UK 
United States
Co-Founder and CMO Paul Harris from BrightHR introduces the ‘It Pays to Play’ report. A look at the importance of fun within the workplace.
With 79% of all employees feeling stressed at work, now more than ever, businesses are tasked with creating engaging workplaces where employees feel valued, trusted, committed and motivated. As well as providing other benefits to a business, fun and play are becoming increasingly important to achieving this.
Our report which was produced in conjunction with Robertson Cooper, explores fun in the workplace and the impact it can have within a business.
The idea of fun can mean different things to different people. We found that the people surveyed had a varied mix of activities they deemed to be fun, with the top five being, dress down Fridays, office parties, a pool table, an office pet and wellbeing massage days.
The research also presented differences across a range of demographics, including age, gender, region and salary. For example, employees within a younger age bracket (16-24) expect to be part of a culture that promotes fun and creativity in any job, whereas the older generation (55-60) see the importance of fun at work but don’t expect it from a job.
It is this younger generation that can’t be ignored. The millennial generation, born from early 1980s – early 2000s, are set to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025 and as such, their expectations and way of working needs to be considered. This was highlighted by 92% of employees in this age bracket believing fun within the workplace would alleviate stress.
With such varied opinions and expectations within a workplace, to be able to find something everyone can engage with can be difficult. However the key element is to talk to employees and find out what they want. This can aid in empowering employees and in time can assist in creating a culture where fun is more organic and spontaneous. It becomes part of the company fabric helping to improve employee wellbeing and alleviating issues such as stress, absence and lateness.
Fun doesn’t have to cost a lot. Suggestions such as Spa days come with a price tag, but low cost fun can include laughing with colleagues, celebrating birthdays or enjoying work related tasks which can pave the way to creating a workplace employees will enjoy coming to on a day to day basis.
