If you’ve spent most of your time in traditional offices with rigid codes of conduct, the concept of mixing work and fun might seem shocking and outrageous to you. But the idea of combining the two isn’t so strange any more. Research has shown that employees who have fun at work are generally more productive and rate higher on several crucial professional parameters including creativity and innovation.
That’s why modern workplaces are increasingly geared towards ensuring that their employees have fun at work. In fact, fun may be the single most important trait of an effective and successful organization in these times. Don’t believe us? Try it out!
How to make your workplace more fun
Make your workspace enjoyable
A sterile cubicle is no fun. Update it to create a space that you will enjoy spending time in. Photos, décor accents or travel mementos are sure to put you in a good mood. A soft board with thank-you notes, cards and emails is another great idea.
Take a break
Take a short break every hour to walk around, clear your mind and give your eyes a respite from the laptop screen. A few exercises at the desk and your creativity and productivity may get a boost.
Change the scenery
Hold a meeting on the office lawns and watch energy and engagement levels of your employees shoot up. Fresh air and warm sunshine has a miraculous effect on people’s mood and does a great job of rejuvenating the mind and body.
Find reasons to laugh
Cracking jokes all day long isn’t necessary but shed the professional demeanor once in a while to crack a smile. Share funny stories and links, or create a joke board where people can pin up cartoons or little jokes.
Play some games
Sports equipment like a basketball hoop or a baseball bat can inject a generous dose of positive energy in office by allowing the child in you to emerge from time to time. A chessboard, carom or ping pong board can work too!
Create happiness-boosting traditions
Couples in a relationship often have “their” song or place that transports them to a happier place. Work that logic and create a happiness-boosting tradition with colleagues and team members. Will it be a weekly potluck, a walk to the neighborhood barista each afternoon or drinks on Friday evening?
Make time for surprises
In the humdrum of work, it’s important to celebrate the victories and milestones. Apart from the obvious work-related ones, keep track of work anniversaries and birthdays. An ice-cream party or popcorn evening snack will delight the most jaded of workers.
Keep goodies in the cupboard
Food is always a great way to increase bonding within a team. As the old adage goes, “A family that eats together, stays together.”
Let the music play
Bringing earphones to work is a great way to jazz up a routine day. Listen to your favorite numbers while completing work. However, bear in mind that music can be distracting at times. Avoid it while doing the sort of work that requires you to focus intensely.
Let it go
Encourage staff to leave work behind and find time for family and leisure once home. A ritual for teams like making a to-do list for the next day and pinning it on a board may help.
Research shows that the more connected and engaged you are to what you do, the more fun you’ll have doing it. But before you set out to put more fun into the workplace, define what fun is and what’s not. Humor that’s off-color, sexual, harmful or detrimental can never be fun!
