It is rightly said that, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Indeed, the heavy load of work, meetings, presentations and stressful deadlines can take a toll on employees’ health, moods and motivation level. Here are a few ideas to lighten up the work atmosphere and make it cheerful.
Follow your dreams. Just make sure to have fun too.
– Chris Brown
Until a few decades back, workplaces were some of most somber places in the world. People would come to their office five days a week, sit at their desks and perform their tasks without any interaction or fun. Remember, with almost 40 hours of the week spent at work, employees dedicate a substantial amount of their time and energy to ensure that they perform all the expected duties.
At the end of the day, these activities are likely to cause a lot of mental and physical stress to them, leading to a gradual drop in employee morale. Therefore, experts in motivation techniques recommend a healthy blend of fun along with work, to make office a cheerful place to be in. Adding a fun factor to work need not always be on an official level. Employees may volunteer to be the unofficial fun ambassadors of the organization.
Here are some ways to make fun, while you work. But remember, these fun activities are just meant to lighten the tensions and work-related stress. They are definitely essential, but should never become full-time activities.
15 Ideas for Having Fun at Work
Greet Each Other
One of the best ways to make work fun is to enter the office with a smile. Make sure to greet everyone with a pleasant ‘Good Morning’ before you start your work. This is likely to spread a lot of positive vibes around your workplace. Also, greeting helps you to gel well along with your teammates. On the other hand, employees who enter the office with a sullen face are likely to be thoroughly ignored by their colleagues.
Appreciate Achievements
Each one of us strives to achieve sales targets or work-related deadlines in the office. Organizations usually reward employee achievements during the annual appraisals. However, there is nothing more satisfying than getting a spontaneous appreciation for work achievements from colleagues and teammates. Wouldn’t it be exciting to get a round of applause along with appreciation from team leaders? I even suggest presenting the achievers with appreciation letters, a box of chocolates or the all-time favorite ‘greeting card’ signed by all the colleagues.
Play Games
When employees dedicate long hours at the workplace, they may get a sense of redundancy and boredom trickling into their tasks. In such situations, a slight diversion from routine work can do wonders in making work a bit more fun. Employees may indulge in some games like solving crosswords, playing Pictionary, chess, one-minute games, etc., to do away with work stress. However, take prior approval from office management before playing such games to avoid any friction at workplace.
Eat Together
It is said that, nothing can be more fun than sharing a meal with your second family – your colleagues! You can either order take-out food online or plan a potluck party. In most organizations, colleagues or team members plan such meals once or twice a month. See that you contribute equally to avoid resentment among colleagues.
Play Music
Music soothes away all the work tensions and brings a spirit of fun and excitement in the workplace. Try to play some cheerful and rhythmic music in your work space.
Celebrate Birthdays
When it comes to workplace, every opportunity for celebration and having fun is welcome. Birthdays are truly special and nothing can be more exciting than celebrating everyone’s birthday. In many organizations, colleagues contribute to buy a birthday cake and a special gift for their colleagues. Such celebrations can help to lighten the strenuous mood in workplaces.
Plan Weekend Picnics
Our minds demand a breather between hectic work schedule. One of best ways to get this mental relaxation is going on a weekend picnic. Choose an interesting tourist place convenient for a day trip or a weekend trip. It will also be an excellent opportunity to play sports, do trekking, bird watching or to catch up with your colleagues about their lives beyond the workplace.
Exercise
A good workout in the office gym can do wonders with your fitness and moods. If your office permits, you and your colleagues can also take short breaks to do yoga and aerobics. Regular exercise helps to keep you fit and healthy. It increases your stamina, which in turn helps you to handle work stress. On the other hand, workout helps release some essential hormones like endorphin and dopamine. Both these hormones are known to make a person feel happy and exhilarated.
Post Jokes
It is said that laughter is the best medicine to all possible problems. Indeed, humor can lighten the mood of the workplace and bring a fun factor in the daily work routine. You need not be born with a funny bone for this. Do not forget to note some funny incidents that took place in your office and post them on internal mails. As an alternative, put cutouts of some funny cartoons on your personal softboard.
Plan Special Workdays
You can experience fun at your workplace by planning some special days. I know a lot of organizations that announce dress codes for such special days. In fact, some popular options also include ‘Family at Work Day’, ‘Pets at Work Day’, ‘Chocolate Day’, etc.
Pitch in with Help/Ideas
Gone are the days when people associated themselves only with their personal profiles. Pitching help and suggesting creative ideas to your colleagues will help you get the pleasure of learning something new. It will also make you an indispensable team player and earn you some brownie points during the annual appraisals.
Decorate your Workplace
Make your office and workstation cheerful by decorating it during the holiday season. Most offices have interiors in formal and neutral colors. However, colorful decorations, pictures, flowers, etc., can make your desk inviting and eye-pleasing.
Inter-office Competitions
You can add some fun and laughter to your daily work routine by introducing some inter-office competitions like general knowledge quiz, sports competitions, fancy dress competitions, etc. Make sure to give away prizes and mementos as reminders of these fun-filled moments.
Start Hobby Clubs
Nothing is more pleasurable than finding people with similar hobbies at your workplace. You may start some hobby clubs at your workplace such as photography club, a circulating library, etc. Such activities will help you to reduce stress and have lots of fun after your work.
Cleanliness Drive
Decluttering your workplace helps you classify all the essential and unwanted things at your desk. If the cleaning drive includes all the colleagues, you can have fun together and get a cleaned-up office at the same time. This activity helps you to get extra space at your workstation.
There are plenty of creative ways to have fun while working in your office. A healthy combination of work and fun is the key to good relations between employees and employers.
