Do you have fun at work? I do, and I don’t know any other way to work. Even as a kid when I “bean walked” in soybean fields or did corn detasseling I had fun working. Work can be tough, boring, mindless, and soul crushing, but you can still have fun.
As a leader you set the tone for your group, and if you set the tone for a fun workplace, your people will follow. Granted, much of this is due to your individual personality so don’t fake it, but don’t be afraid to have fun either. Of course a balance is required, but you can use humor to make the best of a bad or unpleasant situation, or as a teaching tool.
Here are some examples of how I’ve had fun or used humor at work:
- Want to reinforce policies or other topics people find dull? In your staff meeting, ask a question related to the topic you want to highlight, and award the winner with a prize like trade show SWAG or a prize you pass around from week to week.
- Have a difficult situation such as selecting where people will sit in the new office? Play Jeopardy. Use categories such as safety, products, technical topics, and my favorite: people & personalities. People & personalities focuses on the stories you and your people tell about themselves or each other. Let the winner have dibs on the seat selection.
- Just want to have fun? Take your team to the movies during the work day. We go to a summer blockbuster movie every year. This does not cost much and they really enjoy the get away.
- Want to get your folks to work better with other groups? Go bowling with the other group. Bowling is something we can all do even if we stink at it, and I always see smiles on people’s faces when they bowl.
- Doing something that doesn’t require a lot of thought? Play a game by asking trivia questions. I don’t work in the fields any more, but occasionally I have to move equipment or stay up late to support a change or something similar, and playing a game helps the time pass. It also lets you learn a bit about the other person, what matters to them, what they like, and so forth.
This isn’t my usual type of leadership advice, but I hope it helps you realize that you can use humor to lead your people where you want them to go, and how you can create a fun work place that they enjoy coming to five times a week.
Do you have a fun workplace? How do you use humor to teach?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a good post Becki – I think it is important that workplaces promote fun and humor to maintain employee productivity.
Thanks Terry. I’m glad you mentioned that a happy workplace can be productive.