By Andrea Burkholder

Ever think to yourself, “With just a few more sales, I could really take this business to the next level!”

Maybe find yourself – just sitting there – trying to figure out how to increase company revenue?

I’m sure you probably have, and like many of us in the business world, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to grow our business and achieve our own personal dreams.

Well stay with me, and hopefully this will help.

I started working at an amusement park based out of Kansas City, MO at the tender age of sixteen.  Working in the food service department was fun but proved to be really challenging for many of the kids working in that sort of department.  Heat waves from the sun pounding onto the asphalt surrounded you. Lines were long, people impatient and that equipment! Our equipment was so slow! So, not being able to keep up with customer demand, everyone crammed into that small, hot, smelly space pushing both us and our customers to the brink, we did the only thing we knew how to do as kids and had fun with it!

When lines were long, and the equipment couldn’t keep up, we would perform our own version of a Broadway musical….we would sing at the top of our lungs with fancy dance moves no one could compete with.  It was fun, a lot of fun….and customers that would have normally exited the line stood longer, purchasing product and laughing.  And at the end of the night, every one of us was so exhausted, but that never stopped us from starting water fights or telling scary stories as we walked back to home office thru the pitch-dark park.  As hard as we worked, we would never have imagined calling in or missing work…we loved it!  Comrades in arms, us against them, united front and of course you didn’t want to miss out on the fun!

Years later, I managed an employee cafeteria inside of Owens Corning, an industrial plant in Kansas City, KS.  Robert, our Chef was quite the ham and really knew how to put on a show for the customers.  He would incite fun discussions with the other members of the staff and would then roll his eyes and nod his head so only the customer could see, inciting laughter throughout the breakroom.  It was there that I learned how having fun at work can turn customers that aren’t active customers of the business into regular loyal customers who spend money on a daily basis.  They just couldn’t resist the opportunity to come in and watch what could be best defined as a living sitcom.   They wanted or needed that daily laugh.

Running a business is busy, really busy.  So, it’s not uncommon for many business owners to be so busy working in the business, that they can’t work on their business.  As a result, work becomes just that, all work and no play, productivity goes down, recruiting cost goes up.

When the workplace is fun, statistically, employees are more engaged. In “The State of the American Workplace,”  Gallup reports, engaged employees are more likely to improve customer relationships. Those studies indicate and show an average of a 20% increase in sales.  Drink that in for just a minute! You can achieve a 20% increase for making people enjoy their jobs!  That sounds worth it to me!

Let’s break it down…

Employees who are having fun:

1. Are more motivated
2. Are less likely to focus on the negatives
3. Tend to work harder, so you see an increase in production
4. Are less stressed
5. Have higher job satisfaction
6. Are more likely to go the extra mile for you and your customer

Having fun at work doesn’t mean you need to have a party every day.  In fact, the fun can’t feel forced.  If it feels forced, your employees will resent it.  My recommendation is to start simple and remember, you are trying to drive a feeling, not a party.

Here are a few ideas on how to have fun in the workplace:

1. Do NOT announce you are migrating to a fun work environment
2. If you haven’t been having any fun, start slow. You can increase frequency as employees buy into the idea that it’s okay to enjoy work
3. Have a food day – this gives employees the ability to talk and bond and who knows, you might come out of it with a new and fantastic recipe
4. Go out to lunch as a team – stepping away from the hustle and bustle of work can be fun. Trying something new or different gives employees something to talk about other than work and helps the bonding process.
5. Show you care! Buying school supplies for your employee’s kids and/or grandkids – this may seem trivial, but it really makes your employees feel valued and loved. Joe Bullard Automotive Group in Mobile, Alabama does just that.  They have their employees submit their school supply list and many hours later, the supplies are delivered to the employee with a name and a smile.  They truly Wow their employees on a regular basis.
6. Have a team event where friends and family can come and interact. Bowling, Frisby Golf, something fun…
7. Run a contest or play a game at work

Change one person’s outcome and you can change the world.  Each action you take can impact your employee, your customer and your overall company profitability.  What action are you going to take today?