meeting, gets everyone’s creative juices flowing and engages a different part of the brain, ideal for brainstorming! 

Go for a walk and get some fresh air

If you’re feeling stale after a morning of meetings, then the best thing to do is to get outside (whatever the weather!) There is no substitute for a brisk walk, to clear the mind and get some perspective. Walking helps to improve focus and attention as well as acts as a great mood booster. Here at the University of Exeter, we have some beautiful gardens and green spaces to wander around, and being surrounded by greenery is also proven to have a positive impact on productivity and health. Even better, take some of your meetings outside and go for a walking meeting! Explore the beautiful Jubilee Water Walk or the serene Reed Arboretum and Italianate Garden. 

Co-worker Bingo

A great, quick, and simple game that is great for introductions, co-worker bingo can help employees learn each other’s names and build familiarity. As with regular bingo, add five columns and five rows to a piece of paper; leave a free space in the centre and fill the rest with interesting facts. Ask each team member to go round and room and get colleagues to initial squares that apply to them. Finding out some personal information about people you work with can strengthen interpersonal relationships and make everyone feel more comfortable to share ideas if they feel a connection with their colleagues.  

Gratitude Wall

A great way to end the day and meeting on a high, is to stick post it notes on a ‘gratitude wall’. This could relate directly to the meeting that has just taken place, for example, that you are grateful for having used teamwork to solve a problem, or for what for you learned in the meeting. Feel free to expand that to things that don’t relate to the meeting or event; the simple act of practicing gratitude stimulates mindfulness and makes people stop and think about small moments of happiness throughout the day. 

So, there you have it, 5 staff meeting morale boosters to ensure increased productivity during meetings. Trial out some or all of them and feel the benefits in your meeting – you’ll be surprised at the positive benefits they can have!