Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/525033
June 8 - June 29, 2015 20 Working World l WorkingWorld.com FEATURED ARTICLE by Nat Measley T o have fun or not to have fun? That is the question. Are you curious how companies like Google, Zappos, Southwest and others develop those winning workplace cultures, with such high productivity and profitability? Regardless of the industry, there is a common thread running through the highest performing companies: the inherent or stated culture of fun. Among companies denoted as "great" in Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," a whopping 81% of employees say they work in a "fun" environment. If you look closely at the highly successful companies mentioned above, they incorporate fun into the fabric of their culture. Fun at work may not be the "silver bullet" that produces superior results on its own, but a workplace environment that prioritizes fun will rise above the competition. With stout leadership, dedicated management and strong company values, companywide fun can take you over the top. Prioritizing fun in the workplace will have a direct impact throughout your company in a myriad of ways, but there are a few specific areas that can be highlighted. ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH Everyone would agree that a healthy and happy employee is a more productive employee, right? Fun can be an important component of emotional wellness. Often, fun is used to encourage participation or bolster existing wellness programs. The attention on emotional intelligence in the workplace and its impact on the bottom line is rapidly gaining momentum. For most organizations human capital is the largest asset and the single largest expense. It seems like a natural place to focus considering it will have the largest impact on the bottom line. We have already seen the biggest advances in technology and those investments today are producing marginal returns and impact on productivity. The next revolution in the workplace is culture. PRODUCTIVITY Secondly, let's explore productivity. Do you ever get a break? Are you expected to work 8-hours per day, straight with no breaks? Fun can offer great breaks and distractions (not wasting time), but true valuable break time. As an example, there is a national call and customer service center that offers its employees a unique schedule. They have broken up their average daily time commitment into on-phone time and quick breaks (dubbed "shorts"). These "shorts" are sprinkled throughout any of the call center employees' days. They last 15-minutes or less, during which time, employees can play ping pong, take a walk outside, or do anything they please during that time. Look at Google. They give their employees 20% of any given work day to simply take to do "what they want to do". And no, that time does not have to be work related. Why? One reason is for the sake of productivity of their work force. They realize that their people are working hard. The breaks are meant to enhance productivity of employee on- time. RELATIONSHIPS & LOYALTY Relationships and loyalty (sometimes retention) go hand in hand. A staggering 79% of companies believe they have a significant retention and engagement problem. The average cost of losing an employee ranges from 1 1/2 times salary to 4-times their salary, depending on the position. What about attracting the next generation of great talent? The tides are shifting and given the choice most people – especially millennials – will choose culture over pay. Culture and fun is a differentiator that will give you the competitive advantage. ENGAGEMENT How can engagement be affected and in turn, affect the bottom line? In human resources, one very popular metric is employee engagement – an employees' emotional and active commitment to the success of the company. Engaged workers are enthusiastic about their jobs. And disengaged workers are not. According to a Gallup survey a company loses $2,246 per disengaged employee per year. Why? Disengaged employees take more sick days. They arrive late, Playing it Forward: The Benefits of Fun in the Workplace