20 years after the tech boom of the 90’s brought us broadband and Google, industries are finally learning the most important lesson of the dot.com era: the value of having fun at work. From happier employees to increased production numbers, do you know why having fun at work is important?
Learning the Value of Having Fun at Work
In a world defined by consumability, immediate gratification, and ease, there’s increasing pressure on companies and teams across all industries to produce more work—better and faster. Research has shown that adding fun as a core value will not only improve the quality and quantity of work that your team produces; it will also make them happier when they clock in, too.
Cultivating the Cadence of Work Happiness (Arbejdsglæde)
Ever since Google broke the mold with its innovative hiring approach and unique, human-centric company culture, dozens of firms have picked up on the fact that inviting fun into the workplace not only improves employees’ moods, but it also makes people better employees. Supported by a body of research that has grown over the past 20 years, the power of play lies partially in team building.
According to one study published in 2016, most employees consider socializing with their coworkers as fun at work. Researchers reported such significant benefits of fun in the workplace by incorporating team building activities into work, that the study’s authors recommended that management use their findings to establish guidelines for promoting fun at work in their organizations.
Cornerstones of a positive office culture
- Invest in the personal development of your team.
- Encourage your team to socialize both in and out of the office, especially when it comes to team building exercises.
- Be transparent in your operations.
- Empower your employees by allowing them autonomy within their role.
- Invest in hiring and cultivating a strong, compassionate leadership team.
Why having fun at work is important
Last year, around 50% of Americans reported that they were happy at their jobs. According to Fortune, these shifts in the workforce came about as a result of the work done by employers to attract and retain a happy workforce, especially when it comes to younger employees.
According to another recently published study from the UK, workers born between 1980 and the early 2000s are less likely to take sick leave, work harder, and are more productive when a bit of fun gets incorporated into their workday. And, with Millennials set to make up at least 75% of the workforce by 2025, that’s data that today’s businesses cannot afford to ignore.
Per the study’s findings, fun had a direct, positive impact on how many days respondents called off of work because of sickness or injury; 62% of employees who had taken no sick days in the last three months also reporting having had fun at work. Alternately, 58% of those who had called in sick for 11 days or more had NOT reported having fun at work during the study.
The value of having fun at work is not only good for your bottom line, it also contributes toward the overall well-being and health of your team. Employees who report participating in fun activities, like dress-up days or office outings, also report greater levels of happiness and psychological well-being when compared to those who don’t. Employers should look at activities that create positive emotions and interactions as a means of contributing toward a happier, healthier, and better performing workforce.
5 easy ways to have fun at work
- Create fun office traditions with your coworkers. At Post Launch, we’re suckers for a proper dress up day.
- Take a walk! Break up your day by taking a break and going outside; your brain and your body will thank you.
- Compliment your peers, and take a moment to appreciate your team every day.
- Laugh more—because as we all know, a meme left unshared is a meme wasted.
- Join an office club or create your own; as a crew of dedicated Word Nerds, our team likes to sneak in a round of trivia…or ten. Who’s counting?
Adding the Flavor of Fun to Your Corner of the Internet
At Post Launch, the value of having fun at work isn’t likely to be forgotten. But then again, fitting fun into the agenda isn’t particularly hard when you have a coven of web wizards and SEO nerds pulling the strings. Don’t you want to meet the team that can make your corner of the Internet better?
