Let’s have some dang fun already.
“I don’t remember the last time we had this much fun!” shared one participant with a smile at the end of a recent workshop.
That is music to my ears my friends, because not only did we have fun, we also got some serious work accomplished.
Three days spent discussing the traits a strong team, daily struggles at work, how to get students more engaged (it was a team at a high school), brainstorming and developing action items.
All of the above involved a lot of mental gymnastics so when energy got low, we paused the conversation and had some good old fashioned fun.
Whether it was Rock Paper Scissors tournaments, “minute to win it” type games, or even getting outside and playing with water balloons (it was HOT!) it made a huge difference. It got everyone laughing, gave the group an energy boost and increased the connection among the team.
Something I love to do with teams is provide something to fidget with, like pipe cleaners (thanks ICA!), silly putty or play-doh while we are talking and brainstorming. It is therapeutic for some and there’s always a few participants making amazing creations!
A friend told me recently about Office Olympics her department held at work. Over the course of a few weeks, every Friday they participated in office related games which only took about twenty minutes.
She was surprised just how big of an impact it had on morale. It was also a creative solution for teams that didn’t have a lot of time to spare.
Have you ever worked somewhere when the boss walks by everyone gets quiet? Laughter stops? Noses go back to the grindstone? I certainly have. I think part of that is thanks (ahem, NO thanks) to old school workplace mentality. You know, the mentality where we feel guilty for having a bit of a laugh.
I’m not sure where along the way having fun became a “waste of time and resources” but I say it’s time to flip that on its head. Let’s live on the edge and break the no fun at work rules. DON’T stop laughing when the boss walks by. Heck, why not fill them in on the joke. Maybe it bums them out when everyone gets quiet anytime they are within earshot. I certainly would hate it. If you’re the boss, be one to share a funny story every once in a while.
Taking the time to have a laugh, joke around and squeeze some fun into the day creates happy vibes and increases feelings of camaraderie.
A happy team equals a team that WANTS to show up. Everybody wins!
So where can you infuse some fun into your day at work?
