4 reasons why fun in the office is important

As you may have heard, Exellys recently relocated to a brand new office in Mechelen where we hosted a stunningly successful opening night. Our Founder and CEO Raf Seymus addressed a buzzing crowd and broke the exciting news that Exellys is now part of a brand new ecosystem called The Alliance! We let our hair down and partied the night away, eager to explore our new home and continue the growth that we’ve enjoyed over the past four years.

Our new office is awesome, but, as anyone who visits us soon finds out, it is more than just an office: it embodies who we are and what we do. Our new home perfectly symbolizes our mission: to nurture top tech talents through training and coaching in a fun and stimulating environment.

At Exellys, we work like captains and play like pirates. So, naturally, we designed our new office around a fully stocked bar, complete with pool table, pinball machine, and our very own Nerf gun arsenal!

Why? Well, there are actually four reasons why fun in the office is important.

#1. Happy employees are more productive

We pride ourselves on being more than just our job titles. Far from being ‘just another staffing company’, we believe that excellence is an attitude and that to nurture excellence in others, we must be dedicated to striving for it ourselves.

But who has time for fun when there’s work to be done? We do!

Research shows that happy employees are significantly more productive (Click here if you don’t believe us). That’s why we put fun at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s letting off steam on our pinball machine or clearing our heads with an all-out Nerf gun war!

#2. Having fun improves collaboration and communication

We all work together regularly, so collaboration is extremely important. Having fun is a great way for us to learn about each other’s likes, dislikes, and habits in an easy, natural way.

But collaboration doesn’t just include our internal team – we wanted our new office to be a meeting place that welcomes everyone, from consultants who pass by for meetings to clients who hold offsite meetings here too.

Our entire office perfectly captures the homely vibe and inviting atmosphere that we were aiming for and we couldn’t be happier with it. If you ever happen to be in the area – or in a traffic jam between Brussels and Antwerp – feel free to drop in, we think you’ll approve!

Instead of holding compulsory staff training sessions that can feel tired and forced, we invite all Exellysts, including clients, internal employees, and consultants, to chill out, relax and get to know each other on a daily basis. Whether they head to the pool table or try out our unique cycling room, communication and collaboration are sure to be high on their agenda.

As you can see from the photos, our new office radiates productivity and fosters collaboration. Each of our meeting rooms features the name and story of one of history’s greatest science and tech pioneers. Sir Isaac Newton adorns the walls of our boardroom and Margret Hamilton, Donald Knuth, Vint Cerf and Steve Wozniak inspire anyone who visits our meeting rooms.

#3. Fun breeds creativity

When you walk into our office building, you’ll notice the buzz in the air. Everyone is enthusiastic and energetic and the place is abuzz with conversations. But trust us, there’s a method to our madness.

You see, playing the occasional game of pool not only puts a smile on our faces – we often end up discussing new projects and coming up with new insights and perspectives that we can take with us back to our desks.

Whether in meeting rooms, at the bar, or during a game of pinball, we are constantly focused on learning and improving. The conversations we have with each other during our downtime often translate into new ideas or approaches.

When you visit us, you’ll see that we also have plenty of spaces for working undisturbed too. Besides the designer couches and shiny coffee machines in our open-plan kitchen, we also have glass focus booths that are perfect for scheduled calls and intense working sessions. It’s important to feel at home while you work and we are constantly empowered to unlock our inner creativity.

#4. Fun helps to reduce stress

There is a serious side to all of this fun: it’s one of the best ways to combat stress.

If working at Exellys seems like a walk in the park – make no mistake, it’s an incredibly demanding workplace. We only work with committed graduates and young professionals who are highly ambitious and down-to-earth at the same time. We constantly push ourselves to improve and move forward.

As you can imagine, maintaining this level of excellence can come with stress every once in a while and that’s why we put an emphasis on having fun. It does not only helps the team relax and enjoy their jobs, but it also improves their health, reduces absenteeism, and boosts the quality of their work.

Our bar is the perfect place to de-stress after a long day in the office. Its environment breathes tranquility, even during the busy day-to-day workings of our office.

Are you convinced?

We believe that if work isn’t fun, it’s boring. That’s why we empower our employees by giving them the freedom to have fun at work. Your job has to be more than just a paycheck. So, if you’re not having fun right now, maybe it’s time for something else… If you might find yourself in that category, why don’t you swing by our office for a beer at our bar and we’ll see what we can do. Or just check out our job page!