“Organizations are no longer built on force. They are increasingly built on trust. And this presupposes that people understand one another.” - Peter Drucker, father of modern management theory

Based on an eight-hour workday, most employees spend at least one-third of their daily waking hours trying to earn a living. Traditionally, it was assumed that driving employees harder made them more productive, which, in turn, influenced the bottom line of the organization. We now know that this is just not true.

The higher the morale at work, the higher the productivity - and the lower the risk of losing good people to more family-friendly, health-promoting competitors.

So, how do managers take care of business while, at the same time, taking care of themselves and their employees? One way is to heed the “Four Principles of Fun at Work.” Every organization is unique, but establishing a corporate culture that values, celebrates, and appreciates its human side can be quite powerful – and essential to morale and productivity.

Principle 1: Think about the specific people involved. The better you get to know the individuals in your organization, the more appropriate and effective you can be in using fun and play for reward, recognition, and revitalization.

Principle 2: Lead by example. If managers don’t loosen up, neither will employees. Determine how comfortable you are with the concept of fun at work, then lead based on what you have learned.

Principle 3: If you’re not getting business satisfaction from what you’re doing, it’s not worth doing. When you take the time to celebrate your employees’ successes, you reap the reward of feeling more connected to the members of your team.

Principle 4: Change takes time. Start by planning a number of small events that give the clear message that the organization is learning to celebrate itself and to publicly appreciate its employees.

Having fun at work is serious business – and a surefire way to fire up the morale of your organization.