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If you're competing In a very tight labor market, consider what others have done-everything from dishing out ice cream to giving away BMWs.
FUN AT WORK? AN OXYMORON, RIGHT? NOT ANY MORE. In growing numbers, U.S. companies are strategically injecting doses of "fun" into their workplaces. Fun as in sponsoring in-house happy hours and theme parties. Fun as in offering video games, tanning beds, Ping-Pong, and indoor golf. As in treating employees to Caribbean cruises or spontaneous outings to Las Vegas. And as in offering workers afternoon "recess" so they can play kickball.
Frivolous as these activities may seem, many firms are dead serious about introducing light-heartedness at work. They're convinced it boosts morale, esprit de corps, and communication, and helps attract and retain valuable employees.
"More people are voluntarily leaving companies than ever before, and you want to keep high-quality people by making the workplace enjoyable," says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., a Chicago outplacement firm that forecasts workplace trends. "Another reason for doing that is because many workplaces have employees from diverse environments who don't stay very long, and fun activities help catalyze the chemistry that often makes a group more than the sum of its parts."
Proponents say fun workplaces also tend to enhance learning, productivity, and creativity, and reduce the chances of employee burnout or high absenteeism. All of which is no laughing matter for companies striving for a competitive edge.
But beware: Some employees may believe the fun atmosphere signals an opportunity to goof off. Customers also might view fun companies as less than serious-minded enterprises. And, critics note, fun doesn't come free, since there are costs associated with these activities, including worker downtime. For many companies, there's nothing funny about that.
But there's nothing funny about trying to attract the best and the brightest during a time of low unemployment, either. Since many prized workers, especially Generation Xers in the technology sector, can command enviable salaries and benefits, they're often searching for something extra. In return for their oftenstressful 12-hour days, they prefer comfortable, even enjoyable, work environments. Obliging this preference is perhaps the primary reason most firms instill a fun atmosphere, with some even appointing a "director of fun."
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