Why It’s Important to Have Fun at Work

January 2020

Oil and water. Sun and snow. East coast and west coast. Fun and work?

While “fun” and “work” might sound like they fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, at NeoGenomics we think they should go hand and hand, and we pride ourselves on our inclusive, diverse, and people-centric culture that makes Neo a fun place to work. With National Fun at Work Day looming around the corner on January 28, we wanted to not only stress the importance of having fun at work, but also explain why.

In an article by CIPHR, they break down the top 6 reasons why we should all be having fun at work.

1) Happy employees are healthier. “Content employees who have fun at work are more likely to avoid the negative effects of stress and anxiety and have even been shown to have a lower heart rate variability (the time interval between beats) with is associated with a risk of disease.”

2) Having fun improves communication and collaboration. “Having fun with people is a great way for individuals to learn about each other’s traits, likes, dislikes and develop unspoken habits and rules that aid mutual understanding. This knowledge enables them to better understand each other’s boundaries, strengths and weaknesses.”

3)Fun breeds creativity. “Individuals’ ability to learn improves when the task at hand is enjoyable and they’re in a relaxed mood. Play can also stimulate imagination, helping people adapt and problem solve.” 

4) Promoting fun attracts an audience. “Providing a window for people to find out about daily life at your organization increases familiarity and trust. Whether a potential customer or passive talent, if that individual feels that they ‘know’ your company and can see your ‘human’, fun side then they’ll be more likely to engage with you.”

5) Having fun makes employees more productive. “When an employee feels low or sad for any reason, their motivation drops, they may withdraw and communicate less, and may generally be less productive.”

6) Having fun encourages advocacy. “Employees that have fun, enjoy what they do, and are engaged will naturally share stories and act as advocates for your brand – on and offline. If every one of your employees shared news and updates about your brand to their own social groups, then your audience will increase exponentially.”

Are you for some fun? Browse career opportunities and read more about the Benefits at NeoGenomics. You can also check us out on Glassdoor and watch a video about the #LifeAtNeo.