Does Fun at Work Increase Employees Engagement and Productivity?
Date 09.06.2021
About Significance of Fun at Work Environment in shaping a successful business –
Workspace is the place where employees spend most of the time of the day accomplishing different tasks. But, the thought of being in the office space to seriously complete the assigned tasks every single day turns out tiring sooner or later.
Lack of excitement in being in the workspace also reduces the interest in the work, thus reducing productivity. As Dale Carnegie says “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing”.
But, are there insane benefits of a positive work environment on engagement and productivity in a workspace? Let’s see....
The conventional working procedure and limited productivity
It is still a common perception among many companies that fun can reduce focus on the assigned tasks. Many businesses still believe that fun during an important activity can detract from concentration and accuracy.
Due to this wrong notion or perception, many businesses are limited in productivity. As per a recent survey of 2019, such business which solely focuses on accomplishing task has less potential to sustain the heavy competition of the market. This is the result of the famous saying by David Oglivy “Where people aren’t having any fun, they seldom produce good work”.
Apart from this, a recent study on the energising effect of humor proved that people exposed to fun and humor can complete tasks better than others.
Reasons why fun at work is the future of business
As per the recent studies of the Harvard School of Public health, there are tons of benefits of humor and fun at work. Some of them include-
- Healthy Workspace- The employees allowed to have a bit of fun and humor at work are more likely to stay away from side effects. Such employees can also handle work pressure better in any adverse scenario. A fun environment also reduces the chance of stress and anxiety. Moreover, some studies revealed that employees working in a fun environment can work more time than the normal environment.
- Improved Interaction and leads to better communication- Being a business that runs on skills and knowledge of the manpower, good communication is essential. Such companies rely mostly on teamwork and leadership qualities. A fun and relaxed environment is the foundation of such communication for better teamwork.
- Enhances Creativity- Creative development is the result of a clear mind, which is why children learn best. A fun environment with ample space for activities makes the tasks enjoyable in a relaxed mood. It boosts imagination and doubles creativity.
- Step-Ups Motivation- People surrounded by friendship, support, and a humorous environment works with good motivation. They can find a way to complete the task one way or the other due to the cool mindset and free working environment.
With all those benefits on board, companies like Microsoft and Google always step ahead to ensure a fun environment. Bill Gates also says “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it”. This reflects the work environment of those business giants that had a long streak of monopoly in the market.
Companies that succeeded due to Fun at Work Environment
- Google- (#No.1 company at creativity and employee’s productivity)- When it is about Fun at Work, Google indeed tops the list as the best employers across the globe. Google offers so many perks including health benefits and tons of relaxing activities for the employees. It is among the few companies that witnessed a drastic improvement in productivity last decade. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google considers Fun and Humorous environment as a secret behind the creativity and productivity of the employees. He also once posted an email saying that “The changes above are a starting point to help us do our very best work and have fun doing it”.
- Citrix- (Face of the software industry with freedom of mobility to employees)- Citrix is one such company that believes software can be fun and exciting for the employees. It allows the employees to move all around the campus to find their place of comfort. Besides, it also allows the employees to indulge in an activity that keeps them from getting bored. Citrix was one of the few companies that stepped ahead for such a movement in the workspace. As a result, it leads as the face of the software industry all around the world.
- Disney- (The world leader in making the work fun and exciting)- Disney is among the businesses that grew only due to the employees with creative ideas. It follows the only philosophy of adventure, excitement, and fun. Additionally, Disney allows working from anywhere around the globe as it is present in almost every continent. The best thing is you can also get the benefits of free Theme park visits, free food in Disney World, and sneak previews etc.With the unmatched success of those big names that the world has witnessed over years, other companies are also adapting fun at the work environment. It is no more a secret that a well interactive, fun, and humorous environment excels productivity. Business enthusiasts believe that even emerging startups can succeed in their business goals by adapting this strategy to enhance productivity. Half of Fame Business Speaker, Michael Kerr believes that companies can increase their outputs to 10 times by adapting to such fun at work strategies.
