Boost Morale with an Injection of Fun

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Boost Morale with an Injection of Fun!

• ASTPHND
• 2006 Annual Meeting
• Seattle, WA
• Facilitated by
• Beth Hannley
• Catalyst Consulting, Inc.

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• Work (wurk) noun.
• 1. Use of bodily or mental power in order to do
  or make something, especially as contrasted with
  play or recreation. (The Oxford American
  Dictionary)

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Objectives

• Describe the benefit of a positive work
  environment
• List twelve questions to assess employee
  satisfaction
• Identify 3 strategies to increase employee
  satisfaction
• Identify three ways to inject fun into the
  workplace
• List 3 ways to inject fun into work
• Laugh with vigor in public

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Essentials of Fun At Work

• Think about the Specific People Involved
• Lead by Example
• Have fun Take Risks
• Change Takes Time

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Side Effects of Fun

• Fun is energizing
• Happy employees productive employees
• Happy employees Happy customers
• Recruit and retain good employees
• Happier employees come to work more!
• A hearty laugh burns up 3.5 calories

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Treasure Hunt

• Find someone who
• Can juggle
• Dated someone who is now famous
• Has the same color eyes as you have.
• Has been married to the same person for 20years
• Has been to the Super Bowl or to an Inaugural
  Ball.
• Sings in a choir or plays a musical instrument
• Has lived outside the US for more than a year
• Has seen the same movie at least five times
• Likes to ski, fish or snowshoe.
• Sketches, paints, knits or weaves.
• Has hit a home run or a hole-in-one
• Has owned his/her own business
• Has written a book or plans to.
• Has three or more children
• Can speak two languages
• Is owned by two or more cats
• Has climbed a mountain.
• Is left-handed

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Treasure Hunt

• Purpose
• Meet people in a different way
• Have fun
• Example
• Find someone who juggles
• Get his/her autograph
• Sign up to 3 lines/page
• Object
• Autograph for each line

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Fun At Work

• Working with a partner, share a story of fun at
  work
• Tell about at time that was particularly fun at
  work. What was the high point of this time?
  What made it fun?
• OR
• Talk about a working relationship that is
  especially fun. How did this relationship
  develop? What do you most appreciate about this
  person?

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Employee Satisfaction Business Results

• Does a positive work environment make a
  difference in business results?
• So, Gallup surveyed..
• 105,000 Employees
• 2500 Business Units in 24 Companies
• 12 Industries, including healthcare

YES!
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Employee Satisfaction Business Results

• Twelve questions linked to business results
• Profitability,
• Productivity,
• Customer Satisfaction,
• Employee Retention
• The Manager is key

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Twelve Questions

• Do I know what is expected of me at work?
• Do I have the materials and equipment I need to
  do my job right?
• At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I
  do best everyday?
• In the last seven days, have I received
  recognition or praise for doing good work?
• Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to
  care about me as a person?
• Is there someone at work who encourages my
  development?

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Twelve Questions

• At work, do my opinions seem to count?
• Does the mission/purpose of my company make me
  feel my job is important?
• Are my co-workers committed to doing quality
  work?
• Do I have a best friend at work?
• In the last six months, has someone at work
  talked with me about my progress?
• This last year, have I had opportunities at work
  to learn and grow?

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Most Powerful Questions

• Know what is expected of me at work?
• Have the materials and equipment I need to do my
  job right?
• Opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
• Recognition or praise in the last seven days?
• Supervisor, or someone at work, cares about me?
• Someone encourages my development?

Source Marcus Buckingham, First, Break All The
Rules
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You can't be serious!!!

• Making fun work
• Take yourself lightly
• Be sincere
• Think small and simple
• Practice relevant humor
• Practice safe humor
• Hire for humor
• Make fun a priority

Source Paul Hawken
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Fun Facts

• Smiling makes you happier
• Women smile 8 more times a day than men do
• People like and trust you if you smile
• People can hear you smile.
• Smiling cools the brainfrowning heats

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Obstacles to Fun!

