YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE MAD TO WORK HERE, BUT IT HELPS!

Posted November 1, 2017

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing” – Dale Carnegie

Do you have Sunday Fear Syndrome? A recent report stated that a massive 78% of us suffer from the fear…do you?

Is it possible to have fun and be productive in the workplace or are the two counterproductive? I’ve discussed this with a number of people over the last few weeks and something that came out of these conversations is that of course it’s possible to have fun at work and that it’s actually extremely important for your own mental health to laugh and hear laughter during the working day.

Make the working day easier for yourself. STRESS FREE = FUN (MAKE TIME IN YOUR DAY FOR FUN)

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE MORE TIME FOR FUN IN THE WORKPLACE

Make sure that you clear your desk before your run out of the office on Friday afternoon. Tidy your desk and clear your “admin” as it’s the last thing that you want to see on Monday morning!
Just like you used to do at school, pack your bag for work when you get home on Friday as saving it for Sunday will fill you with dread and put you in a bad mood even before you walk into the office on Monday morning.

So what’s the first thought that crosses your mind as you shut the car door behind you and make your way to the office, is the stress already starting to build or do you get a little rush of happiness at the thought of the fun you’re about to have? Unfortunately the last scenario is not the norm in enough companies and it’s having a negative impact of employee engagement and ultimately business performance.

FUN – noun
enjoyment, amusement or lighthearted pleasure.

HAND ON HEART HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU HAD FUN AT WORK IN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO?
“I don’t think of work as work and play as play, it’s all living” – Richard Branson

There have been a number of studies carried out over the last two decades that have revealed when employers make fun a factor it creates happier employees that feel more satisfied. And happy employees are all around better at their jobs. Workplace fun has been linked to:

Enhanced motivation.
Increased productivity.
Reduced stress.
Higher job satisfaction.
Improved task performance.

Having fun is one way of effectively managing and improving employees’ emotions. It’s also proven to improve teamwork, build trusting relationships and increase employee retention.

EASY WAYS TO CREATE A FUN WORKPLACE – get rid of the suit and tie and introduce a more casual dress code or at least dress down on fridays. Why not take “casual friday” beyond getting to wear jeans to work. Incorporate an added sweetener like a company provided, in-office lunch break or a few beers at 4pm. Not only is this creating a more relaxing environment, but it also encourages interaction between colleagues, which is proven to boost happiness.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION…EVERYONE LOVES A CHANCE TO WIN SOMETHING – it’s amazing how a little friendly competition lightens the mood. Coming up with weekly or monthly challenges that employees can participate in is a fun motivator. Sweeten the pot with an award for the winner, this has a massive impact in employee engagement. It doesn’t need to take up too much time or money, sometimes just some imagination and a bit of kitchen roll can do the trick!

TAKE TIME TO CELEBRATE WINS – create milestones that the whole company can celebrate together. People will work harder knowing that they’ll be rewarded for their efforts and acknowledged for their contributions. Not sure what type of celebration appeals to your employees? Go a step further toward improving motivation by letting them choose the events.

CELEBRATE FUN AT WORK DAY – instead of working on FUN AT WORK DAY make it a time for everyone to come in and have fun. Plan out a whole day of team building games, movies and pet projects. Have lunch catered and keep snacks on hand, well-fed people are happy people. Some leaders may look at this as wasting a day of work, but in the end the boost in productivity levels will more than make up for it.

INPUT = OUTPUT +++ – if people are having fun, they’re going to work harder, stay longer and maintain their composure and hit deadlines. It’s a proven fact that when leaders lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication — leading to lower turnover, higher morale and a stronger bottom line.

GREAT PLACE TO WORK – each year, the Great Place to Work Institute asks tens of thousands of employees to rate their experience of workplace factors, including, “This is a fun place to work.” Where would your company sit on this list?

Skeptics may well ask are these successful companies more fun to be part of since they are profitable or does fun actually create success? But in my opinion every company and leader should be wondering how to have more fun because fun is something that happens in great workplaces. There’s a direct correlation between fun and successful talent management.

FUN = LOWER TURNOVER + MORE SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT + IMPROVED EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

WHY A FUN COMPANY CULTURE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS – a fun culture stems from the energy and the vibe of your workplace, and it’s up to the leader to set the tone for their team.

WHAT IS COMPANY CULTURE? – company culture is essentially the personality, or the identity, of a company. Every company has a company culture, whether you intend to or not, but the difference is that great companies will cultivate theirs into being unique to their organisation. Just like you’d ideally want a person you spend a lot of time with to be friendly, approachable, special and pleasant, the same goes for work – especially since that’s where people tend to spend most of their time. Research shows that across all income levels, the top predictor of workplace satisfaction is not pay. It is the culture and values of the organisation, followed closely by the quality of senior leadership and the career opportunities at the company. Compensating your employees properly is important, of course, but there’s so much more to work than just money. Believe it or not but people are interested in enjoying their day to day, not just profiting from it. A fun, positive company culture is without a doubt good for business.

A COUPLE OF SIMPLE REASONS WHY THAT’S TRUE

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT – engaged employees are more productive. Having a great company culture is what makes employees want to show up to work every day and put in their best. It keeps them enthusiastic about their tasks and appreciative of all that you do to ensure that the workplace environment is enjoyable.
IT HELPS ATTRACT THE BEST NEW TALENT – when an employee loves where they work, they naturally become company ambassadors and help to organically promote your company, helping to attract new talent and promote the enterprise from the inside out.

This is why it’s important to measure your company’s EMPLOYEE NET PROMOTER SCORE (eNPS). As a leader finding out how likely your employees are to recommend your company as a place to work, will help you understand what areas you can work on improving.

A FEW EXAMPLES OF SOME THINGS THAT COMPANIES WITH AN ENVIABLE eNPS DO

Hold meetings on rooftops to keep it interesting.
Free meals delivered to the office.
Unlimited vacations.
Mid day yoga classes.
Free on-site gym and fitness competitions.
Encourage employees to get out of the office on voluntary mission trips.
Summer cookouts supporting local causes.

Not every company can offer all of these fun perks, and that’s ok. A big part of having a fun company culture is just in the attitude that the leaders bring to the team. A easy and affordable (both time and cost) way to engage employees through your company culture is to organise challenges within the office. This can pertain to the work itself, meaning, create some sort of friendly competition surrounding an initiative, or it can pertain to non-work related challenges that the team participates in together.

It’s so easy to spend all day at your desk, staring at your screen, but, if an office environment is overly stressful and all employees do is work, day in and day out without a pleasant reprieve, they risk becoming disengaged. As humans, we need socialisation – it’s what breaks up the day and makes work fun. Ensure that as often as possible you and your employees eat lunch together, as a team. It’s important for our minds to take a break, and it’s a great way to get to know your team, and for them to see you as more than just their “boss”!

Celebrate milestones and wins as this is one of the most important ways to promote a positive, fun company culture, and it’s embedded in the tenets of employee engagement. Employees need, and deserve constant recognition for their hard work in order to want to continue working hard. It’s called the

PROGRESS PRINCIPLE, and it focuses on the power of small wins.

“Experiment in your workplace, get creative, laugh out loud and encourage everyone to have some fun. You don’t have to be Zappos, Google, Facebook or Virgin to build fun into your culture. Well-placed humour in an office environment puts others at ease. It raises the energy, encourages innovation and undoubtedly improves productivity” Richard Branson

But if it’s all work and no play…..maybe it’s time to change your job. Life is too short not to spend it doing something you at least enjoy, if not love. Because surely life’s too short not to like Mondays.