A leader needs to give team permission to “Have Fun”
Recent research (see links at the end of this post) has revealed that having fun and being joyful at work enhances morale, motivation and improves results. (Read my wife Amanda Gore’s blog post here on Why Joy is the New Competitive Advantage)
How can you make work a fun place to be? One idea is to create fun activities with a “service” theme for staff. One method I have used successfully is to create teams and have them search for the holy grail of elusive great service moments. They present their findings at a team meeting where everyone votes on the winners.
It is also important to have fun with customers. Build relationships with them based on a win-win philosophy.
The benefits of instilling a fun atmosphere in your organization and with your customers are many:
- Customer loyalty increases, leading to more future sales.
- You create customer advocates, who provide warm referrals.
- Recruiting great people is easier as you become known as an employer of choice.
- Interaction among coworkers improves.
- Morale improves as positive customer responses keep everyone in a better mood.
- There are fewer employee issues with tardiness or absenteeism.
- Employees’ lives are enriched at work, and they stay with you.
- You earn a positive company reputation.
- Discounting products or services will not be necessary, as customers truly perceive an increased value in superior service.
- It enhances your bottom line.
Take a look at these links for more reading about happiness at work and how bringing fun to your team can bring profits:
- Happiness means creativity
- Gallup report on well-being in the workplace
- The proof is in the profits – America’s happiest companies also fare the best financially
- Harvard Business Review – The happiness dividend
By Ken Wright
Contact me at Ken@Engage4Results.com if you would like to find out how you introduce fun into your workplace
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