Fostering a Fun Work Environment

Adding fun to your work can make productivity more sustainable and team building more meaningful.

By now the majority of us know that taking small breaks throughout the work day is important, not only for our mental health but for our productivity as well. However, taking breaks isn’t synonymous with having fun at work, a concept many employees in the modern world struggle with. As Bob Nelson of Harvard Business Review points out, the definition of fun varies from person to person, but there are a number of things any employee or employer can do to make the work experience—remote or in-person—more fun and enjoyable.

1. Make Conversation

Something as obvious and simple as starting meaningful conversations with coworkers can uplift the whole day. Whether it’s starting a staff meeting with a question about everyone’s weekend or closing it off with a personal anecdote, engaging in casual or non-work-related conversations with your colleagues can add more joy to your workday by helping you be more mindful of the people around you.

2. Put a Tune To It

Whether it’s a podcast or an exciting playlist, work is more fun with something else going on in the background. The core of team building is people, and distance is not an issue for creating a collaborative playlist with everyone in your company. If you are not easily distracted by sound, putting on music can put you in a better mood and give you the motivation to cross off your daily tasks. For example, 5 Horizons started an agency-wide crowd-sourced playlist called Beyond the Horizon that works wonders during afternoon slumps.

3. Start a Party

If a company-wide outing is an option, any activity with the word “party” in it is a guaranteed fun booster. Of course, virtual parties are a great team-building option, but getting people away from their computer screens and moving should be taken advantage of as well. Such outings can help employees get to know each other better and reinforce the essence of a team.

Fun is a catalyst for sustainable productivity, and an exciting working environment is one of the key factors for team building, whether we are in-person or remote. Hopefully, by trying out at least one of the suggestions above, you and/or your company can start incorporating more fun into the workday.