The bobblehead, yes, the bobblehead.
Stay with me on this as I promise it will be a little surprising and provide you with something powerful for your business.
The bobblehead has been with us for a very long time. They were created by craftsmen back in the 18th century1 and were made from ceramics. If you don’t know, a bobblehead is a figurine which as the name implies has a head which is connected to the body with a spring type device. The spring enables the head to move in a funny continuous back and forth and side to side motion.
Okay, we all know what a bobblehead is now and that it has been around for a long time. So what?
Great question, thank you for thinking it. Let’s back up a minute and focus on your employees first.
As you know employee engagement goes beyond mere productivity. It’s about creating the working environment where employees feel valued, motivated, and connected to their work and colleagues.
I am confident that you know many of the traditional approaches to employee engagement. Although these traditional approaches may prove effective, there is an untapped power in the psychological impact of novelty on people which you can tap into with your employees.
In an article published by Psychology Today, they write “A sense of novelty activates the dopamine system directly. As a result, it enhances mood, positive outlook, motivation, and goal setting. A positive sense of novelty has also been shown to increase creativity in dealing with stress, lower perceived stress, and anxiety, and lessen depression.”2
Okay this is convincing psychology, but let’s get back to bobbleheads and see where it all comes together.
Bobbleheads step in offering a delightful and often unexpected approach to boosting employee morale. With their playful nodding action and unique designs, bobbleheads bring an element of surprise and delight to the everyday work routine.
Incorporating bobbleheads into your employee engagement strategy isn't just about having fun trinkets on desks. The power is in its creation of a cultural shift toward a more inclusive, joyful, and connected workplace. By tapping into the psychological benefits of novelty, personalization, and playfulness, organizations can witness firsthand how these small nodding figures can lead to big improvements in employee morale and engagement.
So, am I saying go out and buy a bunch of bobbleheads and hand them out to your employees?
No, I am not.
I am saying to change your corporate culture for the better you have an underutilized power to tap into. The power is in the use of novelty items in your employee engagement plans. Bobbleheads and other novelty items should be part of your employee engagement plans.
Following is a shocking figure to add to the story of employee engagement.
Found in the “State of the American Workforce report”, by Gallup 2017 (pg. 68)3, companies with an engaged workforce are 21% more profitable.
Check out novelty and the all powerful bobblehead to drive engagement and increase your profit.
Our team is here to help your team with execution and help provide many other creative solutions to build your corporate culture and benefit your company.
Please do reach out to our team at Durham Promotional Products for items like this and/or other creative solutions to engage and connect with your workforce and customers. We excel at creating smiles, increasing productivity, and providing overall stronger corporate cultural bonds with our creative solutions.
Sources:
1. http://www.historyofdolls.com/history-of-famous-dolls/history-of-bobblehead/#:~:text=The%20first%20known%20mentioning%20of,they%20were%20made%20of%20ceramic
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/healing-stress-the-inside-out/202201/the-science-novelty#:~:text=A%20sense%20of%20novelty%20activates%20the%20dopamine%20system,and%20lessen%20depression%E2%80%94even%20in%20the%20time%20of%20COVID.
3. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx