Yesterday morning I attended an industry event, "Breakfast with a Leader," to hear our CEO address the crowd. The biggest take-away presented by Russell Denson? His three priorities, in this order: Have fun, make sure your employees have fun, and make sure their families are having fun. Then some second-hand wisdom he imparted: No company ever went out of business while having fun. Work ceases to be fun long before that happens.
It made me think, how many people can say they have fun at work? I know I do, almost every day. And John Byrne, our editor, writes about how much he loves his job in his May editor's letter (access code required). But how unique is Fast Company's workplace? Sure, we do things like staff bowling outings, softball games, and riverside retreats, but those outings aren't what make our work so damned fun. It's the people on our team, who spend most days laughing while they learn, ribbing each other while reporting, giving recognition where its due, and also calling it like it is. No team event can overcome a lack of these basic workplace traits. Keeping it real is the foundation of fun.
So how much fun do you have at work? Why, or why not?
Related Stories: | Topics:Work/Life, culture, Russell Denson, John Byrne, Fast Company Magazine |
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Recent Comments | 8 Total
March 24, 2005 at 1:42pm by James Estes
I try to have fun at work, although I admit some days are not. I think humor in stressful things: work, family life, daily living-humor help relieve the tension and lighten the moment. I think humor is a big part of having fun. It can be as simple as a spur of the moment joke or ongoing jokes you have with your co-workers. I know some of the most fun times I had were the funny thing that happened in the middle of busy stressful times.
Don't let yourself lose the fun at work, at least what you can control. Here is a good quote on fun:
"Without fun, marriages don't work; when jobs aren't fun, the become intolerable and dehumanizing; when children aren't fun to be with, they are heartbreaking; when churches aren't fun, religion becomes a drag; when life is not fun, it is just plain hard." ~Tony Campolo
March 24, 2005 at 1:45pm by Steve Portigal
"I've tried to create an atmosphere where I'm a friend first, boss second. Probably entertainer third."
-- David Brent
March 24, 2005 at 3:10pm by Spike Jones
How could you not have fun at a place called Brains on Fire?
I agree with Lynn. It's the people that makes a place fun. You can plan all the events you'd like, but it's the impromptu goings-out after work to get a drink that turns into dinner that turns into dance parties that make it fun. This year, instead of a holiday party, we had a midnight mystery tour where our Gadfly/Founder planned a night going around town on a chartered bus. We had a great time, but the personalities aboard the bus is what made it great.
I must admit, our leadership here does a very good and careful job about the people they hire. Not only are they they best in the nation at what they do, they make sure it's a good fit CULTURALLY. And for that, I'm thankful. It makes Brains on Fire a very fun and intriguing place to call home.
March 24, 2005 at 6:03pm by Dan Garrison
I'm a huge believer in having fun at work and I would say that I enjoy my job most days (I'm an Accountant). I think where some people and companies get stuck in this area is that they try to instill fun in their company by hosting "fun" activities or events that are separate and apart from their day to day operations. What happens is that this type of "fun" tends to be forced and mechanical, and it doesn't really improve morale. Why? Because the job they are doing still basically stinks. I believe that a business should focus on creating a culture where the WORK is enjoyable and fulfilling, in and of itself. I'm not downplaying the usefulness of things like company picnics, after hours events (impromptu or planned) or whatever, but I look at those things as channels for expressing (and magnifying) the high morale that already exists in a company, not as a means of creating high morale.
March 24, 2005 at 6:07pm by Steve Wilson
I have enormous fun at work every day, but I guess that is no surprise seeing as I am president of World Laughter Tour, Inc. I have studied the matter for more than 20 years, and written and taught about it.
A few of the challenges about fun at work are:
(1) "Fun" is subjective (different jokes for different folks); how do we include everybody?
(2) "Accidental" or spontaneous fun is terrific but we can't count on it because it doesn't happen enough to produce great results; fun needs to be a sustained initiative, yet not be forced or formulaic.
(3) What is fun to some people is hurtful to others; we need to promote both a sense of humor and a sensitivity to humor.
March 24, 2005 at 7:41pm by Frank McCl;ung
Most professionals seem resigned to earning a living doing one kind of work, while spending the rest of the time wishing they could follow their passions to do an entirely different kind of work. The interesting thing is that most people feel that 'passion' and 'profession' are mutually exclusive. My uncle, a former gov. of the Federal Reserve, used to say never confuse your work with your hobby or one is sure to go sour (in other words, don't mix what pays the bills with what you enjoy doing). I think you must find your passion, and therein may be the call of you life's work. Then what you do becomes both meaningful and fun. We're exploring how to close the gap between passion (a.k.a. fun at work) and profession at B L A N K.
March 25, 2005 at 3:31pm by Dan Seidman
Fun, fun? We're a bunch of sickos collecting sales horror stories at www.salesautopsy.com!
We're having great fun and don't even need no stinking badges.
Dan Seidman, SalesAutopsy.com
"One of the top 12 sales coaches in America" (Ultimate Selling Power)
Sales Horror Stories now appearing on Monster.com!
Author, The Sales Comic Book
There is nothing like it on this planet (possibly any planet)!
http://www.salesautopsy.com 1-847-359-7860 (central time)
October 26, 2009 at 2:05pm by elly hutt
Its nice to inject some fun into the workplace however its not always possible, so why not consider some fun jobs and a career change of the right choice or even for just some part time work with a fun atmosphere, good luck!