International Fun At Work Day 2019: What To Do To Make Your Workplace Fun
Once again, International Fun At Work Day has come round, turning April 1st from a day of cheap tricks and pranks into a day of wholesome fun and laughter. But as any stand-up comedian will tell you, making things ‘fun’ is no laughing matter! So, what can you do to ensure the day is a success?
For over 20 years, International Fun At Work Day has inspired workmates to make each other smile, and in doing so overcome the stresses and pressures of a typical working day. But making it a day to remember is not exactly easy.
That’s why we’ve compiled a short list of easy-to-organise ideas that you can adopt to create a merry Monday that will boost morale, crack the ice and have colleagues chuckling with each other in cheerful jollity.
6 Ideas To Get International Fun At Work Day Off The Ground
- Decorate Your Workplace
- Get Some Friendly Competition Going
- Table Tennis: Get into pairs for a fun doubles tournament, and play games throughout the day.
- Sacktoss (or Cornhole): Perfect for inside the office, with a simple idea that everyone can get into.
- Family Feud: Organise colleagues into teams, create quiz questions about a range of topics (maybe even your business) and see which group are the most knowledgeable.
- Take It Outside
- Frisbee: simple and fun, especially when in a sun-kissed park area.
- Capture The Flag: a classic outdoor game of strategy and daring, but one that everyone can enjoy.
- Basketball Horse: See who the office hotshots really are, with incorporate more employees, try playing a game of Horse.
- Set Up A Picture Wall
- Juggle Meetings … Literally!
- Set Up a Humour Room
It seems so basic but decorating the office can do wonders in creating a fun atmosphere. Give everyone the freedom to decorate their own desks, offices or work station in the way they want. It will boost morale, create engagement with colleagues and brighten up a Monday at work no end. And to add a little bit of bite to the idea, offer a prize to the best décor of the day. For some inspiration, look at these:
Organize some fun and friendly competitive action in the office with some games that will see colleagues take each other on, all in a healthy positive atmosphere. What games you choose may depend on the layout and facilities at your place of work, but a large conference room should do. What kind of games work?
Getting away from the desk and into the fresh air is one sure way of kick-starting energy levels and boosting productivity. And when you organise a few games and activities in a nearby park, it’s also a great way to bring a smile to faces – especially when a picnic is thrown into the mix! Keep in mind that ‘inclusion’ is important, so think of activities that people of all ages and physical abilities can take part in.
Dedicate a wall to photos of workmates doing the things they like to do for fun. Some people may want to bring their own pictures in, depicting fun days with friends and family, but why not tour the office in the morning and snap your colleagues on the day. If you organize social and team-building events through the year, use them too. But stick to the simple ‘fun’ theme to keep everyone smiling.
Meetings are not exactly thrilling. But what if a scheduled meeting had nothing to do with statistics, returns and projections? Organise a meeting as usual but use it for fun things – like teaching attendees how to juggle! All you need is some simple juggle kits, and an instruction video. It doesn’t matter if anyone is actually successful; they’ll have fun trying!
Why not set up a Humour Room where colleagues can let loose and giggle, titter and guffaw to their heart’s content. Run DVDs of popular stand-up comedians, strategically place jokes on the walls, and even print out those (tastefully!) funny memes and images from the internet and display them so everyone who enters has ample reason to laugh.
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