Working outside of the home can be a difficult balance that creates stress, tension and a feeling of not being able to do anything fully and completely. But, intentionally bringing joy to the workplace is one way to make the workday go quicker. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine.
I know you don’t need one more thing on your to-do list, but unlike grocery shopping, running to the bank or shuttling to and from after school activities, this one will likely give you the warm and fuzzies and fill that tank back up to get you through the work day.
So, join me in celebrating “Have Fun at Work Day.” Celebrated on the last Friday (Fridays are bound to automatically make you happy!) in January aims to bring laughter to the workplace. A happier workplace leads to greater work satisfaction and increased productivity. Here are five ways you can bring fun to your work day.
1. Organize a Happy Hour
It’s Friday after all! One great way to unwind with co-workers is to share a few adult beverages and talk about adult things that have nothing to do with your kids. Ask a friend or two from work to join you for a quick social gathering. True, this doesn’t actually make your workday more fun, but it will give you motivation to get through the day.
2. Introduce Office Olympics
It can be something as simple as challenging a co-worker to an office chair race. Dodge ball tournament during lunch? An office scavenger hunt? Anything that builds camaraderie is fun. At my job, my co-worker and I were both confined to knee scooters and after weeks of friendly banter, we officially raced down the hallway. Not only did we enjoy it, our co-workers enjoyed watching the races (I won).
3. Create a Humor Board
Find funny memes or cartoons? Print them out and put them all in one place. Maybe your cubicle to encourage co-workers to come say hello or near the copier to allow people to get a few chuckles while waiting for their print job. This simple idea can bring a lot of laughs to the work day.
4. Organize a Contest
Baby picture contest, movie quote contest, door decorating contest, cooking making contest . . . the ideas are endless. Allowing your co-workers to gather for a common cause brings a sense of teamwork and something to look forward to during the work day.
5. Try Brain Teasers
Gather in teams to try to solve brain teasers and see which teams can solve the problem the fastest. It allows your co-workers to work together for a common goal and spend time together in a non-threatening way.
Many of us work because we have to and many of us work because we want to. Whether you participate in the work grind because you want to or have to, one thing we can all agree on is that we could all use more fun in the workplace.