by Willette Coleman ©2013
Generally, you look for a company where you can efficiently and effectively use your knowledge and skills in your job search. Right? Right. Well, there’s one other thing you might look for – Fun.
Knowing whether a company’s culture includes fun will give you some insight into the employer’s management style. Are employees made to feel like prisoners? Or, does management show appreciation and incorporate fun? “Putting subtle cues in the environment that can suggest fun can be a powerful motivator,” Juliano Laran, Assistant Professor, Marketing, University of Miami, School of Business, said in Hans Villarica’s article, To Keep Willpower from Flagging, Remember the F-Word: ‘Fun’.
Some managers consider fun in the workplace to be a distraction, unprofessional and not taking your work seriously, assuming that joking and laughing on the job means you’re goofing off. If done too often and for long stretches of time during the work hours, those concerns have merit. Nonetheless, employers are embracing the F-word to the extent of creating “fun committees” or appointing “a mirth manager” to schedule joyful and de-stressing events during work, without employees sacrificing their lunch hour. “This openness” says Paul McGhee, PhD, author of Changing Corporate Perceptions of the Value of Humor, “has led many CEOs to consider the idea of putting humor and fun to work, to support the bottom line.”
Playfair, with a mission to increase fun-in-the-workplace awareness, says that business managers are beginning to understand that, “Having fun isn’t the same as goofing off. It is a way to bolster productivity, teamwork and company loyalty by showing workers they are appreciated.” In 1996, Playfair designated April 1st (or the first Thursday in April, if April 1 falls on a weekend) as International Fun at Work Day. Initially, they were reluctant to associate the occasion with April Fool’s Day, “Then we realized it was actually the perfect time to spotlight the notion that fun, especially at work, does not have to equal foolish.” No foolishness means, “non-toxic humor; absolutely no sarcasm, put-downs, or offensive jokes that targets any particular group or minority.”
I’m fortunate to have worked in two environments where the managers embraced the F-word. The former branch manager of the DC Public Libraries was unique among the 25 neighborhood branches. Major Shackleford encouraged staff to participate in events - yoga, dance classes, meditation, health seminars, lectures, movies and plays - that took place at the library. Without shirking our duties, we could get involved in any activity, if we chose. Staff also had fun planning and managing the monthly yard sale fundraiser. Mr. Shack, as many employees called him, encouraged me to produce a quarterly newsletter for the “Friends” of the branch, as he’d observed that, for me, writing and researching, while labor intensive, was (and is) fun. A kind and caring man, Shack made sure staff celebrated birthdays, retirements or promotions. He also gave each staff member a generous appreciation bonus each Christmas, out of his own pocket. Even after retirement, Mr. Shack continues to surprise us with his generosity.
The former executive director of a small national profit, Linda Haithcox, who loves to bake, make homemade ice cream (yummy!), and entertain, is the other F-word embracer. The loyal sports fan orchestrated football fantasy competitions, betting (no money) whose team would win the season. Staff birthdays and milestones were always celebrated at an upscale restaurant of choice. We went to Atlantic City and danced until 3:00 A.M for her birthday. Charitable events included buying new clothes for orphans during Christmas, and having staff and board members participate in community service, such as at the organization’s 2010 Economic Development Conference, where they got sweaty, dirty and laughed a lot while helping Habitat for Humanity help New Orleans, LA Katrina victims rebuild their homes. And, I’ll always remember the fun staff had decorating individual White House Christmas tree ornaments. “I’m afraid I won’t find another place to work where there’s so much laughter,” an intern lamented as her year’s stay at the organization ended.
Fun is a healthy component to work that increases productivity and reduces stress what with going to meetings, traveling, and meeting company deadlines and goals. Reduced stress and relief from corporal tunnel syndrome, eyes, back and neck strain from long hours sitting at computers translates to better health. Better health translates to employees taking fewer sick days. Decreased sick days translate to a cost-saving bottom line for employers that provide health insurance for employees.
Finally, the F-word makes us smile. “Smiling is a natural drug,” Dr. Stibich, adjunct faculty member of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said in Top 10 Reasons to Smile. “Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good.”
Finding Companies that Embrace the F-Word. Olivera Perkins’ article, Northeast Ohio Companies Encourage Employees to Have Fun at Work, sites examples of companies that subsidize on-site message therapy sessions; have free fitness centers and offer rejuvenation stations with cushy recliners and cleansing ocean sounds. To find F-word-friendly companies, you’ll need to do some research. Technology companies, the arts organizations and those that focus on education, philanthropy and enriching the lives of others appear to lead the pack as fun places to work. Some careers, such as cartoonist, photographer, writer, website designer and clown, are inherently fun. McGhee says companies today must “find ways to make work enjoyable, if they want to survive and thrive in the 21st century.”
Fun Ideas for the Workplace.
- Traveling Bouquet. Give a bouquet of flowers to a co-worker. Say: “Keep this on your desk for the next hour. Then pass it on to someone else and tell them to do the same.”
- Company Limo Lottery. Hold a lottery where the winner is driven to and from work in a limo for a day or week. Don’t have a company limo? Rent one.
- Offer employees unusual gifts (e.g., free housecleaning certificates) to show your appreciation.
- On-site Masseuse - weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
- Pop-champagne Wednesday (or sparkling apple juice). Comedian Sinbad popularized Wednesday as “hump day.” Each Wednesday, toast each other for successes and fabulous failures of the past week.
- Add 5-minute “stretch-n-breathe” breaks (preferably every hour or two)
- Take “Joy Breaks” during the day, and enjoy low-tech games like marbles, ball-and-jacks, or building a 5,000 piece puzzle.
- On-site exercise, yoga, dance or juggle classes (juggling has HUGE brain benefits).
- Celebrate new accounts, employees’ career milestones, or the company’s existence.
- Chili or barbecue cook-offs; Easter egg dyeing and decorating.
- More tips at 11 Easy Ways to Make Work Fun
Hal Rosenbluth, former CEO of Rosenbluth International, and consultant for Walgreen’s healthcare services, told Dr. McGhee that it’s “almost inhumane if companies create a climate where people can’t naturally have fun…. Our role and responsibility as leaders and associates is to create a place where people can enjoy themselves.”
So, the verdict is in: Fun and work CAN get along! They merge to create an environment where people WANT to work and are motivated to provide quality services and products.
Is your workplace F-word friendly? If so, share.
Magic, Miracles & Blessings,
Willette
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