Who is not a fan of ice cream? A cooler full of everyone’s favorite frosty treats will help melt away even the toughest day. Reward your crew with this surprise break. You can even invite your favorite customers over on a Friday afternoon for a big win. Recruit members of the team that may not get out of the office regularly and reward them with this hall pass to go purchase this concession stand staple. I haven’t done the research, but I’m pretty sure no one has ever been able to eat ice cream and be upset about it!
Did you know that short breaks during the work day can actually boost mental resources such as attention, ensuring good performance?
Sometimes it’s nice to have a small break in our workday for no reason other than to, well, take a break! With the hectic non-stop pace of our society, we sometimes forget to just stop, take a breath, and enjoy the moment. And while some research has tried to paint the picture that breaks at work are a waste of time, more data is coming out regarding the benefits of short breaks during the day.
One way you as their leader can encourage your team to take kick back and relax, perhaps after an unusually busy or stressful week, is to bribe them with ice cream! Gather everyone together and indulge in a bowl of America’s most favorite desserts. Behavior is contagious, so your team seeing you join the fun will reassure them it is OK to enjoy the break (versus secretly stressing that they should be responding to emails or finishing that report or calling that customer back).
This week, I challenge you to plan an ice cream break for your team. You can keep it simple and just buy a gallon of simply delicious vanilla ice cream or you can go all out and get a variety of flavors and all the toppings to boot. Keep it a surprise for your team and they will enjoy the sweet (literally!) gesture! It might be beneficial to find out if anyone on your team is lactose intolerant or has a food allergy so you can have a dairy-free alternative available if need be.
FUN FACT: An ice-cream-like food was first eaten in China in 618-97AD. King Tang of Shang, had 94 ice men who helped to make a dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor. A kind of ice-cream was invented in China about 200 BC when a milk and rice mixture was frozen by packing it into snow.