ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

My motto has always been – “if you’re not having fun, you are doing it wrong”. 

What I mean by that is the construction industry is very stressful, but we have some of the best, most fun (and funny!) people around in our industry. If we are not having fun at least some of the time, we really are missing out, I would go as far as saying doing it wrong!

Where we get it wrong is we become so focused on the delivery of the milestones, obstacles and the overall goal, we forget to look up and often don’t celebrate the smaller victories along the way. Let’s face it our to do lists are never ending, and when we accomplish one goal, we have 20 more behind it.  This can lead to a lot of stress and ultimately burnout.

Pausing to make sure we have a little fun at work is important for many reasons and will go a long way towards making not just your own personal work experience more rewarding but also contributing to the entire team’s well-being.

Having more fun at work can lead to:

• Increased job satisfaction
• Reduced stress
• Better morale and motivation
• Better physical and mental health
• Improved team communication
• Positive team culture
• Strengthened team bonds
• Trust

Here are some simple things you can do to improve the fun factor at work for everyone:

• Take time to praise a colleague, tell them they did a great job running that meeting or resolving a problem. Never underestimate the power of praise, especially in public.
• Schedule a team lunch, happy hour, or outing to celebrate an accomplishment or milestone. Don’t wait for the big ones, take time to celebrate the little ones along the way!
• Invite a teammate or two to lunch, a walk or to join you for an industry event.
• Spend the first 5 minutes of a meeting on a quick icebreaker – favorite movie, memorable vacation, hobby, etc. On one project we did “name that sound bite” from movie clips or songs at the beginning of our weekly team meeting.
• Take time to get to know one another on a personal level. I like to ask questions people what do you do for fun / outside of work? Do you have family in the area? Where are you originally from? If appropriate about their spouse and children, hobbies, etc. You may find you have far more in common than you imagined!  
• Check in with teammates to make sure they are doing well, managing their stress, and have someone to lean on when they need to vent.

In summary, having fun at work is not just about entertainment; it's about creating a positive, engaging, and supportive environment that contributes to the overall success and well-being of individuals, teams and organizations. Best of all, you will foster some amazing professional and personal relationships that will endure throughout your career and your lifetime.

#workfun #construction #constructionteam #teamwork #stressreduction