Work doesn’t have to be all business, all the time.
Though it’s commonly believed that having fun at work is a distraction, research indicates that it increases employee retention and employee morale and lowers turnover by positively affecting engagement, creativity, and purpose.
Employees are more motivated to work hard and accomplish their goals when they love their jobs. Your workforce becomes more resilient when you schedule time out for their happiness and laughing.
So, now that you have some idea about the significance of having fun at work, it’s important to understand how to go about it.
Top tips from experts on how to have fun at work
1. Dmytro Okunyev, CEO, Chanty
Don’t undervalue the significance of having fun at work because happy employees are more efficient and productive.
Although it is widely believed that having a good work environment increases involvement, contentment, and performance, the idea of having fun at work still makes us a little uneasy.
It’s a popular misconception that having fun is something that occurs after work hours and could cause us to lose focus on our regular activities when done during work hours.
But enjoyment at work is important.
Spending time with coworkers in an enjoyable setting promotes open communication and mutual trust. Employees will work better together and collaborate more efficiently if they are friends rather than just coworkers with the people they work with.
A good creative growth process absolutely requires social “engagement.” Fun is frequently the best form of learning for young children, and adults can benefit from this idea as well.
An organization has a lot to gain from employees having fun at work. Sharing experiences about the happy workplace culture may be a key component of an engaging employer branding strategy and can even help you gain followers on social media.
Here’s what we do to have fun at work
- Virtual coffee or tea while sharing how the entire week was (no work talks in these meetings)
- Compliment circles where we discuss the strengths of each other and how it helped us with our projects.
- Scavenger hunts to enhance our problem-solving skills.
- Solving puzzles and fun group problems
2. Ashwini Dave, SEO Expert, Time doctor
Fun at work is important to keep employees free from the stress of the work. It keeps their mood light and they feel relevantly less pressured while working. It also helps them to improve their productivity. Also, including fun activities helps them improve their engagement and teamwork. All these will ultimately lead to employee happiness and increase organizational productivity.
At our workplace, we organize different quizzes and games for the employees. When they participate in it we reward them with monetized gifts and materialized gifts, and even provide extra paid leaves sometimes. All these motivate them to stay loyal to the organization and it motivates them to take part in different fun activities to get rewards.
3. Sandeep Kashyap, Founder & CEO, ProofHub
We strongly believe that people rarely produce good work when they aren’t enjoying their jobs.
Happy employees tend to be more inspired, productive, and satisfied in their jobs. And hence, having fun at work has always been our top priority.
It’s a common belief that having fun is something that should only be done outside of work hours because it could distract us and take time away from our regular tasks. However, in reality, the workplace is the best place to have fun since you spend most of your time there.
Work to be all gloom and doom is the last thing we want. So, we regularly ask our staff what they enjoy doing to relieve stress and use those suggestions to make work more enjoyable for the team.
We organize monthly team competitions or events that employees can participate in and give awards to the winners.
It actually works as a stress buster and gives our team members a boost to be more productive at work. We also conduct regular office sports tournaments to encourage camaraderie and ensure physical fitness.
We have a dedicated relaxation and gaming area for our employees to take a break from assignments and blow off steam. We also organize regular office trips and outings.
In the end, an organization’s employees determine its success. The company will eventually fail if you treat your workers like robots that are only there to carry out your orders.
We believe in treating our employees well, with compassion, and making their jobs enjoyable so that they look forward to coming to work each morning.
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4. Nathan Sebastian, Content Strategist, and Marketer, GoodFirms
Having fun at Workplace has a placebo effect that triggers greater productivity, reduces stress, and creates a positive work environment. Workplace fun activities strengthen employee relationships and are critical in mitigating professional differences.
We at GoodFirms, do a lot of planned fun events as well as spontaneous activities to keep the Workplace vibrant and happier.
From musical chairs, tennis tournaments, group pics, and theme parties to comic sketches, dance/singing contests, and photography competitions, we engage in multiple activities to keep ourselves fully charged at the workplace. Spoiler alert: We are also notorious pranksters.
