Episode 79 - Five Ways to Make the Workplace More Fun

<h2 data-pm-slice="0 0 []"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p class="">If you think back over the best workplaces you’ve been a part of, fun was probably a key element. However, the fun was likely to have felt quite natural rather than forced. This week we look at five ways to make the workplace more fun.</p> <p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"> </p> <h2><strong>Transcript</strong></h2> <p class="">Hello and welcome to episode 79 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we look at five ways to make the workplace more fun.</p> <p class="">If you think back over the best workplaces you’ve been a part of, fun was probably a key element. However, the fun was likely to have felt quite natural rather than forced. And, in those examples, the fun probably helped rather than hindered productivity.</p> <p class="">When times are challenging, our instinct might be to steer away from an enjoyable and light-hearted approach to work. However it is still possible to take the work and results seriously, while also being less serious about the way we deliver.</p> <p class="">Research indicates a number of benefits in having fun workplaces:</p> <ul data-rte-list="default"> <li> <p class="">Attracting and retaining staff</p> </li> <li> <p class="">Engagement</p> </li> <li> <p class="">Positive mood and emotions</p> </li> <li> <p class="">Increased job satisfaction</p> </li> <li> <p class="">Increased organisational commitment</p> </li> <li> <p class="">Reduced emotional exhaustion - fun actually buffered employees against the otherwise taxing parts of their role</p> </li> </ul> <p class="">However building a sense of fun can be tricky to achieve. There’s a fine line between real fun and forced fun.</p> <p class="">In a business where I used to work, we had an annual Work Christmas party. This usually included lunch at a nice restaurant and some fun activities. However one year we decided to have a dinner instead. Given it was at night instead of during th