Giving Meaning to Workplace Fun: Personal Experiences of Employees

Abstract

Workplace fun has been a concept that is more widely researched and applied since the start of this century. This qualitative study aimed to contribute to the knowledge base on workplace fun by exploring employee experiences. Three constructs were explored to better understand workplace fun. 1)High-quality relationships, because workplace fun is often defined in social context between colleagues. 2)Negative experiences, because jokes can lead to bullying. And, 3)psychological safety, because the first two constructs impact psychological safety. All constructs were meant to give more meaning and a more complete picture of workplace fun. Twelve qualitative interviews were conducted. Exploratory results showed both negative and positive experiences of workplace fun. Positive experiences of workplace fun seem common and more frequent between people in high-quality relationships. Although it is not clear whether it is a cause-effect or vice versa. More research is needed to determine this. Negative experiences are less common, but were found in the data. The severity of these experiences range from mild to harming psychological safety. Results indicated how participants give meaning to workplace fun. Some aspects such as high workloads seem to reduce the workplace fun experiences, while validation of the work and physical environment seem to increase positive experience. Possible explanations and directions for future research were described. Results are exploratory and offer directions for future research, but must be read with caution.