Work Hard, Play Hard: Why You Should Be Having More Fun at Work

When [people] are engaged and motivated and feel minimal stress, information flows freely through the affective filter in the amygdala and they achieve higher levels of cognition, make connections, and experience “aha” moments. (Kohn, 2004)

Any pleasurable activity used as a brief break can give the amygdala (the emotional center of our brain which is frequently triggered by stress or excitement) the opportunity to relax and cool down which then allows us to access the other functional areas of our brain (like the cortex, which is what we use to produce rational thought and solve problems, not to mention, manage our behavior).

Was that over your head? I know, we are using fancy brain terms here. But in essence, if you want to boost productivity, increase engagement and put a smile on your employees’ face, keep on reading.

BUT FIRST… SIGN UP FOR OUR #4WEEKSOFFUN CHALLENGE!

Why Fun?

Fun makes life enjoyable and adds color to everyone’s day. But, there’s more to fun than meets the eye. In fact, it plays a key role in your organization’s bottom-line. You see, despite contrary belief, fun in the workplace is both important and effective… and it is our duty as leaders to hold it in high regard.

FUN BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY & ENGAGEMENT

Fun makes people happy, and happy people are more engaged, productive, and invested in the success of the organization. Simply put, happy employees perform better.

But don’t take our word for it:

  • Companies with happy employees outperform competition by 20% (source expired)
  • Happy salespeople produce 37% more sales (source)
  • People with a best friend at the office are 7x more likely to engage fully in their work (source)
  • Integrating fun into the workplace reduces absences, increases productivity and reduces stress (source)

These numbers further strengthen the idea that fun is not hurting performance, rather improving it. Not sold just yet? Keep reading…

“Where people aren’t having fun, they rarely produce good work” - David Ogilvy Click To Tweet

FUN IMPROVES EMPLOYEE MORALE

A business is nothing without its employees. In fact, the success of a business runs on the employees’ level of performance, which relies on their level of engagement, which….

… See where we’re going with this?

When morale is high, employees are more invested and excited about the work that they do. This improves their quality of work, reduces absenteeism, and lowers employee turnover rates.

FUN IS BECOMING A DEAL BREAKER

We talk about millennials often here at Energize Leadership, but only because their presence in our workforce is continually growing. In order to set them up for success, leaders must acknowledge their needs, and fun definitely makes that list.

According to a recent study by BrightHR, 79% of current graduates believe that fun at work is important, and 44% believe it encourages a stronger work ethic. If leaders want to attract – and retain – high-caliber millennial employees, fun will be imperative. But fun is also necessary in today’s fast-paced, high-stress, constant change-oriented world – because if we don’t give our brains a break, they can’t do the work we need them to do!

If leaders want to attract - and retain - high-caliber millennial employees, fun will be imperative. Click To Tweet

Companies Who Got Fun Right

We get it – fun is subjective, and there are a million productive ways to have fun. But, what actually works?

Below are four real-life examples of companies who got it right.

AOL. If lip sync is your jam, AOL might be your dream company, because lip sync battles have been known to occur—along with happy hours, Ping-Pong and foosball. If you prefer chillaxing, they’ve got chair massages, nap rooms, free drinks,and snacks. And workout lovers can take advantage of onsite fitness classes.

Adobe. Adobe’s idea of fun ranges from blissing out in their meditation room to burning off steam with kickboxing and Pilates classes. They also offer very practical perks, including vehicle-maintenance service, haircuts, and a farmer’s market. End your workweek by kicking back and relaxing at a TGIF event with free food and drinks.

Patagonia. Its Ventura and Reno offices offer on-site child care, cafes and, most important, flextime based on weather conditions. Translation: Employees can go surfing when the waves are good and skiing when there’s fresh powder.

Google. You didn’t think the pioneer of fun at work wouldn’t make the list, did you? At Google, you can play ping-pong, climb walls, bowl at the office. The HQ also has a slide where employees can make it quickly from the cube to the company cafe. If this doesn’t scream fun, we don’t know what does!

How To Integrate Fun In The Workplace… Today.

There are many things you can start doing today. Below are three ways to get started.

START WITH YOURSELF

Energy attracts energy, and attitudes are contagious. It’s imperative that leaders set the tone for fun, otherwise employees will continue to feel like fun comes last. Leaders show the way. You must first walk the path of fun before employees can walk it themselves.

This doesn’t have to be a big extravagant move, though. It can be something as simple as cracking a joke or asking them to bring in ideas to energize the team. This will loosen them (and yourself) up, inviting others to step up as well. Consider an idea board or an idea bucket – where team members can contribute their own thoughts and activities. Make it contagious.

DEVELOP A PLAN CENTERED AROUND FUN

Now that you’ve embraced fun, it’s time to splash it all over your workplace. While “planning” fun seems like an oxymoron, it will allow you to be consistent in your efforts and ensure that fun is a priority that doesn’t get left behind.

To make it fun for everyone, consider creating a “fun committee,” which allows people to take a role in the process and own part of the process – whether it be the agenda keeper (what activities can we put into our daily/weekly/monthly calendars) or the idea generator (what activities will everyone enjoy?) ….or other roles that people create based on their interests.

DON’T TAKE THE FUN OUT OF FUN

There’s no “code” or “policy” when it comes to fun. It isn’t something you can lecture or measure your team on. Fun is like exercise – it releases “feel good” endorphins. Endorphins are good for the brain. But one thing we know is that our brain craves new experiences – so mix it up and keep it new!

In the end…

Not only is fun something people crave and list as a high-value proposition, it also benefits the brain in ways that increase creativity, relationships, and productivity. So why is it, we spend so little time at work having ‘fun?” Fun frequently ends up at the bottom of the list. The leaders of the future will make fun a priority. Will you?

Join us for our #4WeeksOfFun Challenge where we make it easy for you!