Advice Line | Bob Lewis | InfoWorld | When fun isn't very much fun | August 21, 2007 05:40 AM

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When fun isn't very much fun

August 21, 2007 | Comments: (0)

When fun isn't very much fun

Dear Bob ...

You may not be full of beans on this one ("Fun for fun and profit," Keep the Joint Running, 8/20/2007), but you're close.

Our company has a policy: Win and have fun. And a lot of managers I know try to follow it. We have quarterlies and team builders, management doesn't have a problem with us spending a reasonable amount of time doing fun things, etc. In other words, they really do encourage fun (within P.C. limits, of course, but that's understandable).

And the morale just keeps sinking.

I'd a billion times rather have management that provided a rewarding work environment than management that promoted fun. I'd FAR rather feel that the company was fair in recognizing and rewarding good workers than feel like I'm being bribed by "fun" things. ("Oh, sure, Bob X got promoted to VP because he's a "good ole boy" and part of the inner circle, when hard-working Larry Y deserved it a lot more. But hey, you're getting all these fun things, so what are you complaining about? You just have a bad attitude!")

This used to be a great company before our old CEO retired. It's been steadily going downhill ever since; ask just about any old-timer here. I used to be proud to work here, now it's not much different than working for the government, except more permissive. I'm still here because my personal workgroup is good and my job is interesting, but I'd bail in a minute if the right opportunity came along.

Fun is icing on the cake, but it sure doesn't make up for lousy-tasting cake.

- Having fun and hating it

Dear Fun-lover ...

You make an excellent point. Fun isn't supposed to be a substitute for the desire to win. It's supposed to augment it by keeping the environment loose and creative instead of tense and fear-driven.

As always, balance is the key. Too much fun and employees take their eyes off the ball. Not enough and they're more likely to bobble it.

And as you point out, losing isn't fun at all. Which brings up a question for which I have no easy answer: Whether it's possible to maintain a level of intensity without losing the sense of fun.

Here's one possible answer to the conundrum: Fun might not be the best solution for every work environment, or for every situation in every work environment. In fact it certainly isn't. Imagine a bunch of Navy Seals on a mission, having fun every step of the way. Unsettling, isn't it?

But remember, as I carefully defined the term, "fun" is about creating an enjoyable work environment, not an amusing one. The point is that grimness discourages creativity, depresses energy, and in many other ways causes a company to lose.

- Bob

Posted by Bob Lewis on August 21, 2007 05:40 AM

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Don't forget: Moderation in all things, including moderation.
Think of the diet that allows one meal a week of anything! It allows the moderation of the rest of the time to work!

Posted by: Rand at August 22, 2007 11:34 AM

This topic reminds me of an old cartoon in which Dilbert is interviewing a job applicant and mentions that the company has a policy of employee empowerment. She replies that if a company really empowers employees they wouldn't need to have a separate policy for it, it would just be part of how you did your job. It seems to me that fun is the same kind of thing. If your job is fun (a significant part of the time), then there wouldn't need to be slogans, policies and separate activities. If there are such policies and the job is not really fun (challenging, with a sense of ownership and recognition for a job well done) then a "policy" of making work fun is likely to be met with justifiable cynicism.

Posted by: Charles at August 23, 2007 07:06 AM

Manufactured fun ("We have quarterlies and team builders") is transparently obvious and frequently resented (I'm already overworked and behind and now I'm supposed to go to the baseball game? I don't even like baseball! Honey, looks like I'm staying late again.)

Intersting work, a managable load, co-workers you respect, level-headed managers who respect you and your contributions...that's fun. And it's not created by "team-building exercises" or "quarterlies".

Posted by: Steve C at August 29, 2007 11:31 AM

"Our company has a policy: Win and have fun. And a lot of managers I know try to follow it. We have quarterlies and team builders, management doesn't have a problem with us spending a reasonable amount of time doing fun things, etc. In other words, they really do encourage fun (within P.C. limits, of course, but that's understandable)."

Forced fun things are not fun. Doing karaoke with my cow-orkers is not going to make me more motivated or make me want to excel. To me the fun has to be in the DNA of the office. All seriousness all the time, but lets go bowling on Saturday does not work.

The original letter talked about a rewarding work environment, and those ARE important. I believe that you can have a rewarding work environment and still have a fun healthy ne. They are not in most cases mutually exclusive.

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