How to Create a Fun Workplace

Simply smiling and laughing can inject some fun into a workplace environment.

Creating a fun workplace is a great way to keep your employees working efficiently and loving their job. Your employees will work better if they're not stressing about their job and completely consumed by tasks. Creating a fun work environment doesn't mean you need to organize a trip to an amusement park -- although it's an idea -- you can simply change up the monotonous work routines, crack some jokes and lighten up the "serious" mentality of the workplace.

Instructions

1. Lead by example. When employees see their boss laughing, they're more willing to relax and laugh themselves. Injecting a little humor into conversations with your employees will make them less tense and increase their productivity. Crack jokes with people throughout the day, and always try to wear a smile on your face.

2. Organize a group of people who can create fun activities. Gather everyone for a meeting and ask people to volunteer to be part of a team that organizes fun events and activities. The events can be small, such as sending a daily joke email through the workplace, or something more involved such as a get together at a local restaurant every Friday.

3. Designate a different day of the week as casual dress day. Many companies designate Friday as casual dress day because it's the end of the week and almost time to relax; but choosing a random day of the week keeps your employees guessing. Allowing your employees to break away from the norm gives them a chance to unwind, which creates a more fun and stress-free environment.

4. Add a bulletin board that's solely for humorous comics, quotes, articles and pictures. Tell your employees to post items to the bulletin board whenever they find something they think is funny and would like to share with the rest of their colleagues. Instruct everyone to keep the humor workplace-appropriate -- nothing crude, nude or violent.

5. Organize holiday parties. The holidays are stressful for a lot of people, so de-stress your workforce by throwing a holiday-themed party. Encourage employees to decorate their workplaces with holiday-themed decorations and to bring food and snacks for everyone to enjoy.

6. Add a small plastic basketball hoop on the door of the break room or a pinball machine inside the break room. When your employees take a break, they're supposed to enjoy themselves and relax away from work for a little while. You can encourage them to enjoy themselves by injecting some fun in the break room. Have competitions to see who can get the highest pinball score or make the most baskets.

Tips & Warnings

• Define what is humorous and what is not. Some people have different types of humor than others.

References

• Workplace Issues: Humor and Fun in the Workplace

Resources

• Ryan and Associates: Humor in Business: 16 Ways to Bring Fun to Your Workplace