Work at Fun to Have Fun @ Work
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Abhijit Bhaduri
Fresh out of Business School, MBA in hand, the taste of toast and mixed fruit jam still fresh in the mouth, when I joined the work place, life was very simple. We came in to work and bust our collective guts trying to work. We all hoped that the big boss would get impressed with our dedication. That had the potential of a generous appraisal rating for that year. Even when that did not happen, all of us gnashed our teeth, wrote his name on paper (in those days the boss was usually a “He”) and shred that up to express our point of view (to ourselves). There was no such thing as fun at work.
Then the dot com boom happened. Young kids showed us that it was OK to be a dreamer. They quit jobs at blue chip companies and abandoned potentially hefty 12% pay hikes (that was the maximum you could get those days in my firm) in favor of an unknown world. A world where they would have the corner office by the time they were hitting twenty five. The “corner office” meant the CEO’s Office and not the cubicle in the corner where the photocopier was kept. One of them had told me casually while quitting, “I want to have fun.” That was blasphemy. I was no idea that we were supposed to have fun in the office. I asked the lad very apprehensively, “We are not supposed to do those fun things on the office desk? You could get sacked if you get caught.” That reckless lad gave me a look that was hard to define. My logic was clear – work was meant to be making you miserable. To get away from the agony called work, we hung around with friends and had fun.
Then for the next few years, everyone went back to accepting the notion that work and fun were not designed to happen at the same time and at the same place. Can you really have fun with colleagues? After all the English language has two different words to describe a colleague and friend. To complicate matters people have different definitions of fun. Sticking a “kick me” behind your classmate in school may not be appreciated by a colleague at the receiving end.
This piece was first published on 21 Nov 2007. This is a revised and edited version.
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12:06 am
Hi Abhijit,
Completely agree with the notion that though at times fun and work appear at loggerheads, it might be possible to somehow stretch the two corners and coax them gently towards each other.
Have also realized that it is quite a challenge to keep various age/experience slabs motivated to keep working together, with as little noise that too. Hence, forums to keep different levels motivated are being formed, along with creating ample opportunities to allow us to appreciate energy of the younger lot. Participation in treks, marathons, boat races, festival celebrations, healthy internal competitions (anything that works!) are all encouraged big time by the management and has gotten us quite a positive response from the employees.
Even in the training programs, we encourage more of experiential learning that takes off the drudgery of monotonous trainings. We share and we learn. Am glad to say that we’re getting closer to the environment that facilitates both professional and personal growth.
Would be glad to know of some more ideas about what the other organizations are doing to promote the ‘fun’ culture at work.
Regards,
Preeti Bose
8:02 pm
Preeti – thanks for sharing your experiences. You believe that making learning experiential makes it enjoyable and increases the impact of the message. That’s what the notion of play-school is all about. Play and learn. I am not sure if that applies to adult learning scenarios as well.
12:20 pm
hi abhijit,
simple… bullsit in, bullshit out!
hire enthusiasts instead of schmoozers… cut the amount of bullshit that is tolerated and you’re left with an environment where people work for the love of what they do. You would find that this bunch would invariably have their quirks and a commonality of purpose (excellence, changing the world etc) … and fun is anything that revolves around new experiences…there are several examples around… early Google, Thoughtworks, aQuantive, early Yahoo!
the problem is most large companies compromise on the quality of people they hire or quality they retain… and land up herding cattle… which makes it shitty … and then HR needs to run around finding these largest common denominator solutions which are supposed to rock our world!
to answer your question a basic task can have fun built around it… if the culture provides a sense of ownership, kaizen style improvement opportunity and collective and individual pride!
love to hear your thoughts,
the cattle hater!
8:30 pm
Hi Abhijit,
Loved that part on ” watching the senior manager’s clumsiness at a sports event during the Annual Day celebration provides much mirth.” Events like these would give enough fodder for discussions for weeks!
My Mantra: Don’t let work be your reason of happiness or sadness, look for other medium of self-expression/fun, so step beyond your work place and create you identity. Helps me keep sane when I am trapped in the Maya-jaal created by the complexities of work and constant search for satisfaction and purpose.
Joshibhai
9:14 pm
Hi,
I have always felt that while people take actual work too seriously, there is a lot of talk about FUN @ work. I guess it would be fun to have coffee available when you need it but the impact of all this FUN soon wears off and it becomes not so important in an age of pressing deadlines, etc.
For a company, I once suggested a fun plan we called My Work, My Way. This was an initiative where each individual was given the general objectives that he or she had to achieve and were asked to find out THEIR OWN way of how to achieve them. The person is firmly put in the drivers seat and the rest of the organization, including the senior were there to ASSIST the person achieving what he/she wanted to achieve.
In my own company I often tell my junior staff, that though it may APPEAR that I am paying you, in reality its YOUR WORK that is paying for this organization, so my job is to ASSIST YOU.
So here is FUN for you…what if we let people do their work in their own way? Of course we will provide “SUPPORT” which a person can VOLUNTARILY choose to take on if they need it?
Perhaps this would explain it better?
Ant and CorporationView more presentations from Javed Alam.
12:37 am
Hi Dr. Fenn, I am curious to knwo the outcome of the plan My work, My way. How did it shape up?
rgds
11:09 pm
Hi,
I get the impression from “young” friends in different organizations that the pressure of always maintaining that “fun” atmosphere at office sometimes supercedes the actual enjoyment of doing something productive in a structured way. The idea of “going to office” is similar to studying in the “home-work” corner of the house….it separates “work” from “fun” and creates an area/atmosphere for serious (!!) activity.
Let us be creative employers by all means, and appreciative of that over-used but effective term… “out-of-the-box ” ideas! But hey college is over and the workplace is for …well……work!!!
4:43 pm
well i think there a couple of must haves first — the work must be intersting and challenging and you have people who are naturally upto the challenge .in this challenge — the team will find ways to have fun around work … fun being thrust or work being thrust upon wont work ..
…
5:18 am
Yes, the usual 8 to 5 jobs are now starting to be a thing of the past. Many ventured into the modern type of working where you can be your own boss and get that “car” only your CEO’s drive. Home business is also one best way to have fun while working same with outsourcing as you have mentioned.
1:46 am
Good article,
Does the organisation really working for this? I didnt saw any initiative from the corporates, they are arrenging parties for successful completion of project or any achievement on organisational level; but i dont think that its ” fun @ work”?
The problem is(my personal opnion), employees are forced to work, in which they are not interested or good in. If a person given a work/job that he loves to do, there is no need of spending/investing big funds for this concept to work.
~ta123
11:51 am
Fun and HR activities are needed to keep the masses opiate. It plays the same role as played by religion/God in most of the peoples lives. The purpose is to develop a smokescreen over your eyes so that you don’t start questioning everything – so that you remain in a state of perpetual delusion in your life. Fun, pub, clubs, soap operas are needed so that you don’t come in the way of important people who will make all the decisions about your life including what you “have to” think. Very few people are able to figure this out – the smart ones mostly do. In India you don’t even get quality access to good books – I mean non fiction books (not the trash like “Da Vinci Code”. How many of the masses even have read books on critical thinking, logic and philosophy? How many are even aware that they are being brainwashed by the propaganda coming out of the corporate media, businesses and by their own government.
Unfortunately 99% of the work done in India are extremely mundane in nature which can be done by high school drop outs. If the content of the work is highly intellectual in nature then the work or solving the problem at work itself is the biggest kick and will make you jump out of your bed every morning.
3:16 pm
what r al the fun to have in bpo’s can u guide me
3:17 pm
pls send mail to archanaiyer88@yahoo.in