By Shay Hughes

Working in an inspiring and invigorating workplace is something I never take for granted. At Hughes Marino we are fortunate to enjoy beautiful, colorful offices that feel like a home away from home. Our workspaces power our productivity, nurture our high performing culture, and remind us to embrace the family spirit (HM core value #4). Oh, did I mention, we have a lot of fun in our offices too?

So how do you go about creating an environment that does all that? As Vincent van Gogh said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Here are eight small things that can help every company achieve workplace happiness.

1. Reflect Your Team’s Personality

Make sure your office reflects who lives there, just as your home does. For us that means creating an inviting, family-oriented space for a fun-loving team that enjoys hanging out together as much as they do working together.

2. Bring Fun Into the Workplace

Our game rooms have everything from billiards and shuffleboard to Pac-Man, table tennis, and even a putting green. For the musicians on the team, we have a baby grand piano and Taylor guitars for afternoon jam sessions.

3. Provide A Happy Gathering Place

Create a place where team members can come together to share good food and conversation. Our gourmet kitchen is stocked with snacks and groceries, and dual espresso machines are always at the ready with premium, fresh roasted coffee.

4. Encourage Health, Balance And Personal Growth

Provide a gym where team members can work out together, or bring in a trainer to teach a group fitness class. Hire a massage therapist for office massage day. Or sign up to complete a triathlon or charity walk as a team.

5. Incorporate Family In Every Way Possible

Our family photo wall has framed pictures of every member of our team, and hundreds of snapshots rotate in a continuous slideshow on the 80″ TV in our living room. Family members are always invited to all of our team building events as well.

6. Share Your Space With The Community

Lend your space to nonprofit organizations for meetings or events, or offer your space to clients to use for an off-site retreat or seminar. Never pass up an opportunity to bring new people in to see what your company is all about.

7. Make It Personal

Sometimes little details, even when they’re non-essential, are what make people the happiest. Our offices have eye-popping art on the walls, coffee table books full of design ideas, a table just for playing chess, vintage glass jars filled with an abundance of sweet treats, and inspiring quotes and cheery knick-knacks at every turn (even in the bathrooms). It’s the little things that capture our imaginations and inspire creativity.

8. Keep It Authentic

Hughes Marino core value #10 is “Be authentic, grateful, and humble.” When designing your office, strive to make it authentic. Don’t get caught up in what other companies do; make your office uniquely yours. Choose a layout that will work for your team (open floorplan, private offices, or a hybrid of the two), and stick to a design aesthetic that is consistent with your brand and your company’s personality. There is no one “right way” to design your office, so follow your instincts, and stay true to who you are.