When work is fun
Credit to Author: ANGELO ARBOLEDA| Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2019 16:15:35 +0000
WHEN was the last time you had fun at work? The kind of fun you have when you’re busy with a hobby or playing your favorite sport?
For some (or many) of us, “fun” is not something we readily associate with the workplace, what with our tight deadlines, endless meetings and long hours. But as with most areas of our lives, “business as usual” is being disrupted by changing attitudes, expectations and technology. Now, people don’t go to work just to meet targets and score milestones; they do it to have fun, as well.
In a report on how companies are merging work and play, Deloitte notes that jobseekers, especially those with bargaining power, are intentionally looking for employers to fulfill needs beyond the material kind. Many want to have flexible work schedules and arrangements, and engaging environments where they are able to gain new and useful skills. These shifts in how work is viewed include the concept of workplace fun, which is fast becoming a form of competitive advantage.
By “fun,” Deloitte doesn’t mean one-off events or gimmicks. Rather, it is about truly instilling a climate of fun in the corporate culture. In its report, Deloitte defines a fun work environment as one that “intentionally encourages, initiates, and supports a variety of enjoyable and pleasurable activities that positively impact the attitude and productivity of individuals and groups.”
Deloitte noted the following shifts in the business environment that have led to this more relaxed work experience:
Shift in the psychological contract. There was a time when it was enough for employees to work for a “winning” organization, one that was performing well financially and that could provide them with the stability they desired. Today, this fundamental relationship between employees and employers — what academics call “psychological contract” — is not as black and white.
An increasing number of workers now see business success as something more than just a healthy bottom line. More socially aware and more socially connected employees look for organizations that can offer them a fun and engaging work experience, one that shows genuine concern for its people.
Shift in work itself. Nowadays, collaboration isn’t limited to big projects or major launches. The complexity of business problems makes it necessary for employees to reach across organizational boundaries and tap the various skills of their colleagues in order to find solutions.
Leaders must foster a deeper understanding of how various departments interact and impact one another to create an environment conducive to collaboration. Research has shown that a key driver of collaborative environments is fostering a fun work climate.
Companies that embrace the idea of instilling fun in their culture can offer an experience that is differentiated from their competitors. This also enhances their ability to attract, retain and develop talent. It’s an effort that goes beyond simply throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks.
Organizations that have successfully created a fun workplace are using big data and analytics to think strategically about the kinds of activities that support a climate of fun. They use pulse surveys and solicit qualitative feedback to gather large amounts of data that can be analyzed to get a better understanding of what employees, as a group, enjoy doing. And then they fine-tune until they get it just right.
Toy company Lego holds an annual “play day” for its employees, where they get the day off to simply play with Lego products. A US-based brewing company designated a senior leader as Director of Fun, and in that capacity, he has carved out fun and social spaces in the company headquarters for a rock-climbing wall, ping-pong table and slide.
Organizations can also consider fun activities that more deliberately foster collaboration. An online retailer based in New York has what it calls a “lunch roulette.” Employees from different departments are selected at random to have lunch together, paid for by the company, so they can get to know each other better and make cross-functional connections.
A graphic design company has a smaller version of this: two employees are randomly selected to go on a “coffee date,” where they can learn more about each other’s passion projects and see if they can collaborate.
There are many ways to infuse fun into the workplace and have it result in meaningful, positive change. Having a leader who values having fun at work is, of course, a plus. But instilling fun is a collective effort that starts with understanding what each employee considers a fun work experience, having that perspective accepted (not judged) by the rest of the team and then finding ways to accommodate those different perspectives in organizational activities and celebrations. It’s a difficult idea to argue against because, really, who doesn’t want to have fun at work?
The author is the director for human resources at Navarro Amper & Co., the local member-firm of Deloitte Southeast Asia Ltd. – a member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited – made up Deloitte practices operating in Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Guam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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