• Were too busy
• It cuts productivity
• Were professionals
• Its not my style
• No budget

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Top Ten Fun Things to Do at Work

• Smile
• Eat
• Tell jokes
• Casual Friday
• Dress up for Halloween
• Post cartoons on doors, bulletin boards
• Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries
• Group outing
• Dance the Macarena or Electric Slide

10. ?????
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How do you have fun?
7-5-35 Exercise

• On an index card, briefly describe your favorite
  way to inject fun at work
• Print or Write legibly

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Great Ideas
7-5- 35 Exercise

• Round One
• Exchange cards with five people.
• Find a partner
• Compare the ideas on the cards you have
• Score the ideas by splitting 7 points between the
  two cards. (7-0, 6-1, 5-2, 4-3) 7High
• Write the score for each card on its back

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Great Ideas
7-5- 35 Exercise

• Round Two
• Exchange cards with five people.
• Find a partner
• Compare the ideas on the cards you have
• Score the ideas by splitting 7 points between the
  two cards. (7-0, 6-1, 5-2, 4-3)
• Write the score for each card on its back

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Great Ideas
7-5- 35 Exercise

• Repeat for Rounds Three, Four,and Five
• At the end of Round Five, add up all the points
  on the back of the card youre holding. Maximum
  is 35 points
• (7 points X 5 rounds 35)

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Injecting Fun!
How can you inject fun into your
work? Hiring Orientation Staff
meetings Celebrating successes Recognizing
performance Training/Communication
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Fun Ideas!
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Hire for Fun

• Include sense of humor in job competencies

• Ask Fun Interview questions
• Describe a time when you had a lot of fun at work
• Tell me about a time when you used humor to
  manage job stress
• Describe your ideal work place

• Look for smiles listen for fun!

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Welcome New Employees

• Give them a welcome present eg a keychain for
  their new office keys
• Send them on a scavenger hunt to help learn their
  new teammates and the work area.
• Give them a buddy
• Create a crossword puzzle with co-workers names
  on it.
• Check in at one month, three months
• Are you having fun here?

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Meeting Mania

• Open with a video.
• Meetings, Bloody Meetings - with John Cleese
• Celebrate Whats Right With The World
• Old Movie Serials Flash Gordon, Lone Ranger
• Show and Tell Time Chance to share success
• Use Icebreaker questions
• If you could have fifty pounds of anything, what
  would it be?
• What was your first job? Strangest? Most fun?
• Bring toys to play with
• Crayons, paper airplanes, bubbles

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Fun Stimulates Thinking

• Graffiti Board
• Think Outside the Box Lunch
• Photoshop staff pictures into your presentation.
• Create a Mirth Committee

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Reward and Recognition

• Informal and inexpensive
• Ask staff how they want to be recognized
• Catcher Program reward Right-doing
• Personal note from the supervisor
• Small rewards favorite latte, funny PostIt
  Notes, Movie tickets
• Time off 15 minutes extra at lunch
• Email a Standing Ovation -
• www.Playfair.com

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Powerful Praise

• Soon
• Sincere
• Specific
• Personal
• Positive
• Proactive

Source Bob Nelson, 1001 Ways to Recognize
Employees
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Powerful Praise

• Four Steps to effective recognition.
• I saw what you did
• I appreciate it
• Its important because
• Heres how I feel about it.

Source Bob Nelson, 1001 Ways to Recognize
Employees
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Top Ten List

• Most popular fun recognition gifts

1 Coffee mugs, (preferably with a cartoon)
2 T-shirts, and
3 Dinner out (or breakfast or lunch)
4 Gift certificates
5 Balloons (with or without gorilla delivery)
6 Plaques and trophies
7 Tickets to movies or sports events
8 Books
9 Popcorn tins or fruit baskets
10 Gag gifts
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Random Acts

• Pay for the guy behind you
• Do the 3oclock spin
• Leave voice mails in character a historical
  figure or TV/Movie character
• Think Outside the Box Lunch
• Photoshop staff pictures into your presentation.
• Silly Socks and Terrible Ties

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Resources for Fun

• Office and Meeting Toys
• Coloring books
• Play-Doh
• Kaleidoscopes
• Bubbles
• Nerf ball
• Post-it notes
• Puzzles
• Prisms
• Crayons/markers

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Resources for Fun

• 1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson
• Fun Works Creating Places Where People Love to
  Work by Leslie Yerkes
• Managing to Have Fun How Fun at Work Can
  Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers,
  and Boost Your Bottom Line by Matt Weinstein
• Fun and Gains Motivate and Energize Staff with
  Workplace Games, Contests and Activities by
  Carolyn Greenwich

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More Resources for Fun

• Looking for even more fun ideas? Check out these
  websites about laughter and play
• Matt Weinstein www.playfair.com
• Bernie DeKoven www.deepfun.com
• Joel Goodman www.humorproject.com
• Allen Klein www.allenklein.com
• Clifford Kuhn, M.D. www.humorbeing.com 

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Exit laughing

• Great way to close (or open) a meeting
• For a full minute, continuously repeat the
  following sound..

HA
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For more information

• Beth Hannley
• Catalyst Consulting, Inc.
• Mill Creek, Washington
• bhannley_at_aol.com