Five Tips to Utilize Your Office as an Opportunity to Inspire and Give Back

By Shay Hughes

Much more than a collaborative place to conduct business, our offices are where we spend thousands of hours each year, and they become a home away from home for many. Within that second home lies a great opportunity–the opportunity to develop a rich company culture that attracts and retains team members, and also inspires and enriches the lives of anyone with whom you come in contact. As President and COO of Hughes Marino, I have had the rewarding chance to create our award-winning workspaces and transform our culture, which has resulted in success beyond our wildest dreams–for our team members, our clients, and our communities. Here are five sure-fire tips to utilize your office as an opportunity to positively impact your team members and your community.

Install Eye-Catching Art

A piece of beautiful art has the ability to inspire, invoke emotion, and spur creativity–all amazing qualities that can encourage innovation. You can also support your community by purchasing work from local artists, who reflect the vibrant culture and vibes of the neighborhood of your own office. At Hughes Marino, we make a point of installing a variety of interesting pieces of art at every turn of our offices, from neon signage, to larger-than-life multimedia candy installations, to sculptures to keep things interesting and inspiring for our team. We also pick each individual piece to match the unique city characteristics of each office.

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. I cannot tell you how much this gesture has meant to our local nonprofits in the past. Sometimes one of the hardest tasks for an organization is finding an engaging event site, especially without having to pay a high premium for it. By donating your space you can help a nonprofit continue to support their own cause monetarily, while also getting the word out about your own mission by bringing new people in to see what your company is all about.

Support Local Events That Enrich Lives

Is there a fundraising event for a school that provides music therapy to children? Is a local dance studio hosting a recital? Or is there an opportunity to support our armed forces? Never pass up an opportunity to support a local cause that you are passionate about that can positively impact lives. Our company as a whole—and our team members as individuals—are committed to giving back to the communities that nurture us. With our clients as part of our extended family, we seek to contribute to causes that mean the most to them as well. We are proud to collectively log thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions.

Provide Volunteer Time Off

Volunteering is proven to enrich both the lives of the recipients as well as the contributors, so why not encourage a healthy life habit that benefits everyone? By letting your team support their own causes, they will in turn support the causes your company cares deeply about. Our company provides volunteer time off to encourage our team members to volunteer to help causes that they care about.

Encourage Health, Balance, and Personal Growth

If you truly invest in the well-being of your team, I can guarantee you will see positive results in terms of productivity, customer service, and can-do attitudes. 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 invite business coaches to share successful tips with your team. Happy people make happy team members, and if they feel supported, they will support your company right back.

These five points are things that I take into consideration on a daily basis for our company. We’ve found that if your heart is in the right place, and if your team members are devoted to doing the right thing, a company has the ability to move mountains and have a powerful and positive impact on its team, clients, and community.

This article originally appeared in CSQ Magazine.