Book: 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work

I ordered this book from Amazon.com because I am thinking of becoming part of the fun team at the school, Allah SWT willing, where I will be working this coming school year.

I love to create fun at the workplace so that everyone will not be so stressed out. When I worked there as the librarian, I sponsored candy for 'Wednesday Drawings'. Every Wednesday a teacher's name would be drawn from a bag and the winner receives a bag of candy. He/She could share them with anyone, and usually almost all the teachers would give them to their homeroom students. It was fun to see students cheering on their teachers and I think it gave everyone something fun to look forward to when they came to school.

This book has lots of great ideas on implementing fun activities at the work place for little or no cost. Here are some of them.

(Page 38)
Ranking Employees' Needs in the Workplace
1. Interesting work
2. Full appreciation for work done
3. Feeling "in on things"
4. Job security
5. Good wages
6. Promotion/growth opportunities
7. Good working conditions
8. Personal loyalty to workers
9. Tactful disciplining
10. Sympathetic help with personal problems
- Dr. Kenneth Kovach, George Mason University, "People Performance" magazine, October 1996

(Page 62)
Dave's (Hemsath) Top Ten List
10. Dance the Macarena
9. Group outing (lunch, dinner, or happy hour)
8. Celebrate birthdays and anniversaries
7. Post cartoons (Dilbert) on doors, bulletin boards, etc.
6. Dress up on Halloween
5. Have a positive attitude
4. Casual dress Friday
3. Tell jokes
2. Eat (Food vary), and
#1. SMILE

(Page 136)
Here are the ten best ways to reward good work:
1. Money
2. Recognition
3. Time off
4. A piece of the action
5. Favorite work
6. Advancement
7. Freedom
8. Personal growth opportunities
9. "Fun"
10. Prizes
- Michael LeBoeuf, 'The Greatest Management Principle in the World,' in "People Management" magazine, October 1996

(Page 140)
Following are the top motivating techniques as reported by employees:
1. Personal thanks
2. Written thanks
3. Promotion for performance
4. Public praise
5. Morale-building meetings
- Dr. Gerald Graham, Wichita State University, "People Performance" magazine, October 1996

(Page 217)
12 Steps to Fun
1. Start with yourself
2. Inspire fun in others
3. Create an environment that encourages fun
4. Celebrate the benefits of fun
5. Eliminate boundaries and obstacles that inhibit fun
6. Look for the humor in your situation
7. Follow your intuition - be spontaneous
8. Don't postpone your fun
9. Make fun inclusive
10. Smile and laugh a lot
11. Become known as "fun loving"
12. Put fun into action