What Makes a Fun Work Environment?

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!