What does “fun at work” look like to you? Lunch gatherings? Jokes between coworkers? Company events? There are lots of different forms “fun at work” can take, and in my blog post from March, I describe two basic types: organic fun (natural interactions or activities in the workplace that bring joy) and organized fun (events or activities organized on behalf of the organization to generate joy).
Both of these types of fun help create healthy workplace cultures, but they may not reach everyone as intended or may even be seen as a distraction or waste of time and company funds. I’d like to introduce a third type of workplace fun that focuses more on connecting personal motivators to business outcomes: Functional Fun.
Functional Fun means that someone is finding
intrinsic joy in the job task.
When someone is having functional fun, it means that they personally enjoy something about their job role.
Some people experience this naturally – they may be working in their dream career already or just naturally find joy in what they do. However, many people are in job roles because they need to be. These people may need help finding the functional fun in their work.
1. Start with Personal Motivators
To cultivate an environment where people can tap into functional fun in their work, you first need to find what motivates people. For instance, do people on your team love to win? Be right all the time? Connect with people? Then, find the aspects of their job roles that match those motivators and help those team members lean into their unique sources of purpose, joy, or livelihood. Making this connection can improve an person’s productivity and the creativity in their work, and it can be a springboard for healthier teams and business outcomes.
The DiSC model and other behavioral assessments are great tools for helping people identify personal motivators.
2. Focus on Growth & Development
Find out what people like about their job role, and help them grow through that task or responsibility. Give them opportunities to do that thing, learn more about that thing, and become an in-house expert (maybe even a regional, national, or global expert!).
As an in-house expert, they can not only help bring information to other teammates to grow your organization’s capabilities, but they may find joy in developing new solutions based on their expertise, or connecting with others as they teach or mentor others in their area of expertise.
Make sure to consider all aspects of someone’s work as potential areas for them to develop:
- Company processes or procedures
- Industry Standards
- Speaking and Presenting
- Software Platforms
- Technology or Equipment
3. Express Gratitude and Celebrate
People want to know that their work matters. Lots of companies do a great job of recognizing people, but only in certain areas like sales, leadership, or community outreach. Recognize a variety of wins in a variety of ways. Get granular and make sure leaders are thanking all types of wins, whether they involve someone promoting smiles, fixing a broken process, or taking on responsibilities to keep things running during some kind of disruption to your operations. Each person on a team brings something. Celebrate ALL of the behaviors you want to see more at your workplace!
Celebrate people in ways that works for them. Some people are mortified by public recognition, so a newsletter article may not be the best way to motivate them personally. Consider taking someone to lunch or asking a leader to thank them personally, whether via email, call, or in person if possible. Find out what drives people and how they want to be recognized.
4. Create Safe Environments
I’m not talking about OSHA safety here – I’m talking about psychological safety at work, which according to the Center for Creative Leadership, is “a shared belief held by members of a team that others on the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for speaking up.”
This can seem basic, but it’s worth explaining. No one is having fun when they’re scared to be themselves, ask questions, or make mistakes. Here are some basic ways to create psychological safety:
Listen to and communicate with ALL team members. Many employees feel disengaged because they don’t know what’s going on, and no one asks them what they think anyway.
- Recognize errors and mistakes with discretion and kindness
- Thank employees for feedback they do offer, even if it’s negative or indicates a misperception and needs to be corrected
- When things get tough, laugh when you can, help people to maintain perspective
Contact Gordeaux Consulting today for a complimentary discovery meeting to see how your organization can start leveraging the power of functional fun to drive your business forward!