Fun at Work…
I’ve heard the comments…”there should be no fun in the workplace” and “they call it job for a reason.” However, since many of us spend 30%+ of our time at work and another 20-30% of our time sleeping, it is good to find those fun times at work…What’s going on in your workplace to make it more enjoyable for you and your colleagues?
I was speaking to one of our Surgeons and we started to discuss the excitement and challenges in healthcare. He enjoys surgery, good dialogue, his colleagues, and having fun while at work. He let me know he would not want to work in a place that was not an enjoyable day in and day out. That would be a “dreaded place to be.” This doesn’t mean goofing off all day long. It does mean enjoying the time you spend in the workplace and helping to make it enjoyable for you and others. That creates a place for all of us to thrive. And the other beneficiaries of this kind of place..our patients.
Forbes had an article reflecting on the benefits of fun in the workplace.
Also check out these 8 tips from Tres Coaching:
1. Put fun first on your list of priorities, and the rest will fall into place.
2. Laugh more. Laughter can be great a medicine for what ails you and your workplace.
3. Be spontaneous with recognition, praise, and a simple “thank you”.
4. Schedule fun-based activities with employees, customers, and suppliers.
5. Find your inner child. Let others see the humorous side of your personality.
6. Live with the 3E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
7. Take mental health breaks and/or extended lunches to refresh and re-energize.
8. Keep things in perspective. Your work is a means to an end, not the end!
Regardless of where you are in your career, if you’re not having fun – what’s the point? Life is too short to not enjoy what you are doing, so find a way to put fun back into your work or do something else. The continuing negative trends in business as a result of downsizing, restructuring and the financial markets meltdown have taken a huge toll on the workplace, and the workforce tasked with doing more with less. We need to find ways to reduce stress, improve productivity, and keep our morale and energy levels up.
There are unlimited challenges and exciting times ahead in healthcare. Why not make the best of it and ensure we have some fun while constantly improving the healthcare experience.
What do you do to infuse fun into your work environment?