Why fun at work ?

Six reasons why fun in the office is the future of work

Happy employees are healthier employees

Absence and absenteeism is a significant problem. On an average, businesses lose 6.9 days a year per employee because of absenteeism, at an estimated cost of Indian rupees 48,522.51 per employee. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Indian organisations say ‘non-genuine absence’ is the top reason for short-term absence for non-manual workers, with this proportion rising to 30% for manual workers.

The health effects that happiness has on your workforce will also help to reduce absence costs and reduce presenteeism. If your workers are generally healthier as a result of the increased fun they’re having in the office, then they’ll take less time off due to sickness. Introduce more fun activities into your workplace, and health and wellbeing initiatives, and you should be able to track the positive effect on absence rates via your HR system.

Having fun makes employees more productive

A 2015 study by the University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy found that happier employees are more productive by an average of 12% and, in some cases, up to 20% more than a control group. This difference is significant, given that “in term so national GDP or economic growth, [productivity] rises of 3% or so are considered very large.”

When an employee feels low or sad for any reason, their motivation drops, they may withdraw and communicate less, and may generally be less productive.

There will always be unavoidable events in our lives that make us unhappy, but we cope better and recover faster when we’re surrounded by happiness, support and friendship.

Workplace isolation and low morale are on the rise

We can’t avoid it: 2020 has been tough, and HR managers are seeing this every day. According to Lattice, employee morale was the top challenge for nearly 70% of the 1,700 HR professionals Lattice surveyed in April 2020.

The increasing normalization of work-from-home and remote-friendly policies will elevate the need to fight isolation through culture-building fun.

Introducing light-hearted fun activities is a surefire way to boost morale. In that same Lattice survey, nearly 25% of teams had actively introduced games for the purpose of morale-boosting. On the topic of morale, one respondent wrote that “virtual team lunches have been really fun for our team.”

Fun improves collaboration between teammates

We’ve got a new math equation that you probably didn’t encounter in your Algebra class: 2 Coworkers x Fun = Better Collaboration. And we can prove it… (dramatic pause) … with science!

Research has revealed that employees with friends at work are twice as likely to be engaged than those without friends at work. That engagement level has a direct impact on almost all aspects of work.

According to leadership adviser and New York Times bestselling author Annie McKee, friendship is one of the keys to being happy at work.

“One of the most pernicious myths in today’s organizations is that you don’t have to be friends with your coworkers. Common sense and my decades of work with people and companies show the exact opposite. Love and a sense of belonging at work are as necessary as the air we breathe.”

Having fun encourages advocacy

Advocates act as a powerful force in shaping the public perception of an organisation. Employees that have fun, enjoy what they do, and are engaged will naturally share stories and act as advocates for your brand – on and offline. If every one of your employees shared news and updates about your brand to their own social groups, then your audience will increase exponentially – and for free.

Fun breeds creativity

Social ‘play’ is a vital part in healthy creative development. Young children often learn best when they are playing, and that principle also applies to adults.

Individuals’ ability to learn improves when the task at hand is enjoyable and they’re in a relaxed mood. Play can also stimulate imagination, helping people adapt and problem solve.

Creative environments have an atmosphere and activity that is easily distinguishable. There’s a buzz in the air, colleagues are enthusiastic and energetic, and there are lots of conversations happening.

This creative culture can be nurtured by injecting fun initiatives into employees’ daily lives. Challenges and problem-solving exercises, whether as a result of day-to-day activity or introduced in the form of competitions or initiatives, are an effective way to increase innovation within the workforce.