Are you having fun yet? Yes, you, the person reading these words...ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?!!

If you’re reading this blog post while you’re at work or working from home...ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?!!

If you’re reading this blog post on your day off, while on vacation or as you go about your day-to-day activities, the question is...

ARE YOU HAVING FUN YET?

As a self-appointed CFO (Chief Fun Officer), I have a few questions for you so, please jot your answers down somewhere:

When was the last time you had fun with your spouse, significant other, or a friend?
When was the last time you had fun at work (working from home)?

More than likely, question #1 was easier to answer than question #2 and as we have moved into a summer season greatly different from the one we had in 2020, having fun outside of the workplace is not that difficult. Outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, gardening are probably more special now than ever before. Opportunities to travel and take vacations seem to be picking up again. We have festivals and community events popping up all over the place. With that being said, you probably don’t need help with ideas to incorporate some fun into your outside of work activities.

Now, having fun at work is where we could all probably use some help from a CFO (not necessarily Brian Dietrich, although he could probably come up with a few fun ideas too!).

IT’S TIME TO HAVE FUN AT WORK AGAIN

The 2021 World Happiness Report (yes, such a thing exists!) focused on the worldwide effects of COVID-19. Not surprisingly, noted within the report is a U.S. study examining people's experiences from January 2020 to June 2020 in which reports of happiness and life satisfaction saw one of the largest declines during the pandemic, along with mental and physical health, as well as modest declines in meaning in life and overall flourishing. However, the 2021 WHR noted the need for social and intellectual capital, which is built by shared experiences with co-workers and unplanned social interactions that broaden one's thinking is unlikely to diminish.

If a WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT isn’t enough to highlight the impact of fun at work, click the play button to watch Dr. Henry Cloud describe the role of fun and playfulness at work being important for your brain, for sustainability and team performance.

So...ARE YOU HAVING FUN AT WORK YET?!

If you haven’t had fun or are wanting to have fun at work, don’t be shocked when I tell you that the fun has to start with you! Dr. Cloud mentioned teams appointing a Chief Fun Officer and I think this is a great idea especially if you have a team member that loves to celebrate birthdays or is good at making lunch plans. Although, I challenge you to not designate all the fun to be planned to just one person. I challenge you to appoint yourself as a CFO! Whether you’re working from home or back in the office or never left your facility, start doing something fun at work today. If you have a team that gathers in-person or virtually, start doing something fun at work today. Below are a few ideas to get you started on having fun!

Food!---have a popcorn party, taco-Tuesday, waffle-Wednesday ($2 waffles at PourJons on Weds.), fruity-Friday.
Take the fun beyond the workplace setting!---go fishing with your team/co-workers, go get some ice-cream for lunch (maybe even for breakfast!), have a family-night-out with your team/co-workers by going out for a chocolate-mess, go to a baseball game, or catching a movie-in-the-park.
For Team Meetings (Virtual or In-Person)---"Dad” jokes, drawing for a candy bar, bring a picture of kids/pets to share, crazy hair/favorite team hat day
Have a song-of-the-week for your team...maybe lip-sync-video it together.
Find a project in your community that you could go spend a few hours and help paint, clean up, or serve in some way as a team. Then go get pizza or ice cream!
Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries!---during a virtual People Champions meeting a surprise birthday party was celebrated.

Create a culture of fun at work, because yes, who doesn’t like to have fun but also because fun will lead to a flourishing of life not just in our work environment but in our relationships all around.

P.S.-It seems to be most of my fun at work consists of puppies & ice-cream!