How Fun At Work Can Increase Productivity and Employee Engagement

Should the workplace be fun?

There are some who believe the workplace is purely a place of work and you’re there to do your job and not a lot more.

For others the workplace is much more than that. Sure, your primary reason for being there is to do the job, but is having fun while you’re at it a bad thing?

Believe it or not, promoting fun at work can actually have a positive impact on productivity and engagement.

A study by  BrightHR found that employees who have fun at work are less likely to take sick days and more likely to report feeling creative at work and committed to their organization.

In another study, the University of Warwick measured the impact of happiness on employee productivity and found a 12% spike in productivity among happy workers and a 10% drop among unhappy workers.  

It may turn traditional ideas about workplace productivity on their heads, but creating a fun atmosphere and setting aside time for fun activities at work can give employees the boost they need to excel at their jobs

How To Have Fun At Work

Ready to let the fun begin? For many businesses today, the challenge of creating fun at the office is dwarfed by the challenge of creating fun for workers not at the office.

Before you order up a ping pong table or schedule a happy hour team event, there are a two questions you should ask yourself:

• Does your workforce include remote or deskless workers?
• Do your employees work on a shift-based schedule?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, a mobile solution could help you ensure that none of your employees have to miss out on the fun.

Qnnect is designed to create a social workplace for workers in and outside of the office, so you don’t have to worry about workers missing out on team bonding opportunities because they work in the field or on an unusual schedule.

Here are three fun ways to engage your employees using a mobile communications app:

1. Create a company-wide chat for everyday conversation. Think of it as a substitute for water cooler conversations.
2. Send a message from the C-Suite. Executives can have a big influence on employee happiness. Have top execs start non-work related conversations on topics like “Coffee: is it good or bad for you?”
3. Promote social recognition for contributions to fun. Encourage employees to share appreciation with their employees not just for a job well done but for things like bringing a positive attitude or making work more fun.

There are just a few of the ways that you can build a culture of fun using Qnnect. If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments!