The rapid pace of change and pressures to continually increase productivity have led to rising levels of mental health problems that have negatively impacted personal and working lives.
One response that organisations have adopted to combat work-related mental health issues, such as stress and fatigue, is to increase ‘fun’ at work. Evidence has shown that increasing fun and playfulness at work can reduce stress while stimulating creativity and innovation. Beyond the organisational benefits, fun at work is an integral part of contributing to positive working lives.
No one-size-fits-all approach exists to creating a fun culture, as the organisational context will shape culture and practices. Indeed, the notions of fun and playfulness are tricky to define as we experience these ideas differently. However, for fun and playfulness to be meaningful, there are some common features of playfulness, according to L.E.Garrett, in the Acting authentically: Using play to cultivate authentic interrelating in role performance article, published in June 2024 in the Journal of Organizational Behaviour: Firstly, playing should be joined freely; playing should be for playing sake, regardless of the outcome; arbitrary rules with space for interpretation; and playing should be fuelled by imagination and offer escapism.
By considering these features, we differentiate fun and playfulness from gamification, as there is no intended outcome, such as increasing competitiveness. Gamification can be viewed as a top-down initiative, while genuine playfulness should be bottom-up. In other words, this approach values the employee’s role in identifying and incorporating play at work and creating fun, making them central to the process instead of the fun being implemented.
The key for organisations is not what activities, games, and initiatives should be implemented to promote a fun culture. Instead, the focus should be on how resources can empower employees to initiate playfulness at work. This shift in focus, from prescribing fun to enabling employees to create it, promotes a more inclusive and engaging workplace culture, inspiring a new way of thinking about work and wellbeing.
Regardless of the level of seriousness within the setting, there is always space for fun. Fun is not just a luxury but a necessity that promotes a healthy work-life balance and enhances employee wellbeing.
Maranda Ridgway is associate professor in the department of human resource management at Nottingham Business School
