If at all you see employees arguing at Vtiger, it will be because they think the Table Tennis table is being unfairly occupied by some more than the others. And if you see someone fighting, it will probably be a Taekwondo class going on.
Arguments also have broken out over intense Carrom sessions. Personally, I am glad they took the Dartboard down :). You never knew when an overconfident William Tell would miss the apple.
These are just the tip of the Iceberg. We do a lot more for fun at Vtiger. There are competitions held regularly for desk decorations, and there are festival feasts, Rainbow weeks, etc. We also have our sports week – everything from the lemon and spoon race to the fiercely competitive Vtiger Premier League for Cricket. The last major competition before COVID was the Christmas decorations event. Needless to say, yours truly and her team won second place. A book club even met bi-monthly to discuss what they had read! And all through COVID, we had online yoga sessions.
Now, you must be wondering why we have so many events at Vtiger. Why do we have sports and yoga sessions? Why do we love to get together to feast and make merry on festivals?
And not just Vtiger; many organizations hold events throughout the year. Why do they invest time and money doing so? Why would they allow employees to spend their precious time on activities such as these instead of work? There are many reasons for that. Let us look at a few.
A report 1 found that fun at work was:
- positively and directly related to organizational citizenship behavior, and
- positively and indirectly related to both task performance and creative performance.
Leads to Mental and physical well-being
Employees spend at least nine hours at work. Commuting takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours for some. That is quite a time away from families and friends. Many employees are so immersed in work that they find little time for entertainment and fitness. A simple coffee with colleagues or an aggressive game of TT can help reduce stress.
Fun@work helps with mental and physical well-being. It creates a positive environment and leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety.
Creates a positive work environment
Fun events allow people to take a break from work. The informal atmosphere allows people to relax and reach out across different levels in your organization. It creates a state of happiness. It also allows organizations to actually learn more about their employees and what ‘makes them tick’.
Fun@work creates a positive work environment which leads to happy employees who are successful at work.
Camaraderie, Communication, Collaboration
Work is a congregation of people from different regions, cultures, languages, and ethnicities. Teams often have to collaborate with other teams, customers, and partners, sometimes globally. When people participate in events, they learn how to communicate with each other. They learn to perform as a team and not focus on the individual. Employees often end up making friends at work, and who would not want to work with people you call friends?
A Gallup report 2 has found that women who strongly agree they have a best friend at work are more than twice as likely to be engaged (63%) compared with the women who say otherwise (29%).
Fun@work makes working together easier by building camaraderie and improving communication.
Increases Productivity
Are you intrigued? Well, research 3 says happier employees are more productive by an average of 12% . Organizations find that employees are more engaged and motivated. They are also more likely to be open to challenges and develop innovative ideas.
Moreover, they will be comfortable sharing and resolving issues with their colleagues faster.
Fun@work increases productivity and creativity.
Increases Job Satisfaction
Would you like to work in a place that is bogged down by tension and negativity? Many of us would run for the hills sooner or later or to another organization with a stress-free environment. All said and done, many people are willing to put in long hours and work hard to meet their professional goals. Why not give an intangible incentive like a party or a celebration to motivate them?
Fun@work reduces stress. It increases motivation and job satisfaction.
Now that the Vtiger office has reopened again, the forlorn Table Tennis table is busy again. Recently, the empty cafeteria saw the flameless cooking competition held, where everyone seemed to have more fun eating than creating dishes.
Events at Vtiger have brought the employees together. They have helped in breaking barriers and building relationships. And most of all, they have helped create a sense of fun.
While the world is still deciding whether to come to the office or work from home, many of us are actually looking forward to being at work.
I swear the Chocolate cake and Banana Chips for tea yesterday have nothing to do with it.
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Reference
1 – Emerald Insight: Play hard, work hard: Fun at work and job performance
2 – Gallup Workplace report: Why we need best friends at work
3 – University of Warwick’s Centre for Competitive Advantage report
