Where's the fun?
With the rise of remote work due to COVID-19, organisations have been forced to figure out how to drive engagement, retain talent, and keep things light hearted and fun, all while working remotely. Having fun at work helps to build relationships and thus increases trust, team bonding, and job satisfaction. Many have tried different things to see what sticks, but in the quest to create a fun environment for their teams forced fun can backfire. One of the great joys of adulthood is the ability to choose who you hang out with, and how you spend your time. The pandemic has seen people re-align their priorities to spend more time with their family and on things that they want to do. Orchestrating forced fun at work can create an inauthentic culture where everyone is obliged to turn up and get along.
In Catherine Price's Ted Talk, she defines fun as the secret to feeling alive. It is pure joy and radiates within like sunshine. According to Price, the three elements for fun are playfulness, flow, and connection. When we have fun, we feel light hearted and let go of perfection. We feel connected to others or with ourselves, and we are often in a state of flow. It energises us and fills us up.
To foster a connection with our workmates, we need a culture where social events are normalised. Workplace social activities are important generally and even more so when people don't get to serendipitously run into each other in the office, or get to go out for team lunches on a weekly basis. Be inclusive by planning activities during work hours, instead of after hours drinks. This requires a work environment which has leeway to allow for these activities. People sometimes feel like coming to these events is "not work" and coupled with deadlines and pressure to deliver, they opt out and stick with writing code. Instead of forced participation, try and shift towards activities that the team wants to do. Organisations should treat intra-office relationships as a normal aspect of work life, without enforcing fun participation on their employees. People should be able to feel comfortable to be themselves and bring their whole selves to work, to do their best work. Allowing employees to define and initiate the play at work will truly ignite fun.