Enhancing Creativity, Reducing Stress & Increasing Efficiency
Just as at one time in ancient theater, Comedy and Tragedy were viewed as completely separate subjects, the workplace was once viewed as only a very serious place. Today however, companies strive to provide a place of productivity while also trying to ensure a certain amount of social interaction, group activities and just plain fun – all in effort to engage and retain a healthy and motivated workforce. Even a serious stalwart like Forbes publishes articles like: “6 Ways to Make Your Leadership and Workplace Fun Again” underscoring how, “The new workplace is less about the business defining the individual and more about the individual defining the business.”
Employees and the employee spirit have evolved over the last few generations. Where our grandparents and great-grandparents were frequently happy just to have a job, and often under deplorable conditions, workers today demand much more. We want to have the “right” job, where we feel we fit – and are treated decently and with common courtesy. We want to respect our coworkers and employers and for them to respect us as well. We want to be challenged and we don’t mind working hard if it’s appreciated, but we also want to have a little fun doing the task we do for most of our waking hours.
And companies are noticing this trend and having to adjust accordingly if they want to retain their top talent. Similar to the way that Comedy and Tragedy have been melded together in the arts (as mentioned above), so too have productivity and fun in the workplace been combined to increase employee satisfaction and engagement while reducing stress. In fact, many applicants when interviewing for positions, ask detailed questions about the office environment in an attempt to gauge a good fit – much the same way interviewers have scrutinized applicants for years.
Deriving satisfaction and enjoyment from one’s job should mean a great deal to the organization. People, who like their work and employer have better morale, are more efficient and motivate others around them as well – all productive company goals. So how can employers and employees work together to accomplish both a fun and productive environment? Here are some paraphrased ideas from ‘Making the Workplace Fun’ and ‘8 Easy Ways to have More Fun at Work’:
- Make your space your own – bring in some personal mementos that remind you of good times and let others know a bit about you – helping make the workplace a place you enjoy being
- Take a walk every day – not only is this good exercise, but it clears your head too – getting you ready to tackle the rest of the day with boosted morale and creativity
- Socialize with your colleagues – either through an internal company team or club, or by setting up an event on your own
- Flextime – employers can show concern for their employees personal lives through by becoming more flexible with the work schedule; plus, allowing for occasional work-from-home days can be a big boost to productivity and a great stress reliever
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.” – Johnny Carson