Selfie Your Way To a Happier, More Connected Workplace

Selfies have come a long way in their brief existence, and now come in a seemingly endless number of genres–gym selfies, woke up like this selfies, even shelfies. The latest selfie craze? Office selfies, and office selfie contests!

Selfies in the workplace can be a great way to boost morale and keep your team connected. Increasingly, companies are using selfie contests to introduce new team members, such as seasonal staff or interns, and to unite workforces that may be spread out across multiple locations. Some offices even recommend weekly or monthly themes, especially around the holidays.

The surprising latest big player in the #OfficeSelfie game? The FingerCheck mobile app! We’ve had feedback from a number of clients who’ve discovered a new–and creative–use for the photo capture feature built into our mobile timekeeping app, which allows users to take a selfie as they clock in.

“Your mood at clock-in sets the tone for the day and can affect everyone around you. Why not start things out on a fun note with a goofy face?” wrote one manager from a local catering firm which regularly asks employees to clock in on-site, adding, “clients notice when our team shows up smiling–it makes their experience that much more positive. Sometimes, we even share our contest winner’s pics on our social media, which allows us to share our personality with the public!”

Another benefit of using the photo capture feature? It protects the privacy of employees who perhaps aren’t as open with their selfies. Since clock-in photos are only visible to supervisors, it’s easy to keep them secure in cases where employees don’t want to share. Being sensitive to the preferences of individual employees is vital to an office selfie contest; however, many of our clients describe an exponential increase in participation once the contests get going.

One client, who manages a mid-size construction company, wrote that “at first, most of our team was pretty lukewarm on selfies–a lot of our guys are more traditional types. But once one of our more exuberant managers got on board, and started sharing his hilarious pics, all a sudden everyone had something to add! The monthly contest winner pics are now something we all really look forward to.”

Other clients have cited the feature’s value for remote workers, who often feel left out from office social life. The chance to connect a face with a name, many says, has been invaluable to better integrate their team and keeping everyone in sync, while others are hoping to find ways to use the images for their recruitment materials.

We’re thrilled to see so many clients using the application in innovative ways, and invite our customers to share how they use our new features. Long live the #OfficeSelfie!