All Work and No Play…

Who likes a cold, drab environment where the task at hand never changes and the atmosphere is always the same? Unless you’re a centipede or a silverfish, that sounds awful, right? Why make your office a cozy home for bugs when you can turn it into a fun, relaxing and productive space? That’s what I’m talking about today: office fun, and how to make your office a more enjoyable place to work. Look, unless you’re swinging a baseball bat or shooting baskets for a living, you’re getting paid to work, not play. However, I’m going to make the case that a little play mixed in will make for better and more efficient work.

Office Fun for Everyone

Supporting office fun doesn’t have to take away from productivity; in fact, it can add to it. Several studies have shown that there are several positive effects of having fun at work: office fun boosts creativity, increases productivity, and reduces stress. When you allow a little recreation at the workplace, you not only promote innovation that helps lead to increased profitability, you also reduce costs in employee turnover and health care.

Here are a few things you can do to promote office fun at your work place:

Office Games & Friendly Competitions

I’ll never forget a job I had where we had daily hacky-sack sessions on every break. It was so much fun to let loose with coworkers. Not everyone was good at it, but that didn’t matter – we all had a blast, and we used that positive energy and enthusiasm to better focus on our work responsibilities. It can’t hurt to offer an incentive for outstanding performance, either!

Positive Pranks

A tasteful prank pulled on the right person can raise spirits and bring the team together. While they can be a fun way to get a few laughs and lighten the mood, you need to be a little more cautious when pulling one at the office; not everyone enjoys coming back from the bathroom to a desk and computer wrapped in plastic!

Recreation Center

The rapidly growing tech industry provides a great example to the rest of us in the use of recreational activities to help re-energize employees. Many big companies now allow their employees to relax and get away from the everyday office grind for a time each day. We see Lego stations, pool tables, video games, table tennis and exercise equipment, just to name a few of the recreational activities offered. You don’t need to be a big tech giant to offer your team the same – get creative and keep it fun. Arcade games are one of my favorite stress relievers, but I’ve yet to see an office with Pac-Man (hint hint).

Exercise Room

Employee health and well-being are of the utmost importance. Having a happy, healthy team leads to higher productivity and better work results. Set up some yoga mats, have some free weights around, or allow the use of exercise balls in place of a chair to relieve stress and promote better overall health at work.

Nap Area

‘Nuff said.

These are just a few ways you can bring fun into the office. There are lots of great ideas; don’t be afraid to try something different, you never know what the positive outcome could be!