How can I have more fun at work?
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This is a question that we get asked regularly by people who attend career workshops. Sometimes, work can seem a little too serious and stressful – and as work takes up our prime time, 8 hours of high energy time 5 days a week – isn’t the secret to a high quality life to find enjoyment in what we do?
If that sounds appealing, here are four things you should consider.
TAKE AWAY
Be really clear on what fun means to you and what you’re looking for in your work life – and take action to make your work as enjoyable as possible.
If that sounds appealing, here are four things you should consider.
- What does fun look like for you? Fun means different to different people, and you need to get crystal clear on what you find enjoyable at work. That way you can actively manage your career and responsibilities to be happier! Is it the chance to socialise with a wide range of people, or to know when you leave work that you can now stop thinking about it and focus fully on your life outside work? Is it a sense of achievement from building or creating something tangible? Is it being able to get outside for a walk for half an hour on a sunny day? Is it having people who are easy to work with, and having friends at work?
To become happier, first work out what makes you happy. At the end of each day, write down 3 things that you’ve enjoyed during the day – even if these are only fleeting moments. Your target – to be able to list the things that make you happy at work. Only then can you organise your work so that you have more fun in 2015. - Look for quick wins. Once you’ve decided what fun means to you at work, decide if there are any quick actions that you can take. For example, if fun means socialising, you could pick up responsibility as the “social secretary” for your team or department and arrange team nights out – either holding a small number of events to encourage everyone to attend, or building a core ‘social’ group who are up for socialising together more often. Think about how you can bring social fun into the work environment – for example ‘bring a cake Mondays’, lunch time learning sessions over sandwiches, a running group at lunchtime, quizzes, a fantasy football league, a book group or whatever works for you. If quiet focused time is fun for you, can you work at home one day a week? Could you spend your first 2 hours working in the canteen on a project that gives you a sense of achievement – rather than hitting the email inbox first thing, and getting lost in a series of bitty tasks?
- Think about what you can change about your current job. Are there ways you can negotiate your current role to do more of what you are best at and enjoy most? Who is there in your organisation that you would like to work with? What teams are out there whose work style is more relaxed and fun? Which managers have a great reputation for being good to work with? How could you start building relationships with these people via joint activities or projects, so that opportunities might crop up?
- Fun in your next career move. If you look for a new role, make a checklist of the things that you find fun – how many boxes does the job tick? If your team is really important to you, ask to meet the team you’ll be working with, perhaps attending a team meeting, or having an informal visit at coffee or lunchtime. In the interview consider – would you go to work every morning really looking forward to working with this particular manager? One of the key things about having more fun at work is understanding that some jobs just aren’t going to be right for you – and that even some promotions aren’t going to be worth taking if they don’t allow you to do what you enjoy doing.
TAKE AWAY
Be really clear on what fun means to you and what you’re looking for in your work life – and take action to make your work as enjoyable as possible.