Sales Floor Ideas to inject Fun into Department Routines

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PogDog

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Nov 9, 2014
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A DBO in my department asked me to make work more fun. I said I'd see what I could do.

Curious if any leads out there have ideas to make any of the routines, especially pulling 1-4-1s or pushing freight, fun and productive.

This TM is competitive, but not all of my DBOs are. So I'm open to all suggestions that could be used in the department group or individually.
 
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Our original team of TLs and ETLs and STL were great, many events, grilled hot dogs and burgers off the loading dock, always good stuff in the break room. Modernization didn't interfere with all that, the down fall was the exiting of the good TLs and a few ETLs then the new incoming TL really fucked things up. 90% of us for 7 years never got so much as a coaching. I despise the term coaching. The new bitch started busting everyone's nuts which caused all of us to simply quit. Most of us didn't need the job, it was something to do. Fuck her, she got fired anyway. We had a good time in the beginning and the work got done.
 
Captain Orca said:
Our original team of TLs and ETLs and STL were great, many events, grilled hot dogs and burgers off the loading dock, always good stuff in the break room. Modernization didn't interfere with all that, the down fall was the exiting of the good TLs and a few ETLs then the new incoming TL really fucked things up. 90% of us for 7 years never got so much as a coaching. I despise the term coaching. The new bitch started busting everyone's nuts which caused all of us to simply quit. Most of us didn't need the job, it was something to do. Fuck her, she got fired anyway. We had a good time in the beginning and the work got done.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I am looking for fun, motivational ideas for my DBOs , not storewide events.
 
Flash in the pan silly little games are not for adults. The break room perks of the coffee, sodas, ice cream etc costs the store very little and the resultant improvement in morale, attitude and general well being will be quickly realized. Save the pin the tail on the donkey for the kids.
 
I really don’t get this “fun’ thing. Work is work - that is why they pay you, otherwise you wouldn’t do it. Fun is for your off time.

I get recognition because knowing someone else notices what you do keeps you motivated to do it, but fun ? Nah, work can’t be fun. We gotta get shit done.
The best we can do is be fair, upbeat, motivational, make sure to take breaks, help, recognize and share accomplishments and results.

This may help - learned it studying elementary education:
Science of boredom- when you do something NEW your brain releases opioids (chemicals that make you feel good). The second time you do that activity you do not get these chemicals Resulting in less ‘happiness’ in doing it.

To make work FEEL like more FUN :
1. Mix it up - do things differently - keep it interesting
2. If there is an activity you do not like doing, try doing it WITH something you like.
3. Give yourself small rewards for small accomplishments - anything you consider a ‘treat’ for each task achieved.
4. Break large projects into little, manageable pieces.
 
Wow. I am sorry I wasted everyone's time with this question.

I had a simple request to make the job more enjoyable. It's routine drudgery. It's monotonous and I understand that. I hoped there may have been a TL who has tackled this before and had some suggestions.

But, you all sound so jaded to the concept that working at Target could ever be fun or enjoyable.

And I do work with a lot of young people, but having fun isn't an age thing. It helps pass the time while staying on task. I would love if my job were more fun.
 
Kudos to you for wanting to bring fun into the workplace for your team, building morale is one of the marks of a good leader. The way we made work more enjoyable for our team was to provide food for them, and give them time to enjoy it together at our huddles, which were more often opportunities to build camaraderie than to pass on information. There were a lot of young people on our team, and once they got to know each other well they made their own fun kidding around with each other. This was before Modernization, I don’t know if it would work under the stress of the current system, but the occasional doughnut can make a miserable experience somewhat more bearable, even if it doesn’t rise to the level of fun. Good luck to you and your team!
 
During the holidays one of the baristas baked cookies for the team (FA & SB).
After the holidays I brought assorted appetizers & we warmed them in the pizza oven to share.
One morning we made breakfast tacos.
Easy to do when you've got a kitchen at your disposal ;)
 
I'm one of the old fogies maybe, but high morale is more important than having fun. TMs who actually want to be there will bring good attitudes with them and make things fun. Case in point: a recent break room conversation among some of us who tend to take break at the same time resulted in a couple of hilarious comments that had me smiling every time I thought about it later. And I told another TM about it, which made her laugh. When we had an awful TL, everyone's morale was in the toilet and we grumbled. If we did laugh about anything, it was snide comments about our awful TL.
But forcing fun to happen, which is what my ETLs did for a while at huddles - games which some people got into but most of us stood there thinking that the truck wasn't pushing itself, etc. - doesn't work really, even if it looks like it on the surface.
 
FlowTeamChick said:
I'm one of the old fogies maybe, but high morale is more important than having fun. TMs who actually want to be there will bring good attitudes with them and make things fun. Case in point: a recent break room conversation among some of us who tend to take break at the same time resulted in a couple of hilarious comments that had me smiling every time I thought about it later. And I told another TM about it, which made her laugh. When we had an awful TL, everyone's morale was in the toilet and we grumbled. If we did laugh about anything, it was snide comments about our awful TL.
But forcing fun to happen, which is what my ETLs did for a while at huddles - games which some people got into but most of us stood there thinking that the truck wasn't pushing itself, etc. - doesn't work really, even if it looks like it on the surface.
Click to expand...
‘this. I hate the games and exercises and even recognition (some we know is not deserving) at huddles.
Please let us get our work done .... that ..is what will make me feel better - less stress!
 
PogDog said:
Wow. I am sorry I wasted everyone's time with this question.

I had a simple request to make the job more enjoyable. It's routine drudgery. It's monotonous and I understand that. I hoped there may have been a TL who has tackled this before and had some suggestions.

But, you all sound so jaded to the concept that working at Target could ever be fun or enjoyable.

And I do work with a lot of young people, but having fun isn't an age thing. It helps pass the time while staying on task. I would love if my job were more fun.
Click to expand...
As a young adult work is work it cant be all fun and games but at the store I'm at we literally get scolded for even standing 3 seconds in one spot. So I think it's not that they don't want to give help if more there really isnt much to do to make work fun if it's about getting zone, 1 for 1s and freight done before the shift ends
 
PogDog said:
Wow. I am sorry I wasted everyone's time with this question.

I had a simple request to make the job more enjoyable. It's routine drudgery. It's monotonous and I understand that. I hoped there may have been a TL who has tackled this before and had some suggestions.

But, you all sound so jaded to the concept that working at Target could ever be fun or enjoyable.

And I do work with a lot of young people, but having fun isn't an age thing. It helps pass the time while staying on task. I would love if my job were more fun.
Click to expand...
One suggestion i have is make sure they not doing the same each day if you have multiple dbo in one area rotating tasks will help

Also i dont think when u said fun you ment games but to make it more enjoyable and less dull
 
Megatron91 said:
One suggestion i have is make sure they not doing the same each day if you have multiple dbo in one area rotating tasks will help

Also i dont think when u said fun you ment games but to make it more enjoyable and less dull
Click to expand...

I wish I had the payroll to support multiple DBOs in one area. But all the DBOs have the same routines. It's the consistency of maintaining those routines that is core to modernization. But, it's also what makes the job repetitive and causes one to get bored or lose the sense of enjoyment in doing the job.

Not all TMs are the same. Some can be self-motivated and others need more encouragement. Just finding a way to do that and keep the job interesting is difficult.

I might hold a bit of a contest to take over a DBO's shift for a day. I'll let them "help", but will do all the core stuff. Like their 1-for-1s and truck push. They can spend their time zoning or fixing stuff they never have time to delve into. Might be a good way to learn their department while giving them a break in the routine. Figuring out how to do the contest might be more challenging.
 

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