Blog: Six values for life and workplace – Have fun
‘We understand that humor and fun are important aspects of life. We incorporate these aspects into all our actions and efforts thereby making life easier for us and the people around us.’
They say, ‘It is really not work if you are having fun!’ Well, what better way to get most of your work and life than having fun in it. But then, work and fun are rarely seen used together! And why is that? The common perception is that fun is what you have after work hours and fun is a distraction that takes away the productivity and concentration required in a job! It need not be so. Any job can be fun with the right attitude to it
Let us see some ways of how workplaces can be made fun and welcoming spaces.
Trying to meet and talk to people at work – One of the biggest changes that has come in post covid is that our face-to-face meetings with people have reduced drastically. Communication has become quite faceless and impersonal. In this scenario, with limited opportunities for physical presence
at the workplace, it would be good to move around and meet people and renew work relationships. The break times on days when one is at work can be used to catch up on what’s happening in their lives. Having only communication routed through gadgets can be avoided on those days at least.
Personalizing your workspace – Have your feng shui bamboo plant, crochet puppet, bobble head look alikes of yourself or of superman, whatever might be your thing, bringing your personality to your workplace makes it a fun place to be; a place you don’t want to ’escape’ from, but somewhere where you feel welcome and at home.
Legitimizing laughter – Laughing is legitimate. It doesn’t make you less serious about your work or reduce your productivity. A workplace should not feel like a prison where laughing feels like a criminal act. Jokes that don’t cross the margins of propriety and light hearted banter should always find space in the workplace.
Appreciating and complementing people even on non-work achievements – It could be a half marathon your colleague ran at 55 or it could be winning in a stand-up comedy gig, you can be part of sharing their joy, appreciate or even participate alongside them if it interests you. Appreciation need not limit to workplace achievements alone. Everyone has interests beyond work which they enjoy and makes up a big part of their life.
Having competitive work or non-work activities – It could be a competition of who brings in the most car insurance policy sales in a week or it could be who clocks in maximum miles on the bike. Having continuous opportunities for healthy competition builds camaraderie and friendships
Not taking yourself too seriously – This is an important thing to keep in mind both at work and off work. A person who can laugh at themselves, enjoys life and gets to learn a lot about themselves as well. People find them approachable, easy to deal with and communicate. As a team leader, inspiring that confidence in the team is something many leaders struggle to achieve. A light hearted person is not irresponsible they are just easy on others as well themselves without forgetting we are all in this world with limited lifespans
Understand that being professional doesn’t mean being less fun – Most things in life aren’t black and white or linear. There are a lot of gray areas and overlaps. To think that being a fun leader is being unprofessional is about not recognizing that possibility. A leader can be firm, assertive, goal oriented and take tough decisions where they have to while being an engaging and friendly person who understands and appreciates the people in his team for who they are outside of work and the quirks and traits they bring in to work
Having an informal communication channel – It could be a group that goes out after work hours or on weekends. Or it could be WhatsApp groups, chat groups or just a group of colleagues who chat together during breaks at work to catch up on fun stuff happening at work or movies to be watched, share jokes etc. This makes the communication between people extend beyond tasks and outside the purview of work commitments.
Help people have a work life balance while having one for yourself – Offering flexible work environments, empathetic behavior and policies lenient to team members going through difficult times builds trust and makes people want to be part of the work environment. Deifying workaholics who work extended hours should be avoided and people should be encouraged to limit their work to work hours. Extending work beyond that should be considered an anomaly and measures taken to work with such people to do a root cause analysis and sort the issue out.
Encourage creativity at the workplace – People offering creative solutions should be offered an opportunity to be heard and implemented if it aligns with overall organizational direction. People van be encouraged to explore other aspects of their creativity through competitions and workshops which can be arranged with the help of a proactive Human Resource department.
Make opportunities to do something everyone enjoys – Starting walking clubs, book or movie clubs, weekend baseball teams are methods of engaging the team members and bringing in something where everyone can partake and where they can all be their own selves without the work-related commitments or stress.
Have fun traditions introduced – Specific restaurants to go to celebrate birthdays, or anniversaries celebrated in a particular manner, fun dress codes for Fridays are all fun and non-taxing traditions that can bring cohesiveness in a group.
Training on informal communication and soft skills – Most of the disadvantages that we bring to a workplace are not to do with lack of talent but lack of training. A lot of people do not possess the skills required to communicate formally or even informally well. As a leader you can take up the responsibility of bringing them this most essential life skill. It makes the workplace a fun and enriching place.
Soft skills are important for you in both personal and professional life. They are an important component in your success and how far you would go in life. This is equally applicable for your team of employees as well. If you are looking for any soft skill coaching or mentoring for your team or for yourself do write to us at harish@harishrao.world to know how we can help you with it. We understand the difference the right mentoring and training can make to a person’s productivity. We would love to work with you on this or any other business coaching needs you may have!