Is it the one with the boss that doesn't notice anything so you can
slack off? The “cool” boss that thinks you’re so fantastic that they give you
days off for no reason at all? Playing hooky and getting away with it?
When I sat down to think about what having fun at work means it occurred
to me that if I asked ten people what they do for fun I would easily get ten
different answers! Many of the things above do not make good business sense,
even downright lazy. They include “fun” but no “work.” So how do we add them
together?
Taking it down to simple grammar “fun” is the adjective describing the noun
“work” (back to school house rock here!). It only goes to reason that a “fun
work environment” cannot be had without a solid “work environment.”
A solid work environment calls for things that make money, sustain the
business, and develop the individuals who are employed there. Any business is
based on the sale of a particular product or service; from a dentist’s office to
a plumber to a grocery store. Sales equal revenue, and as any one of us knows,
revenue for the company equals paychecks and the occasional bonus! Not working
means no pay. No one can expect to make money by going to the movies and
getting ice cream all the time rather than getting up and heading to work.
Slacking off means that at some point the doors will close and then your
fulltime job becomes…job hunting, which no one likes having to do. Once we get
past being lazy and having bad work ethic we can get to fun!
A FUN work environment will be different for everyone. Some like quiet,
others like loud, moving around a lot, or being stationary. But we all know
that a job can be perfect for you, but if the people you work with are rude,
not fun, selfish, or any combination of unpleasant attributes. It’s the people that
we work with that can make or break a job. No receptionist will tell you the
highlight of their day was answering twenty phone calls, it was the stand out
conversation on that one phone call that made them laugh! Inside the work
place, when work is going well stress is low and spirits are high making
conversation light and tension low. The same goes for being outside of work; If
that’s going for a casual drink, watching the Big Ten game on Saturday
afternoon, or karaoke for the brave few, it’s only fun with the right people
and attitude.
So next time you think about slacking off…think about what you’re
looking for: fun with no money (somehow!), a zero-fun-work-environment (because
you’re slacking and no CEO likes a slacker!), or a fun work environment!
We had so much fun for Thanksgiving that we decided to provide gifts and meals for a family this Christmas. Through a local agency we were provided with a family's information and Christmas list. We spent the day in the office on Tuesday wrapping gifts, packing boxes, and buying groceries for the family. We dropped it all off to them later Tuesday evening. Words can not describe the look on the faces of the family members when we dropped everything off for them.
Through our opportunity here at Altair, we have been blessed with many opportunities to advance ourselves and become successful. We enjoy doing philanthropy year round but particularly around the holidays it is always amazing to give back to those less fortunate and we certainly do enjoy doing it. As an office, we all come together to decide on gifts, wrap them, and deliver them. Why shouldn't others have a splendid Christmas like we do?
