Having Fun at Work!

I am a big advocate for fun in all aspects of life. For me, if you don’t love what you do, and have fun doing it, you are not really living… you are merely existing. However, I recognise that there are factors that will sometimes prevent us from being involved with activities that we are really passionate about.

Therefore, my advice here is to make time for fun! It should be on our daily “to do list”.  Life can be stressful enough with the rigors of work, family, study and other personal commitments, for you to let the mundane and mediocre take over. This is why our classes have a combination of interactive activities, warm-ups, energisers and fun summaries to attract and maintain the attention of our groups.

I have met a number of “empty vessels” who wander through life unfulfilled and their disengagement becomes poison for people around them. You should be striving to smile or laugh at least once a day, every day. There is plenty of science that discusses how positive endorphins are released when we are happy and anecdotally, you have probably experienced the rush of euphoria when you have had a really great time. The challenge is how we manage this across our organisations or at a smaller level, across our learning groups.

Here is my plan: Be the champion of fun in your own environment. Be the Fun Master! Last week, I tried something different. I cooked lunch for my head office team and the buzz that this generated around the office was fantastic. It motivated, it engaged, it created laughter, but not at the expense of productivity. It also acted as a kind of reward and recognition activity for my staff, which was appreciated. We video-taped my preparation, cooking-show style for a bit of a laugh and this added to the positive atmosphere! Check it out on youtube:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BZfcJhaTWE (part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zMhR2ZPZqI (part 2)

By having regular fun-oriented programs at work, you can provide staff (and students) with an opportunity to engage, connect, interact and have fun with one another. This will build “buy in” and create stronger relationships and greater commitment. Ultimately, you will generate a more energised environment.