5. Radu Mirea, SEO Manager, Flipsnack
My team is spread in 3 different cities, we work in the office, remotely and we also have members who prefer a hybrid approach. Given that very specific detail, I’d say having fun at work, either at the office, at home, or from wherever you work is crucial for a successful team.
From my experience, I can tell that having fun and breaking routines makes people more comfortable and also helps them when their campaigns might have a hard time paying off. Besides that, making sure everyone on the team is having fun is also beneficial in terms of productivity. I’ve tested different scenarios and noticed that during the periods I’m paying high attention to coming up with situations that make my colleagues have fun their outcome is superior compared to periods when we just let things flow.
Finally and probably the most important reason for having fun at work is the fact that turnover is very low. Pretty much every member of my team has mentioned that they truly enjoy the environment, and the management of the team, and that makes them feel they want to be part of it.
Even though most of the time we’re not all in the same place we do have some agreements regarding gathering together at least once every quarter.
Whenever that happens we do have a lot of fun and activities in the office, such as board games, Foosball, watching movies together, and playing video games but mostly sitting on the terrace with some fine delicious cappuccinos in front of us and just talking about pretty much anything that comes to our minds.
6. Adam Hempenstall, CEO and Founder, Better Proposals
Having fun boosts communication. A relaxed and fun environment stimulates honest and open discussion and trust. If employees are friends with people that they work with, they’ll communicate more effectively and work better together.
Fun is the mother of all creativity. Work play is the essence of a healthy creative environment. You can quickly tell if an office has a creative atmosphere. There’s a positive charge in the air, colleagues are enthusiastic and energetic, and there’s a lot of exchange happening.
Happy employees are healthier. Employees who are having fun at work are in a better position to cope with the negative effects of stress and anxiety. If your employees are healthier, they take less time off due to sickness.
Since we’re a 100% remote company, we give our best to keep our employees engaged by maintaining an informal digital environment. We started by making a Slack channel dedicated only to cute & funny pictures of pets. Then I actually asked our employees to suggest what fun activities they would like us to throw in. Among others, we’ve been crazy about the virtual campfire game. All you need is a tealight candle and some food or drink of choice. Then we throw a Zoom meeting where we tell ghost stories from local legends, and icebreakers, and even organize storytelling competitions. The best thing – you don’t need mosquito repellent.
7. Veronika Vebere, Head of Demand Generation, Sendible
There are plenty of reasons to encourage your team to have fun at work, but the three that stand out to me the most are inspiration, motivation, and productivity! When we have fun, we open up and share who we are outside of work, and that knowledge of interests and additional skills teaches us how to collaborate better. And when we’re more comfortable with each other, we feel freer to express our ideas and thoughts, which leads to growth and innovation.
Some of our favorite remote-friendly activities include creating quizzes, playing online games (like Jackbox games), and solving puzzles. When we can meet each other in person, we play pool at the office or do a fun activity like playing darts or mini golf, followed by dinner. The key is to spend time outside of the traditional work setting and do something entertaining, even if it’s just for half an hour.
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8. Andrei Kurtuy, Co-Founder & CCO, Novoresume
While it is extremely important to perform well at your workplace, it’s also equally important to have fun while working! Firstly, excitement at work gives you the motivation you need to get out of bed every morning and go to your office.
Secondly, it encourages you to perform better since you feel more comfortable and are enjoying the tasks assigned to you. I have witnessed that employee performance boosts a lot when they are not constantly stressed out because of work. Lastly, having fun at work allows you to build more meaningful connections with your coworkers since you are not just connected through work. You get to build a more personal bond with colleagues when you are all relaxed during work hours.
A camping trip can be organized over a weekend with your entire company. All of the employees can travel to an open place on the outskirts of the city for camping. This will boost a sense of togetherness among the employees. It will bring them closer as well as they will get to spend time outside the office in nature.
We invited all our colleagues for a camping trip once so they could relax from work and enjoy the company of their colleagues. The day turned out to be one of the most memorable ones for them.
9. Evgenii Pavlov, CEO & founder, flair
Having fun at work means that your employees will always look forward to doing your job. It means that your employees are more engaged and therefore more productive. Your employees spend the majority of their waking days at work, and having fun during that time is good for their emotional well-being.
At least once a month we have a get-together where we play team games such as charades, Among Us, Psych, Garlic Phone, and more.
Another form of daily fun is our ‘Random’ chat channel on Slack, where team members can post pictures, gifs, memes, or anything else that they want. This keeps things light and humorous during the day.
10. Ricardo Luís, Manager, Talentify
Most people have found having fun at work challenging. Research has shown that fun work activities can stimulate employees to greater productivity, not to mention the positive effects on health and employee satisfaction.
Adopting fun activities within the workplace generates more benefits than less stress and more health for the employees. One of the advantages that companies often point out is the increase in their employees’ creativity.
According to some reports, inserting leisure-oriented activities, such as games, increases the employees’ inventive capacity. The relaxation caused by the activities relieves their minds, contributing to new ideas. In addition, work productivity gains a leap in quantity and quality thanks to these important fun moments.
11. Tomasz Niezgoda, Head of Marketing & Co-Founder, Surfer
“Firstly, happy employees lead to happy customers. When our customers see that we’re having a good time, they’ll have a positive association with our company. Secondly, fun at work makes us feel appreciated.
When employers invest in activities that make employees happy, it shows that they care about their well-being. Finally, having fun simply makes life better. We spend a lot of time at work, so why not make it enjoyable?
My team and I have come up with a few great ways to inject some fun into our workday. For example, we sometimes work off-site in the beautiful scenery. It’s a great way to get some fresh air and change up the view.
Plus, it’s a fun way to bond with your team outside of the office. We also like to grab a beer after work from time to time. It’s a great way to unwind after a long day and catch up with your colleagues.”
12. Loredo Rucchin, CEO, Jukebox Print
Many underestimate the sheer amount of time an average person spends at work. They work simply to earn the money they need and live for the weekend. There are 5 days in a typical work week and only 2 days on the weekend. If you are living for the weekend, you are wasting most days of your life.
If you have fun at work, you will enjoy all 7 days of the week. You will also typically be more productive and find more fulfillment in your work.
In order to encourage fun at work, I plan a fun activity for my employees on Friday from 4-5 every second week. It can be anything from paintball to painting pots, or simply just providing them with some drinks and snacks. This encourages co-workers to be friendly with one another and get to know each other better. It is a lot more fun to come to work when you get along with your co-workers and enjoy spending time with them.
13. Alex Mastin, CEO, and Founder, Home Grounds
It’s easy to have fun at work when your work is already fun, and Home Grounds is all about fueling every day with energy and flavor. Because this is a remotely run company and everything is online, so are the games and bonding activities. You don’t need an office to build employee relationships, and being remote pushes us to be more creative in how we plan game nights.
There’s no shortage of online games, and with so many to choose from it’s easy to find a good variety. It’s preferable to choose activities that encourage teamwork instead of pitting everyone against each other, as well as strategy building. There are games that incorporate history or culture, or more importantly agriculture, into the story which can spark debates and conversations between employees.
Games can build connections, especially between management and employees who might not otherwise be able to relax around each other. They can also mix things up to form different groups than what people are used to, allowing everyone to branch out and get to know each other past their normal interactions.
14. James Crawford, Co-founder, Deal Drop
You might be motivated by adding your own style to your workspace. You are allowed to bring items from home, such as photos of your loved ones. You may also change how your workspace seems and feels.
For instance, you may paint the workplace walls a brighter hue or rearrange the furniture to give the area a cozier feel. Group painting projects are a great way for your business to re-energize your workplace and involve your employees.
