Every day should be ‘National Fun at Work Day’

To some of us lucky ones, fun at work is a daily occurrence, it happens as naturally a reading your emails and drinking your morning coffee, in short, we ‘lucky ones’ can take this natural emotion/interaction for granted. However, even us ‘lucky ones’ can probably remember a time in our working past where we didn’t have such fun everyday… May be our boss was tough, our colleagues didn’t include us, or our environment was stale. Any of these factors can influence our moods. So, for some of us National Fun at Work Day is a day to celebrate how fortunate we are to be having fun at work naturally, whilst it is probably a goal or dream for others less fortunate.

There are many factors that can influence the atmosphere or ‘fun factor’ in the workplace, here are a few.

Environment

Your surrounding environment can alter your mood dramatically. Extensive research has been undertaken in this field by industries such as, retail and food service sectors. They have studied how your surroundings can reflect or even alter your mood, productivity, staff retention levels etc. So, invest some time into looking at your workplace décor with ‘fresh eyes’. Give the walls some colour, add some personal touches with art pieces, plants, and ornaments etc. Go ahead, create a space that you can connect to… add some personality!

Facilities

Does your workplace cater for your basic needs? Maybe you cycle to work every day, but your workplace doesn’t have a shower, so you feel hot and uncomfortable all day, or your workplace doesn’t have a nice kitchen area with somewhere to sit that is away from your desk. Taking a break from your desk/screen and work phone is vital to boost your mood and therefore increase productivity.

Approachable Staff and Management

Are you able to ask questions at work, however personal or even embarrassing. It is important to create a safe space at work where everyone can voice their opinions or ideas without fear. It is vital to feel valued at work and asking questions should be actively encouraged, as the more knowledge a team share, the stronger the company can become, which will help with the promotion/sales of your product/service.

Small Gestures

Some ways to boost fun at work can be very quick and simple to implement, for example, Manners are important, no matter what your position within your company. Praise, say something nice to a work colleague, praise their efforts, dedication or willingness and watch their confidence grow, this will spread positivity throughout your organisation.

Embrace your differences!

Everyone is different, this is our unique superpower, encourage others to embrace their differences and give their opinions, you may well be surprised by how much you can learn from others when they feel relaxed enough to open up, your workplace will thank you for it!

In Conclusion

Having fun at work isn’t just about cracking jokes or playing games in your lunch break, it is an atmosphere that is created and nurtured, by taking simple steps and an open approach to reviewing your company, even if it’s difficult to face change at first, your employees will thank you for improving their work lives and your company will thank you for the positive effects your happy team is bringing to your company production/profits.

This blog was written at work, sitting on a comfy sofa, listening to the radio playing, whilst drinking a creamy hot chocolate and eating a bag of pick ‘n’ mix, all supplied by our relaxed and wonderful bosses, every day is definitely ‘Fun at Work Day’ here at CREATE Business Hub!