The last Friday in January has a celebration of which I’m kind of on the fence. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it and I can see both sides. Let me present it and let you decide. I will not try to sway your decision.
Today is National Have Fun At Work Day. The origins of the celebration are unknown but I’m pretty sure this wasn’t started by management. The concept is to put a little fun into the workplace which is typically viewed as drab, boring, and — well, work! “Dave Hemseth and Leslie Yerkes, co-authors of 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work say, “Organizations that integrate fun into work have lower levels of absenteeism, greater job satisfaction, increased productivity, and less downtime.”1
To celebrate, National Day Calendar suggests hosting a boss look-alike contest (better be careful with this one!), organize a chili cook-off, go caroling between office cubicles, have a healthy potluck, or set up corn hole boards and have contests.
There are many upsides to this:
- There is very little family atmosphere and bonding in most jobs. This would help facilitate and encourage this.
- It’s fun to have fun!
- It’s seen as a treat from management to workers while leveling the playing field.
- People might look forward to coming to work on this day and would have stories to share in the weeks to come.
- It breaks up the routine.
The downsides?
- A company is all about making products, accomplishing a job, and turning a profit. That’s what keeps you in business. From that standpoint, this would be a wasted day.
- Fun days might cause a lack of focus. It’s always harder to get back into the groove after a holiday or day off.
- When I was a child, a teacher might reward us with a fun day after we had
accomplished certain tasks over a 30-day period. That’s what you do for children, not adults. - Some people don’t get into games and sing-a-longs. Such a day would be worse for them than if they had to work. It would be forced participation.
- The company isn’t paying you to have fun. They are paying you to work. A fun day seems like we are “robbing” the company.
Compromise?
- An extended lunch hour for one day might be a solution, allowing people to still have some fun but still getting some work done.
- The company could host summer/fall activities on a weekend. I know that this creates some logistical issues, especially if a company is large and works three shifts.
My leaning is against such a day but, again, I’m not trying to sway anyone.
Personally, I have fun working. I enjoy work. I enjoy busyness. I’ve always enjoyed the stress of having too many things to do and trying to get it all done. As a teen, teachers gave multiple finals on the same day. While many others whined about it, I thrived. The only thing that would keep me from working would be health issues. Even now, I love a vacation but after a week, I’m ready to get back to work.
Go ahead and say it. I’m weird. I’m certainly not the norm (or normal 😊)
Now, while you may retire from your job after 30 or more years of faithful service, you get a retirement party, a watch, a plaque, or some other token of appreciation, our work for the Lord is never finished. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 says, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, (17) Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”
We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” You may feel that you didn’t accomplish much in your earthly job but your work for the Lord has been of great value.
So, whether you are in favor of a national fun day at work or not, find the joy – the fun – in your work and especially in your service to the Lord. Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes 2:10, “…for my heart rejoiced in all my labour…”
1https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-fun-at-work-day-last-friday-in-january
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