#Dispatch 006: play for all

It is important to dedicate time to fun, both at work and outside of work.

Two of my favourite memories of my work life to date are:

• Baking and decorating a ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ cake with my team at Channel 4, as part of an inter-departmental ‘Great British Bake Off’ competition (celebrating 2 successful Channel 4 brands)

• Dressing up in 80s gear with my team at UKTV to celebrate the relaunch of UKTV History to become ‘Yesterday’

What have they got in common? Team fun and silliness that formed perfect antidotes to and celebrations after lots of hard work.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Businesses stand to reap the rewards of fun at work.

Holly Branson, from fun-loving brand Virgin says:

At Virgin, we’ve built a culture that doesn’t just let people have fun, but actively encourages it.

Our playful spirit has driven smart disruption, sparked innovation, created brand love, built trust, helped people feel connected, and brought out the best in all of us.

Making room for fun really comes down to letting people be human at work.

38 different activities are organised within the company, including quarterly coffees with the CEO, breakfasts to celebrate its delivery drivers, Diwali feasts, ‘bring your kids to work’ days, karaoke sessions, and team thank you events.

🏠 It isn’t just having fun at work that is important.

86% of those who work flexibly say the free time they gain through not having to travel to work improves their work/life balance and their ability to cope with every day life, according to findings by Mortar Research in The Guardian this week.

Having more time to pursue passions is something that Harvard Business Review reports on the importance of; the result is more motivated, productive, committed, creative and innovative employees.

Image by tanrica from Pixabay

❤️‍🔥 Passion for work itself comes with added benefits.

According to Productivity Trainer, Remi Dairo, these are focus, persistence and inspiring others.

Consulting firm Gartner predict a key way the working world will change in the next 10 years is that people will increasingly seek work that ties in with their passions.

There is more about this in my previous post about purposeful work.

In summary, it makes sense to prioritise finding opportunities to make work play; by enabling people to have fun together and to follow their passions and interests inside and outside of work.

💡Case studies💡

💬 Global communication firm Edelman offers employees the opportunity to apply for funding to pursue a pastime they care about.

✈️ FullContact, a software company, offer a $7,500 stipend on top of paid leave that employees can use to do whatever they want within the remit of disconnecting to do something not related to work.

🧑‍💼Staff.com hosts a company-wide video game day during which its approximately 50 employees, many of whom work remotely, can have fun together and bond.