The Benefits of Fun in the Workplace
By Ed Giles

Stress – the time-honored ingredient that Americans use to get work done on time.  Let’s face it, if we didn’t have any stress in our lives we’d probably fall asleep out of boredom, but when we start getting too much stress, things can go south in a hurry.

Getting stressed at work used to be an OK thing.  We’d punch in, get to work, get stressed, punch out and go home – leaving the stressed out stuff behind.  However, our work culture is changing.  Many people have been able to work nearly 24/7 for years now, and with the advent of the “Home Office” it’s harder and harder to separate ourselves from work and get that much needed downtime.

One solution to this problem in recent years is to implement “Fun at Work” programs.  There are various types designed to work in different ways to achieve the same goal: have some fun at work, with the people that you work with, to help each other and lower stress in the workplace.

I’d like to offer up some ways to help you reduce your stress both at work and on those rare occasions when you’re not at work.

INITIATING THE FUN

Even the best programs can’t take away that nagging feeling that we’re not working.  There are many reasons why people feel that it’s inappropriate to have fun at work.  I mean, we’re “at work” after all; if you’re having fun then you aren’t working.  Unfortunately, by not having any fun we have found ourselves to be a bunch of over-stressed people.

Turning the work into a game may be a simple solution.  On a recent trip to the mall, I heard an announcement to the employees that the new number was 15 “thanks to the associates in Lawn and Garden!”  Curious, I asked an Associate what it meant.  She told me that this particular store held a contest for the most new credit applications each day.  If the store hits their goal for the day, there’s some sort of reward.

Sometimes we have to get really creative when it comes to reducing stress…  In the United Kingdom, there has been a push to set aside a day for reducing stress; this program is called “Stress Down Day”; a cool concept that uses a therapeutic approach to help people get through tough situations and to generally feel better .

Here in the States, one major theme to helping people cope centers more on fun than on structured therapy.  For example, every year I look forward to September 19 and “Talk Like A Pirate Day” .  It’s funny, but something as simple as talking with an accent actually helps to take the edge off a normally stressful day.  And, of course, I’m sure that you can see how this type of concept can also be turned into a fun-filled activity at work including a party atmosphere.  After all, why do we need to have someone’s birthday to have cake?  Of course, if you’re not the high-seas type, you can try just about anything.  A “Day at the Beach”, or “Best Star Trek Captain Day” (no, I’m not going to start THAT debate again).

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance?  Oh right – keeping things running smoothly and efficiently.  Just as we maintain our machines we need to maintain ourselves.  Providing healthy outlets for stress and doing everything that we can to reduce it will result in happier, healthier, and yes, more productive employees.  In these economic times the last thing we need are our people getting so stressed out that they are using their keyboards as clubs or taking out their frustrations while driving a forklift.

Ask yourself a few questions about what seems to make things worse around the place that you spend more than 8 hours a day.  What seems to wind you up the most?  Annoying cell phone ring tones?  A messy workplace? The Cranky Boss?  Another Computer crisis?  No-one making coffee!  These only cover a few of the more common catalysts, but you get the idea.

Just remember, Matey - the point is, even little diversions can have a huge effect on how we view our daily lives.  Having a little fun at work can’t hurt, but letting stress get out of control can - Arrr!

Ed Giles is a Specialist with the XONITEK Consulting Services Team. Ed brings years of experience in Manufacturing, Shipping/Receiving, Material Handling/Inventory Control, Warehouse Distribution, and many other strategic technologies to the XONITEK team. Contact Ed at gilesec@xonitek.com

XONITEK Corporation is a management and technologies consulting firm with a world wide presence and a reputation for excelling in the optimization of business synchronization .