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5 Fresh Trends To Fuse Fun And Work

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“I never did a day’s work in my life — it was all fun.”
 ~Thomas Edison  

Edison’s point is well taken, but I doubt he ever worked in any of the deadening cultures most of us have had to suffer in at some time during our careers. I’m not asking for rainbows and unicorns, they call it work for a reason. But the fact is that leaders can add some zing, zest and just plain fun to being at work. And numerous studies have shown a lively, personalized workplace culture improves business performance (and profits).

I’m talking about fun, but this is serious business. Global employee engagement is stuck at an anemic 30 percent. This is a red flag for HR and Leadership. It’s our job to help create happy employees.

Here Are 5 Ways Savvy Leaders Make It Happen:

1) Personalize Employee Engagement. Nothing makes work more fun than real engagement. It creates a bond between the enterprise and it’s people. When people are engaged, they dig deeper and suddenly work becomes a lot more fun. But what engages one person can leave another cold. So leaders must use technology to create personalized profiles of each employee. What are her hobbies and passions, where is his heart and soul, what thrills and delights her? And where do these passions intersect with the culture and employee needs? Find that sweet spot and the fun (and stellar results) will flow. 

2) Use The HR Technology Tools. HR Technology, used correctly, are manna from heaven for HR pros and Leaders. They allow us to build a community that not only enables great performance, but makes it much more social and fun. Again, it’s all about personalization, drawing out the best in people, getting their creative juices flowing, their hearts racing. Games are turning out to be amazing tools for adding fun to a culture if utilized with a strategy for adoption. Smart leaders use all the smart tools at their disposal to create fun whenever possible – with a strategy that authentically mirrors the plan for leaders and employees to get to productive work.

3) Exercise Your Inner Comedian. One of the great unsung leadership tools is a sense of humor. Watch the way good (there are a few left) politicians, comedians and actors use humor to build a bond with their audiences. A good joke, a sense of fun, a surprise, a prank – they instantly lighten the mood, lift morale, and unite people. Find ways to bring humor to your workplace culture. Strong communication and a genuine employer brand is a good place to start. Find a voice for your company that is informal and engaging, and has a sense of humor. Consider Naming A Chief Humor Officer. Caveat: don’t force it and don’t get corny about, both are cringe-worthy and counterproductive. 

4) Be Holistic. Employee performance soars when people are happy and healthy. This means fitness that is linked to rewards, good food, basic human understanding and recognition for good work. If someone is going through a rough patch in their personal life, offer to help but know when to give them a little space. Conversely, celebrate success and milestones that happen outside the workplace. Everyone will have a lot more fun if they feel they can be themselves at work. 

5) Solicit (Off The Wall) Ideas. Everyone’s idea of fun is slightly different. So turn over the workplace asylum to the inmates by establishing a mechanism where people can express their idiosyncrasies at work. How about 5 Minutes of Crazy? A weekly funercise where a volunteer (again, no forcing) leads everyone in … anything they want. Think of it as “Show and Tell” for adults. How about My Favorite Stupid YouTube Video that seems to make everyone laugh? Available for viewing on your team’s social channels of choice or maybe it lives in your social enterprise and the team can own the channel privately.

Let’s be honest, no workplace can be fun all the time. It shouldn’t be. Our careers are serious at times. But if you look at history’s most successful entrepreneurs, leaders and employees, you will see a common thread: they all love what they do. We may not achieve that perfect synergy, but getting there is half the fun!

A version of this was first posted on Forbes. 

 

photo credit: “We’ve got this!” via photopin (license)

5 Habits Of Leaders Who Create Workspace Culture

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When I was a student (once upon a time I thought I was to be a clinical psychologist), and broke, and spending time in New York City (also about the time I decided I was not to be a performing artist, choreographer for my career after spending years here doing so), I used to make extra money volunteering for psychological studies at Columbia University. I arrived one day and was told to wait in a small room for the study to start. The room started to fill up with other people, also waiting, until it was jammed and people were sitting on the floor shoulder to shoulder. Things got testy, arguments broke out, there was jostling. After 45 minutes the researchers came in and announced that the study was over: they had been measuring how we reacted when we were crowded into a small space.

I love this story from my past because it perfectly illustrates the power of our environment to influence our mood and actions. Anyone who has ever worked in a fluorescent-lit, gray-carpeted cubicle wasteland knows exactly what I’m talking out. It’s depressing, deadening, and you feel like the bosses don’t really care about your comfort and wellbeing. That is no way to design a 21st century company. In this economy, talent is your most valuable asset. And talented people don’t want to work in a soul-killing office space. They’ll take their special gifts elsewhere, thank you.

Well-designed office spaces ignite creativity, create team collaboration, and drive peak performance. They show respect, lift our souls and make people want to dig deep and give their all. Your workspace is a physical manifestation of your leadership culture. Make it unique.

How can you make your space a dynamic part of your vision and mission, and a driver of success? Here are 5 habits and how to make this happen:

1.) Think urban. Cities are hotbeds of creativity and enterprise for a reason. People are social beings, and cities provide the perfect balance of inspiration, contact, and privacy. Provide spaces for all of these: kitchens are great places for folks to hang out and connect (and share ideas on current projects). Outdoor space gives a sense of freedom and possibility, and contact with nature is always enlivening. Cities surprise us with their diversity and spontaneity. Celebrate everyone’s idiosyncrasies by encouraging them to decorate their personal spaces with pictures, objects and toys that make them feel at home. The goal here is to create a buzzing microcosm of urban energy in your workplace.

2) Keep it moving. Sitting at a desk all day is a downer. It’s stagnant and unhealthy and breeds lethargy and eyestrain. Encourage people to move around, to take the stairs, to go out for a short walk. Have a yoga, stretching, exercise room. Have informal work areas, couches and chairs with plenty of nearby power outlets. Make conference rooms available to everyone for meetings, even one-on-ones and informal brainstorming sessions.

3) Play at work. Put in a ping-pong table, foosball, Legos and other games. They are great for building bonds, relieving tension, engaging in playful competition, and renewing our psyches. We all hit a wall at work now and then — a quick game can be the play that refreshes.

4) Bon appetit! Coffee shops like Starbucks SBUX +0.09% and Peet’s have become embedded in our culture and psyche. They are defacto town squares, places where employees can hang out, grab a bite, do a little texting, work, flirt, have fun, whatever – you get the idea. Consider creating one in your workspace. Design it to be comfortable, warm and welcoming. Serve healthy food at great prices. People love getting a good deal, and having a coffee shop at work makes everyone feel like they’re part of the bigger world. And work inevitably gets done over those mochaccinos.

5) One size fits no one. Some of the most talented people in the world are introverts who like to be left alone to work their magic. Other talented people thrive with almost constant contact and stimulation. You want to design a space that is yielding and flexible – and has room for all personality types to thrive. So while you’re creating a vital environment that encourages connections, make sure there are quiet spaces where talent can go and work in peace.

Great design nurtures talent. It’s as simple as that. Look around at your workspace. How can you make your culture a talent magnet?

A version of this post was first published on Forbes.com

Image credit: Google Inc. – Office Hamburg, DEU