Making Work More Fun

Thursday, February 1 2024

Many believe that work and fun don’t go together, and current statistics on mental health in the workplace would support the idea that many people are not in a happy place. It is critical to health and well-being that we enjoy both the time and the environment at work by making work more fun. After deducting all of the essential tasks we do (chores, shopping, meals, etc.), we spend the single biggest block of our waking hours each week working.

Why Fun Matters

People who have fun in their work are:

  • More engaged.
  • Relaxed and less stressed.
  • Productive, focused, and therefore, achieving results.
  • Able to build better relationships and enjoy positive interactions with team members.
  • Trusting, which facilitates greater interaction and collaboration.
  • Energized.
  • Willing to tackle and solve problems.
  • Eager to take on new projects.
  • Likely to stay, which reduces the costs of employee turn over.

Be Intentional

You know from your own experience that you do your best work when you are having fun. Do you see and hear laughter during the workday? If you don’t see enough smiles, then do you bring up issues and do what it takes to solve problems?

A fun environment does not mean that the leader makes jokes all the time (so don’t stress about being a comedian), provides lunches everyday or other forms of entertainment. These are great when they can happen, but they are not necessary. Here are things we can focus on:

  • Satisfy the needs of the individual team members by spending time getting to know people and learn what motivates them.
  • Model having fun.
  • Acknowledge and celebrate successes.
  • You listen with empathy, seeking to understand, with an open mind and without judgement.
  • Clear expectations are set and agreed upon.
  • Regular coaching takes place and you address issues and changes in attitude as they become apparent.
  • Time is spent developing people.
  • Others are asked for their input and ideas, especially on matters that affect them.
  • You keep your commitments.

Leaders take note, because if you are not having fun at work it is time to change. Your role is to model the behaviour of having fun and create an environment that inspires and motivates your teams to have fun. So, your goal is to have everyone in the organization saying and thinking, “I love what I do; I have fun at work.”  When this happens you will marvel at the impact on your organization’s success.