Who Goes To Work To Have Fun? (NY Times guest editorial)

[DinahMoeHum]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/opinion/burkeman-are-we-having-fun-yet.html?ref=opinion&comments&_r=0#commentsContainer

(snip)
Despite the sobering economic shocks of recent years, the Fun at Work movement seems irrepressible. Major companies boast of employing Chief Fun Officers or Happiness Engineers; corporations call upon a burgeoning industry of happiness consultants, who’ll construct a Gross Happiness Index for your workplace, then advise you on ways to boost it.

Countless self-help bloggers offer tips for generating cheer among the cubicles (“Buy donuts for everyone”; “Hang movie posters on your walls, with employees’ faces replacing those of the real movie stars”). It’s all shudderingly reminiscent of David Brent, Ricky Gervais’s wince-inducing character from the British version of “The Office”; or of the owner of the nuclear power plant in “The Simpsons” who considers distracting attention from the risk of lethal meltdowns by holding Funny Hat Days.
(snip)

A study by management experts at Penn State and other universities, published last month, found that while “fun” activities imposed by bosses might slow employee turnover, they can damage overall productivity. Another concluded that the fashionable tactic of “gamification” — turning work tasks into games, with scores and prizes — reduced the productivity and job satisfaction of those workers who didn’t approve the notion.
(snip)

Instead of striving to make work fun, managers should concentrate on creating the conditions in which a variety of personality types, from the excitable to the naturally downbeat, can flourish. That means giving employees as much autonomy as possible, and ensuring that people are treated evenhandedly. According to a recent Danish study, lack of fairness at work is a strong predictor of depression, and even heavy workloads don’t bring people down, provided their bosses are fair.

Not that you’d necessarily want an office full of optimists, even if that were achievable. People who are oriented toward “defensive pessimism” play a valuable role, preparing organizations for worst-case scenarios.

And if your business card describes you as Head of Fungineering, or Chief Cheerfulness Ninja, or Vice President of Wow, please skip the next company paintballing weekend, and use the time to ask yourself a few tough questions instead.
(snip)

much more at the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/opinion/burkeman-are-we-having-fun-yet.html?ref=opinion&comments&_r=0#commentsContainer

[K lib]

1. Article sounds like they were studying my job

They try to make work fun with these stupid activities while complaining about everything we do and not compensating us enough.

[DinahMoeHum]

2. Welcome to DU.

The responses to the article are a great read, too.

[K lib]

6. Thanks and yes they are nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Work is highly overrated as a pastime. I'm overjoyed that I'm done with it.

I'm betting that most people working today could find better things to do with their time.

[closeupready]

4. Work is an important element to a balanced adult life, IMO.

I have had bouts of unemployment during my life, and I HATE not working, even with unemployment benefits coming in. Obviously, people are different, but that's my take on work.

Having said that, it shouldn't dominate your entire life - you need family, friends, recreation, rest also.

And naturally, it shouldn't be the kind of work that is unfulfilling and can't provide you with the means to support yourself.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. I worked for a paycheck. Life (and, fulfillment), started after work.

[closeupready]

7. Congratulations to you, and enjoy your retirement.

I'm actually looking forward to winning the lottery so I can also retire, lol.

[ljm2002]

8. I have always absolutely hated corporate-induced "fun"...

...with one exception, the Friday afternoon beer bashes we once had at a couple of companies I worked for, because those were unstructured and you could talk to coworkers you normally did not run into. But of course, it was questionable to provide beer to folks before they drove home from work... but it never was a problem so I guess people were good at pacing themselves. And they did provide food as well.

But the day-long, "Let's all celebrate by going to Alcatraz!" or whatever -- yech. Or the "team-building exercises" -- double-yech. Or the corporations who brag about how cool and trendy they are, how "if you want to work here you have to have a fun attitude" -- barf.

It's not that I never had fun at work, I did. But it was spontaneous and sincere, not the by-the-numbers corporate BS that gets shoved down the throats of people in the workplace, who all have to pretend they love it because their jobs depend on it. Gag me.

[K lib]

9. + 1