What does this worlds means to you?Work Hard, Play Harder!Imagine a workplace, an environment with no interaction or concern between the employees, no laughter, no jokes with only hectic monotonous work; and a workplace having friendly environment with an embedded tinge of fun and laughter. Which would you prefer and enjoy working in??
Just as the above mentioned environments, 'work' and 'play' are complete opposites. But when combined, they can be of crucial importance in the success of the organisation. The results of various researches conducted throughout the world have proved the fact that "Happy workers are productive workers". A strained, tedious and boring corporate culture and work environment is the common de-motivating factor for the employees in an organisation. Having fun while being at work enables an employee to enjoy his work and even make that extra effort or even stretch himself for his job. Working in a relaxed environment, adding the fun element to the work atmosphere helps makes the job a pleasure for the employees. A right corporate culture conduces the full potential of the employees. Initiatives like celebrating the success of the projects of teams (even on a small scale) can help improve team spirit and synergy in the organisation.
The dynamic and vibrant work environment helps create a feel-good factor within the organisation and a positive and cohesive attitude amongst the employees. It also acts as a great booster of employee morale, a stress buster, a change in the monotonous work schedule. Work & play organisation culture also plays an important role in the retention process of the organisations. In many cases it has been proved that the retention rates of the organisations with the same culture have better retention rates than other organisations. HR initiatives of creating such environment show the people that the organisation cares for them.
Realizing the value and advantages of fun at workplace, the HR professionals are taking special measures to incorporate the same in their organizational cultures. Some of such Hr initiatives are:
#.Arranging meetings over lunch & dinner which fosters the communication between the employees and the management.
#.Celebrating the major festivals
#.Arranging sports facilities within the organisation and sports events regularly.
#.Conducting events where the families of the employees can also participate.
#.Giving paid vacations to employees (yearly or on successful completion of projects)
Such initiatives provide a platform to understand, imbibe and integrate with the organisation and the organizational culture. Also, binding the employees to the core values and ethics of the organisation.
Such "Work and Play" organisational culture is also known as HEDONISM culture. It is the work culture marked by periodic celebrations, parties and fun being a part of the overall workplace culture. Hedonism emphasizes on enjoying the work and providing a relaxed environment to work.
Arguments against the work & play culture;Many researchers, professionals and employees oppose such culture at the workplace. They argue that such people lack the commitment and seriousness towards their work. Unfortunately, many see such fun to be a waste of time. Contrary to the belief that happy workers are productive workers, many people argue that fun leads to a decline in the productivity.
This argument has already been proved wrong by various researches conducted on the same subject. A humorless or an environment devoid of fun may build frustration and stress in the employees (also affecting their personal live in some cases). It can create communication gaps in the employees and the management, and making the change management difficult.
Many organisations are already reaping the benefits of this culture. For example: Southwest Airlines has the motto - "Take yourself lightly and take your job and your responsibilities seriously. By adopting this motto, you may soon discover that life's burdens and anxieties are lighter-sometimes even lighter than air.." and motivate the employees to .Think funny; $ Adopt a playful attitude;$ Be the first to laugh; $ Laugh with, not at;$ Laugh at yourself; $ Take work seriously, but not yourself
In the recent survey to find - Great Places to Work in Kenya - the opinion of employees regarding the work and play culture, the fun element in the atmosphere was a vital point under consideration in deciding the results. The only constraint to the whole situation is that it is not always appropriate to take everything lightly. There are times when fun is not appropriate.
As long as deadlines are met, targets are achieved, projects are successful and the results are leading to the achievement of the organizational goals, celebrating success and having fun at work is not wrong. Such culture promotes optimism, organizational values, team building and motivate employees to bring out the best in themselves. That is why, many organisations are taking fun seriously!
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