Make Serious Work Fun
You can’t mandate fun. But employees in fun environments are 3X more likely to report well-being (Great Place To Work®).
Leaders are too serious. Show me one who plays, and I’ll show you a team that loves their work.
A mischievous leprechaun lives in our house. He recently put a sweet potato in my coffee cup. (See: Blame: It Was a Leprechaun)
Leverage Leprechaun Power:
Our leprechaun injects energy into routine tasks. He’s harmless. He moves coffee cups to remind us he’s watching.
Playful mischief shows people you’re thinking of them. It sparks creativity and lifts moods.
Leaders need leprechaun power!
Hire playful people:
In your next job interview try asking:
- When did you last play?
- What does play look like for you?
- How did you bring play to your last team?
Power tip: Host a 20-minute session on becoming a workplace leprechaun.
Bonus: Let the fun-lover on your team plan the next off-site.
Give silly awards:
Create a monthly traveling award.
Give a roll of duct tape to a person who helps the office run smoothly. Pass it to another person next month.
Name a “Leprechaun of the Month.” Frame a certificate. Give a restaurant gift card.
Begin meetings with humor:
Ask deep questions like:
- If your life was a movie right now, what’s the title?
- What two words best describe your 16-year-old self?
- If your next work project was food, what would it be?
Bonus: Tell stories where you’re the punchline.
How might a leprechaun bring the dead to life in your organization?
What prevents leaders from leading fun?
Gotta have fun!
I’m reminded of a previous manager in our department. He was notorious for checking in a “small coding change” before leaving for a 2-week unplugged vacation. In playful retaliation we would pull pranks upon his return, one time turning his office into a toy army war 2000 pieces strong, and another time into a literal fake-plant jungle.
I asked him how he liked his office, and I’ll never forget his reply. I quote “I don’t know if you people like me or hate me.” I told him we would only do this to someone we liked. If we didn’t, we would have ignored him.
I’ve never forgotten that exchange. It reminds me to regularly check the temperature and lower it a few degrees, especially when things get hot. And to keep in mind how playful banter may be interpreted by the receiving party.
It’s important to know that what’s funny to you might be painful to others. That, I suppose, is one danger of playful banter. You were wise to check in.
We used to “kidnap” our receptionist’s Paddington Bear and leave ransom notes. Once we put the bear in triple Ziploc bags and sunk him to the bottom of the aquarium. She walked past it for days without seeing it!
Another time the owner of the company (small company of 6 employees) made a comment that he did his best thinking in the rest room. When he went on vacation, we borrowed a toilet from one of our plumbing customers and put it behind his desk (complete with a floral arrangement and a fake cell phone – it was in the 90s). He laughed until he cried and even posed for pictures, which I still have.
While we can’t have fun at work all the time, it really is critical to sprinkle it in where appropriate. These things happened decades ago, and I remember them like they were yesterday.
Thanks Laurie. Your stories crack me up. You folks were serious about fun. That’s the kind of fun that keeps on giving.
What’s sad is some organizations are so filled with fear that they can’t image doing something like this. Then we wonder why work feels oppressive.
Thanks for the chuckle and the challenge to take playful mischief seriously.