15. Dragos Badea, CEO, Yarooms
You’re going to be spending eight hours a day, five days a week on average with your workplace and with your work colleagues. That time, almost always, isn’t going to be fun and exciting as you’re going to be busy, stressed, etc. Being able to convert at least some of that time into fun is a huge improvement, with effects that can linger for some time.
Two ways to build camaraderie are around shared suffering and shared enjoyment. Obviously, there is one preferable option to how to build team unity and it is up to management to be able to facilitate it, or at least not interfere with employees who engage others in enjoyable activities.
Have you ever had an epiphany in the shower after quitting some sort of home improvement project in frustration? Having fun at work can facilitate a similar breakthrough, in my experience.
16. Will Yang, Head of Growth, Instrument
Having fun at work helps you stay motivated and energized throughout the day. When you’re having fun, you’re able to focus on the task at hand without getting distracted by other things. And when you’re focused on what you’re doing, it’s easier to get things done quickly.
Second, it helps keep your employees happy and engaged in their work. If workers feel like they are not enjoying themselves, they might be less likely to want to come to work every day. That can lead to a decline in productivity and quality control, which can be damaging for any business!
Finally, fun gives you something to look forward to in your day. When you have something fun to look forward to at work (like a lunch date with a friend), it makes the rest of your day feel lighter and easier to get through. When I’m at work, I like to perform blind drawings with my team. It’s a great way to get them engaged and working together.
Blind drawing is the act of having people draw something without knowing what they’re drawing and then having them guess what it is. This can be done with a whiteboard, paper, or even on the computer. It allows for people to have fun while also learning about each other’s strengths as artists and how they perceive different things, which helps create a more cohesive team overall.
17. Evan McCarthy, President, and CEO, Sporting Smiles LLC
What’s more important than having ‘fun’ is to feel the ultimate happiness boost that comes from making other people smile. Giving a smile and seeing other people in good spirits make you feel happier, more productive, and generally positive about life… and vice versa.
A smile can make a day – they say. ‘They’ are psychologists who’ve studied this simple interaction that improves our lives. And it’s such an obvious fact of our human experience, we wonder sometimes, why we even need a study to convince us of this natural action that can improve our immediate surroundings.
So if you provide a smile and in turn, someone else gives you a smile is factually a coping mechanism to get through life.
We often hosted communal employee lunches, pre-pandemic, and then reintroduced them again, last year. Here, everyone gets to know one another better over a casual lunch, which provides a fun respite from the weekly grind and strengthens the team.
Everyone shares stories from their personal life during lunch, and we seldom ever discuss work-related topics. The general atmosphere is improved and everyone’s relationships and trust with one another are deepened by a simple event like this. And the jokes are worthy of a Judd Apatow movie.
18. Thomas Monson, Owner, Monson Lawn & Landscaping
As a lawn care and landscaping business, the work we do is very physically demanding so letting my teams have a little fun is the least I can do in return.
Obviously, I allow all of my guys to wear headphones and listen to music while they work, as long as they’re being safe.
Additionally, we’ll have competitions for who can lay the most sod or plant the most plants in a certain amount of time with small cash prizes to make tedious work a little more enjoyable.
19. Carla Diaz, Cofounder, Broadband Search
We all have that friend who never seems to be doing any actual work at work, while they are still getting tasks done, they seem to never be too bogged down, and they might have the right idea.
Research has shown that a workplace that is too stressful actually lower work performance, and employee morale. And creating a more fun and relaxed workplace, where work still gets done but without all the extra stress, is a more productive company that will also retain customers for longer.
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Conclusion
A fun work environment not only increases productivity but also draws in customers, excellent candidates, and ultimately, more profits. Employees who are in good spirits are more likely to be productive.
They are more open-minded and more imaginative because of the increased oxygen, endorphins, and positive mindset. They are more relaxed, understanding, and likely to deliver better results compared to ones who find their jobs boring.
Here’s hoping that these tips from global leaders will help you add a fun element to your workplace.
