Home About IUP Magazines Journals Books Amicus Archives
     
A Guided Tour | Recommend | Links | Subscriber Services | Feedback | Subscribe Online
 
HRM Review Magazine:
Fun and Laughter at Workplace : An Attrition Blocker?
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fun and laughter in a workplace lend a competitive advantage to an organization through its human resources. The presence of humor in a workplace enables the employees to work with interest and enthusiasm that reduce the work pressure and attrition levels. It instills a sense of joy among the employees that can go a long way in creating a bond between the employees and the employers and thereby decreasing the rate of employee attrition. In a nutshell, creating a fun and laughter-filled work environment in an organization will pave the way for its success in the marketplace. Such a company is sure to emerge as an `employer of choice'.

 
 

In the constantly changing business scenario which paves way for competition for talent and increased attrition levels, the organizations have realized the need for creating a happier work environment that is filled with fun and laughter. It has become imperative for the employers to retain the talented employees at any cost. Among the causes of attrition are dull and unpleasant work environment, boring and monotonous jobs, etc., which affect the workforce performance and the company's productivity. Hence it is a prerequisite to incorporate an element of fun and laughter at the workplace which boosts employee morale and kindles their enthusiasm to work sincerely. This improves the work performance and makes employees take pride in working for the company, decreases tardiness and stress at workplace and enables the company to earn a competitive advantage over its competitors in the market place. The perfect examples of fun-filled workplaces that have won in the market place and emerged as global market leaders are South West Airline, Genetech and Google.

Various studies have shown that fun-filled workplaces result in excellent performance of the employees. This element of fun and laughter at the workplace makes a significant and positive change in the employee's attitude and behavior and on the company's bottomline. Introducing frivolous games in the workplace results in multiple benefits to both the employer and the employee—physically, emotionally and psychologically. It helps the employees to look at the brighter side of life, be creative, have high morale and take a balanced view of both life and work. Such funny moments make the employee happy; resolve workplace conflicts; enable one to become a member of the productive team of the organization that contributes to the organizational productivity and profitability. As the saying goes, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" (Victor Borge), the power of humor in business is very crucial, especially in the sales and marketing arenas, as it helps the customer to overcome the early hesitation and to develop a good opinion towards the product/idea. It helps in holding the customer's attention and in persuading the customer to buy the product/idea. Thus, the role of fun and humor in everyday of business life has become an indispensable one.

 
 
 

Laughter-filled work environment, Competitive advantages, Global market leaders, Fun-filled workplaces, Social occasions, Physiological benefits, Organizational success, Workplace monotony, Organizational culture, Corporate culture, Organizational goals.