Study after study has proven that companies who put fun into their company culture are more successful.
It only makes sense that happy people are more productive. In fact, a recent study at the University of Warwick suggests happy employees are 12% more productive. The same study also found that unhappy employees are 10% less productive! Ouch – a 22% swing! As the research team from this study put it, “We find that human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings.”
In this same article from Fast Company magazine they also stated, “At Google, employee satisfaction rose 37% as a result of those initiatives—suggesting that financial incentives aren’t enough to make for highly productive employees”.
The obvious rings loud and clear, but the fact is, most companies don’t intentionally create a fun culture. It either happens or it doesn’t.
Here are some startling statistics that may make you want to consider “intentionally” creating a fun and happy work environment:
- Companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 20%
- Happy salespeople produce 37% greater sales
- 36% of employees would give up $5000 in salary to be happier at work
- Happy employees take 10 times less sick days
Happy employees are not only more productive, but they also are more creative, build team support better than others, have better client and customer relations, make better leaders, and finally, happier employees are more loyal and are far less likely to seek other employment.
Knowing that happy employees can make your company become more successful and make more money is one thing, implementing a “fun” initiative is another, and at what cost does it come?
To put “fun” into your culture, first, start by recognizing it won’t happen on its own. It’s you, the owner or manager, that needs to implement a plan to have fun! Come up with fun or positive events plotted throughout the year, monthly or quarterly. If you are struggling to come up with ideas, create a “fun idea” team and let them bring ideas to you!
It can be as simple as implementing “Casual Fridays” or “Bring your Pet to Work Day” and can be as deep as paid company trips. Having a company picnic in the summer and a Christmas party around the holidays is not enough in today’s competitive work environment.