“Fun” Workplaces

History of Fun at Work

Direct connections between fun and the employment relationship can be traced back hundreds of years. For example, landlords organized sporting events and condoned specific celebrations for their laborers. Early companies followed suit with sporting days or company picnics that often included the families of workers. These events were rooted in paternalism, where the landlord or employer wished to impose a particular lifestyle on workers—namely, keeping them from drinking and other forms of less accepted revelry in their off hours. In Victorian England, there is evidence that employers lobbied to establish rules for contact sports because workers were showing up at their jobs too injured to work.

The rise of managed workplace and organizational culture and stronger instrumentality of fun did not occur, however, until the 1970s. Following the more paternalistic style of companies such as Guinness and Hershey's, organizations like Hewlett-Packard became known for unique organizational cultures, and a link was assumed between the achievement and maintenance of that culture and the company's success. Examples of fun continue to be sporting related but also [Page 309]include the encouragement of a jovial atmosphere, company social events, casual or wacky dress days, intergroup competitions and challenges, or off-site retreats or team-building exercises. Fun can be manifested not just in activities but also in the artifacts of the work environment. In the “cool” industries of the dot-com era and their descendants, workplaces often boast hip, visually interesting, modern architecture and decor with lounge spaces and foosball or other games. Office slides are a trendy feature. Dress codes are relaxed, and workspaces are decorated with pop and counterculture references.

Following the recession of the 1980s, many companies moved away from the programs and initiatives that promoted fun organizational cultures. The large-scale downsizing and business process re-engineering of companies through this phase resulted in lost credibility for employers who professed to care about employee fun and well-being. In more modern times, employers are looking to re-engage workers in the face of this broken psychological contract and low levels of employee loyalty. In an age of increasingly competitive global markets and the shift in most industrialized countries toward tertiary industry and a knowledge-based economy, employers are looking for new ways to support innovation, creativity, productivity, and a positive customer experience. Some examples of modern organizations that utilize fun are Google; Ben & Jerry's; Corus Entertainment, the Electric Works complex in Sheffield, UK; Innocent, Ltd.; Best Buy; and the Boston Beer Co. The Fun at Work Company in the United Kingdom specializes in providing managed activities and events to make workplaces fun.

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