Getting Weird at Work
New Ways to get the best from employees

By Laura Boswell

Who says work has to be toil, grind, and drudgery? Certainly not workers in
today's flex-time, free agent, portable, virtual working world. And certainly
not savvy business leaders who want to attract the best--and keep them
working, happily and at peak productivity. Workplace expert John Putzier
offers some creative solutions.

In Get Weird!, Putzier offers 101 ways to make your workplace fun and
productive for both managers and employees. He encourages everyone
eager to boost their company's competitive edge and image to make daring,
out-of-the-box ideas--"natural weirdness"--business as usual. "If you want
your company to be outstanding, you must be willing and able to stand out,"
Putzier contends. "I have seen too many companies that want the benefits
of seeming to be different, without the risks that come with actually being
different. Make it a mindset, not a program."

While Get Weird! is written mainly for managers and HR professionals
grappling with the need to find and keep top talent, any employee could help
implement one of these wacky (and generally inexpensive) ideas.

Winning Today's Talent

• Bird Dog Biscuits. Go beyond traditional employee referral bonuses by rewarding the referring employee (the Bird Dog) again if the new employee receives an excellent first performance review.
  
• Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Fly airplane banners over rock concerts and other events advertising jobs with your company.
  
• Monica (Hiring Interns). Despite the tongue-in-cheek reference to America's Anti-Sweetheart, a Monica program entails not hiring students just for menial work, but really including them on important assignments. They are inexpensive labor and will be good PR for your company with other students.

Care and Feeding (a.k.a. Retention)

• Cards for Everyone. Give business cards to everyone-everyone-in your company, from the CEO to the mailroom coordinator. Avoid titles like "clerk" or "trainee." and use "associate" or "representative" instead.
   
• Firefighters' Hours. Consider a "compressed" workweek in which employees work 10 hours Monday-Thursday and have Friday off, or, work one extra hour each day and take off at noon on Friday. If you don't want to offer this year-round, try it just during summer months.
  
• Galloping Gourmets. Provide an arrangement with the company kitchen that lets employees order take-home gourmet dinners for their families.

Changing Company Culture

• Now We're Cooking. Have the senior management team cook, serve and clean up after preparing a staff breakfast or lunch. It gives non-management a chance to give the orders for a change.
   
• Oh, Baby. Have everyone bring in a baby picture and post them on a bulletin board. Have people try to guess who's who for fun or for a fundraiser, with the funds going to a children's charity.
   
• Talent Show. inquire about your staffs talents outside of work then host a get-together where they can show them off.

Perks, Pay, & Pats on the Back

• Name That Room. Recognize your employees by naming rooms after them (even just temporarily). Hold a dedication ceremony.
   
• No Parking. Use a reserved parking space for the employee of the month or any employee who has done an exemplary job. Be sure to post his or her name noticeably.
   
• Bribe the Bride (or Groom, or Domestic Partner). Reward your workers' spouses with flowers, candy, or other gifts when the employee has put in extra-long hours on a special project.

Turning your company into a positive and exciting place to work can often
be simply a matter of lightening up and doing a little creative problem-
solving. Get Weird! gives you the techniques you need to attract, retain,
motivate, and reward the talent you need to make your workplace a weird
and wonderful success.

Laura Boswell is a freelance writer and Associate Editor at CareerBuilder. She previously served as the Careers and Small Business Editor at USAToday.com and as a Web content and public relations consultant. Turn-ons: Board games, The Simpsons, and napping. Turn-offs: Fur coats, diet soda, and weak penalties for parole violators. Boswell's new book, The Quotable Businesswoman, is due out in Fall 2001.