Or do you work in an organisation that frowns on smiling in the work place? We all need to have fun in the work place. Most of us spend up to 8 hours 5 days a week with our workmates. Yes, we spend more time with our family. However a good percentage of that is while sleeping.

The definition of “fun” is different for every situation. One flavour of fun that works for one team is not necessarily transferable to another tem or department in the same organisation. Would it be appropriate to throw fish around your workplace?

Most of us would be familiar with the Seattle Fish market that was the inspiration for Steven Lundin for the extremely successful “Fish!” books, videos and associated products. If you’re not the Pike Place Fish Market can be found at http://www.pikeplacefish.com.

Throwing the fish is a means of getting the product from one point to another. Imagine if they just carried the fish instead. Does that invoke any sort of feelings for you? No, it doesn’t. It’s just an ordinary function. Throwing the fish is not the prime objective for Pike Place Fish Market. It never was. They wanted to be world famous! That was the goal they set in 1986. Here we are 24 years later, and I am writing about a company that has employed fun in the workplace. By my estimate, they have met their goal!

Pike Place Fish Market aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone. To achieve this they have identified a fun way of achieving this outcome. The first of the Four Principals of Fun at Work, ‘Think About the Specific People Involved’ has been satisfied. The fish throwing is suitable to the work environment and they all agreed that this is what they would do.

But why does fun make such a difference? Imagine going to the office each day and working in an environment where the only time the boss speaks to you is to tell you what you have done wrong. Or you are scared to answer the phone when you recognise the phone number calling. I have been in this situation. I was not motivated to get up and go to work and the whole time I was there I would be “clock watching”. I left in the end and went to a situation where fun was the key. We worked hard, but the fun helped us keep the stress at manageable levels and we achieved our goals and objectives.

Laughter and play is a language. A powerful way of reaching out and making a connection with another person. Watch kids in a playground. They meet each other for the first time on the swings. Within a couple of minutes they are laughing as if they have known each other since birth. Soon enough they are cooperating to get the swing to go faster. Wow! How powerful is that?

Want to integrate fun into your workplace? Or has the fun you had gone missing? Goanna Cycling can help. Drop us a line and lets see what we can do together.