During a leadership workshop we discussed how leadership spends too much time planning for fun instead of actually having it.
A "Fun at Work" company newsletter generating funny ideas for people to do throughout the month is a great way to guarantee regular motivation and humor in the workplace.
Each suggestion below is intended to generate regular fun throughout the month. Most fun at work newsletters simply publish funny things and jokes. Problem is, they have a shelf life. You read them, you laugh, and it’s done. The goal in each potential sections of your newsletter is to have things people will do throughout the month to keep the humor alive.
Some ideas are below. Leadership needs to keep change initiatives rolling.
Inspiration to Get Physical
Have suggestions for funny physical things employees should do that month (i.e.- try to lick your elbow (go ahead try it - it’s impossible!). Create a special salute for a senior leader, spell your name with your hips, etc,
As people are discussing the newsletter around the water cooler, you will see them licking their elbow.
Tag - You're It
Create badges that can be cut out with different qualities on them. Employees cut them out, put tape on the back, and attach them to each other. Interpersonal skills will improve when their is a means to discuss them without tension.
Fun or fantasy, use qualities like:
- Drip of the Month, Fashionable, Motivational Speaker, Biggest Brown Nose, Notoriously Late, Looks Good in Yellow, Funny Guy, Most Inspiring, Least Reliable, Losing Hair, Most Promising, Ugly Tie, and Try Hard. These become great ways to decrease tension, conflict and increase discussion around things (i.e. - being late for work).
Do a Guess Who It is section
Highlight several employees and give clues so people can watch others and guess who the person is. Some examples to get you started are:
- This person's Mother-in- Law is in town, has a very difficult assignment this month, wears an orange blouse, was late twice last week, scratches his head a lot, has done the most overtime, is often found saying I’m not discussing that right now, etc.
Other fun ideas
- You could also do caricatures of staff members where people have to guess which staff member it is.
- Put in humorous coupons redeemable for the section… help with things, extra 5 minute break, or redeem this and get a surprise.
- Have a year long puzzle. Each month a new puzzle piece is in the newsletter, collect them over the year and create the puzzle, and get a prize.
- Have an Employee Rant section, encourage open discussion of conflict and irritating things people have had to put up with that month. Put it online and keep the discussion going.
- Run a contest through the month or quarter to vote for the best response to customer complaints or funniest way to handle conflict, etc.
- Have people submit ideas around a business issues and vote for the most creative, innovative one, and then publish it in the newsletter.
general ideas for your newsletter
- Create different themes for each newsletter.
- Don’t call it a newsletter - call it something humorous and motivational, like May the Farce Be with You.
- Send it to employee’s home address.
- Randomly highlight an employee every month (employee of the month if you have this).
- Put fun company photos.
- Create a crossword puzzle.
- Publish news on company events, Baby announcements, wedding pictures, new home photos.
- Want people to read a manual? Write on page 11 that the First 11 employees to mention the page receive a gift (the gift is a T-Shirt that says ask me about page 11).
