Work Shouldn’t Be Fun—or Should It?
Work is too serious to be fun.
Of course, that idea is ridiculous. There’s nothing worse than working in an oppressive workplace. Although certain criteria have to be met for a workplace to qualify as a hostile work environment, lots of things can make it feel hostile, such as a rude boss, elbow-to-elbow workspace, or coworkers who are rude, obstreperous, or impatient.
Of course, not everyone is in favor of deliberately making work fun. No one would promote unpleasant jobs over ones that are enjoyable, but in some people’s view, the use of intentional efforts to generate fun can have just the opposite effect by reducing productivity and making employees miserable. As Steve Berczuk has pointed out, how work gets to be fun matters.
Nevertheless, several companies have created the position of chief fun officer (a far cry from the usual meaning of CFO!), responsible for facilitating social engagement among peers and creating a sense of community in the workplace. The chief fun officer in one particular company is in charge of organizing weekend outings, as well as games and short parties. The fun (are you ready for this?) includes dancing, singing, and various competitions. I, for one, am glad I don’t work in such a company.
I once had a client who didn’t understand that mandated fun isn’t fun. As part of a two-day offsite retreat for the software engineering staff, this director required teams to create and perform a skit about some aspect of the company. The skits these teams came up with were uproariously funny. But the people who had to plan the skits were miserable. Coming up with something creative—or at least something that wouldn’t embarrass them—required huge amounts of time for several months before the offsite event. Meanwhile, all other deadlines remained in force. This sort of “fun” was a bad idea in action.
Still, websites are full of ideas for how to make work fun. True, as this post indicates, “Brighter colors, big, green plants, and healthy snacks can inject positive energy in an otherwise drab office.” But please, no enforced outings, evening activities, or mandated birthday parties. Even people who enjoy these sorts of festivities lose enthusiasm when they become obligatory.
Too often, fun-inducing efforts are merely a strategy for deflecting attention from problems, such as poor salaries and unfulfilling work. Note that organizations that regularly thank employees far outperform those that don’t. And I’ll bet that the people in those organizations find their work fun.
