Don’t Be a Jerk, Have Some Fun at Work!

Are you in management? Do you have any fun at work? When you hear the words manager or boss, what do you picture? Do you remember being called to the office, layoffs, or disciplinary action? Or do you think of payroll, insurance, and paperwork? Probably the last thing that comes to mind when you think about management is F-U-N fun. But the best managers know that a fun work culture is one key to happy employees, and happy employees are more productive with less turnover.

7 Ways to Have Fun at Work (Even if You’re the Manager) Start a FUN committee

Ask for volunteers from every department. Include employees from all levels of the organization. Meet monthly at lunch, and bring a pizza to set the fun mood. What’s more fun than pizza? Discuss ways for the corporation to create fun events. Look for fun activities to share throughout the organization.

Set the stage for FUN

Encourage fun by creating a fun environment. Add a bulletin board to the break room for teammates to post cartoons. Post a joke of the day. Add humor to the company newsletter. Think Readers Digest and their “A Day in the Life” section, except make it stories about your workplace and teammates. Add humorous quotes to Emails.

Make it a Game

Turn training into a game with points and prizes. Look for ways to make production a contest with rewards. Recognize milestones. Organize wellness contests.

Create FUN Days

Have dress-up days, brown bag lunch days, and talk-like-a-pirate days. “Ahoy there, Matey!” Hold a chili cook-off.

Make it happen after work

Create and organize a company picnic, Christmas party, or awards banquet—mail newsletters with employee recognition to team members’ homes and families. Recognize tenure and accomplishments with awards employees can take home. Involve the team in charitable events.

Encourage a sense of humor and spontaneity 

Yes, there is a time and a place to be serious and get down to business, but there should also be room for fun. Teach teammates when fun is appropriate and when it isn’t.

Show others how to have FUN 

Don’t be a dry, all-business manager—it only advances the stereotype. Smile, laugh, and have fun. Open meetings with an icebreaker, share self-deprecating humor, and look for ways to show everyone it’s OK to have a little fun, even if you’re the boss.

Don’t be a Stick-in-the-mud

Learn to smile, laugh, and have fun at work. There will be more than enough occasions where you need to wear your serious professional manager’s face. Those aren’t going away, but that’s not 100% of the time. There are times when it’s not only appropriate to have fun but also advantageous. If you want to build a productive team, if you want to reduce turnover, and if you want to make your job a little easier, then have some fun. Are you in management? How do you have fun at work?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Has work stopped being fun for you? Read this When Did Your Job Stop Being Fun?

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez  on Unsplash

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