The inaugural season of the Levy League got off to a slow start. Employees at Levy Recognition were hesitant to inquire about the formation of the league. Our goal was to have at least 40% of employees participate in the league. After a bit of heavy recruiting, 33% of employees opted to participate in the league. That means we would have 10 teams register for the draft.
League Manger’s Note: There will be people who do not want to play- and that’s okay. This is about employee engagement, not employee harassment.
After setting the number of league participants, it was time to schedule the draft. For avid fantasy players, the draft is the most exciting part of playing the game. Gathering with friends to eat, drink, and compete for players to add to their roster makes it all worthwhile. After all, fantasy football can be a social event if planned accordingly. Levy League found themselves unable to conduct a draft until September 6th (the very last day to complete a draft before the start of the NFL regular season).
And no draft day is without its challenges. Technical difficulties and general confusion plagued the “after work hours” drafting engagement, leaving league managers to accept that certain “administrative duties” needed to be addressed during working hours. This created the opportunity for league members to chat and help each other get familiar with the fantasy app (during lunch breaks, of course). It took teamwork to resolve login challenges and make sure everyone was ready to build their team. That’s a tally in the win column for employee engagement.
With the monstrous Hurricane Irma threatening the State of Florida, only a few league members attended the live draft engagement held at a local restaurant. League members made use of the fantasy app’s chat and message boards to communicate with those drafting from home. Taking time to draft our fantasy team’s was a nice break from the stress and anxiety brought on by hurricane preparations.
It took zero time for league members to begin chatting and bantering about who would win in Week One. The conversations sparked others in the office to be involved in discussing more than just the pending weather. The Levy Recognition family is exactly that, a family. And in the face of disaster, we don’t need fantasy sports to bring us together. But, having The Levy League gave us the opportunity to bond over something more than Hurricane Irma.
Week One of fantasy competition hung in the balance. The start of the NFL regular season (and Hurricane Irma) was upon us. And as a team, Levy Recognition was ready.
This is part of our Fantasy Football Engagement Series. Our other updates in this series include:
# 1 Yes, Fantasy Football is Good for Your Workplace
#2 Levy League Update: Draft Day
#3 Levy League Update: Improved Communication (Weeks 1-4)
#4 Levy League Update: Resolving Conflicts (Weeks 5-10)
#5 Levy League Update: Employee Relationships (Weeks 11-Championship)