Take a moment to imagine the kind of workplace where productivity stalls, employees become resentful, and misconduct runs amok. What do you see? As Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie famously said, “There is little success where there is little laughter.”
As seasoned corporate investigators, we know that the kinds of professional environments where such negative symptoms have taken hold are usually not much fun to be in. When corporate culture has gone sideways, the atmosphere is likely to be strained at best. At it’s worst, it’s potentially downright toxic. So, how might leaders and CEOs shape a healthier alternative?
As counter-intuitive as it may seem to those who have long prayed at the altar of strict and formal productivity, encouraging fun in the workplace can work wonders for nourishing employee happiness, fuelling purpose, and inspiring greater engagement. However, fun at work should be balanced and constructive if its value is to be maximized. Read on as we discuss the power of fun in the workplace and its role in improving corporate culture.
The Advantages of Encouraging Fun at Work
If you feel unsure about whether your employees perceive their working environment as a fun and friendly space, a corporate culture audit can be an ideal starting point for ensuring future camaraderie. However, before we look at the structural foundation required for effectively harnessing employee enjoyment, let’s look at the advantages that it can provide for ambitious businesses on the move.
Reduces Absenteeism and Turnover
When employees don’t enjoy their time at work, they are more likely to seek opportunities to avoid it. So much so, that studies show workers who have fun at work take notably fewer sick days than their counterparts. What’s more, when fun becomes an organic part of the working day, it has also been found to reduce turnover.
Improves Teamwork and Collaboration
Encouraging employees to collaborate in play allows them to flex the synergistic muscles that will also allow them to work together on behalf of your business. In this regard, creating shared fun goals offers greater value than encouraging competition. When intra-office rivalry gets out of hand, it can prevent teams from thinking and functioning as one. Meanwhile, effective team building can improve work ethic and innovation by as much as ten times.
Keeps Workplace Stress in Check
While pressure is bound to ebb and flow in most working environments, stress levels don’t need to follow in its footsteps. In fact, facilitating employee enjoyment can help keep elevated stress and tension at bay, supporting a healthier corporate culture over time. When we consider that 55% of Americans feel stressed each day, it becomes clear that introducing a little fun in the workplace is an excellent way to ward off burnout.
Making the Most of Fun in the Workplace
There is a delicate balance to strike when it comes to achieving optimal employee enjoyment at work. Fun activities should be structured, inclusive, and delineated from work duties. They must also accommodate the option to opt-out for those who might feel uncomfortable.
Complementing this, a supportive, friendly, and communicative atmosphere should be forged around professional duties. This makes unity, optimism, and proactive problem-solving core features of all collaboration.
Would you like to understand employee enjoyment, engagement, and corporate culture more fully? Consider a corporate culture audit for your team and allow our expert advisors to set your team on track for success.