Are we having fun yet? If you’re working, unfortunately the answer is probably “no.“ Why? Because as much as we mean well, we often end up stressed, serious and yes, sometimes a bit fussy in the work environment. It’s the nature of the beast. So is that the best you can do? As we’ve discussed before on this site, an enjoyable work environment means more productivity, and helps your employees actually want to do a good job. But when we’re all worried about the bottom line, meeting deadlines and putting out fires, the goal of having fun gets a little lost in the shuffle. What can you do about it? In this series, we’re going to take a look at ways you can approach your business with a lighter spirit and a smile on your face. It will help overall morale, productivity and employee retention. If you do the math, spending 40 hours a week at work (which for some of us is a joke), you’re spending approximately 1,900 hours a year on the job. Ugh. That’s if you’re not working holidays and weekends. So there’s a good argument out there for making all that time as enjoyable as possible.
I ran a search on the Internet for “Workplace Fun,” and found that there are countless sites and authors out there, even researchers, who are happy to share ideas on how to lighten up while working. One of the sites I found was written by Jody Urquhart, and actually has a little test you can take to see if you’re having enough fun in your office environment. Here are some suggestions she offers for creating a fun workplace, at www.leadingtoday.org: - Give up the notion that professionalism means being serious all the time. It's possible to take yourself lightly and still be competent and productive. Start to
promote the benefits of humor at work. - Define what fun is in your workplace and what it is not (E.g. harmful humor, off color jokes, sexual humor, humor defacing the organization)
- Organize a “Fun Committee” for dreaming up fun “stuff” to do during and after work.
- Add fun to meetings. Bring in fun things such as Nerf balls, a basketball and hoop, or party blowers. Start a meeting with a humorous story or joke.
- Collect and share your favorite cartoons and jokes. Create a Joke Board or a Humor Newsletter. Looks for tools to disseminate fun and funny things daily.
In the next part of series, I’ll share some additional ideas in order to help you create an office environment where people can truly enjoy themselves. |
