Infuse Appropriate Fun to Create a Humanized Organization
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The same can be said about your employees. Creativity is crippled and the joys of work are taken away from them when they are deprived of “playtime.”
Though the origins of the proverb remain unclear, research supports the idea that playing at work has numerous benefits for employees, teams, and entire organizations, because workers feel less fatigued and stressed. “Playtime” can mean time to socialize or take a brain break, or it can mean structuring work to be more playful. By presenting tasks in a creative fashion, employees become more invested in these tasks. They are also willing to dedicate more time to accomplish their tasks.
For teams of employees, playtime at work does the following:
- It increases trust
- It enhances social interaction and promotes a sense of solidarity
- It decreases a sense of hierarchy
For the organization as a whole, playtime does the following:
- It creates a friendly work atmosphere
- It increases levels of employee commitment
- It promotes a flexible organization-wide decision-making process
- It boosts organizational creativity
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