Are We Having Fun Yet?

How many of you were ever a child? If you were a child, then stop and think back to those days when fun was a way of life.

For example, what would you do if someone gave you a garden hose? Squirt your friend? Your dog? Maybe set the hose down full blast and chase after it like it was an out of control serpent? I would guess that getting wet was probably the least of your worries. In fact, it was practically mandatory.

Fast forward to adulthood. What would you do with that hose now? Likely something responsible like water the plants or the grass — maybe wash your car — all the while making sure no part of you gets accidentally splashed in the process.

When did we get so serious? Did you know that a child laughs an average of 400 times a day but by age 35, that number drops to a mere 15 times a day? Sure, there is a time and place to be serious and responsible — and a time and place to have fun. Does that mean these two life undertakings cannot ever happen at the same time and place, or that there is less room for fun in our lives the older we get?

Only if we let it!

How much fun do you have at work? Maybe the better question is how much fun you allow at work because, in all honesty, it is not the boss or manager’s duty to make the workplace fun. It is their responsibility, however, to allow fun to happen. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. During one of my Q&A sessions in Chicago, a doctor in the audience stood up and proclaimed, “I do not permit laughter in my office. It is unprofessional and my patients do not like it. When my staff laughs, patients think they are laughing at them.”

Wow. I would be hard pressed to apply for a job in that office, especially because our office was always full of laughter with patients commenting positively. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I stayed for over 30 years.

If you do not feel that a fun environment is contagiously healthy, just Google “constructive effects that humor has” and you would find everything from the physical (reduced pain and stress), to the emotional (mood elevator, increased optimism), the cognitive (increased memory, problem solving abilities and creativity), and finally, the social traits (teamwork and friendliness). So which of these positive aspects would you not choose for your practice?

If your office appreciates the value of humor in the workplace, consider the following fundamentals.

1. Make time during your staff meetings (you are having staff meetings, aren’t you?) to:

• have everyone share uplifting patient stories with the rest of the team;

• verbalize compliments, appreciations and other kind sentiments to each other;

• include participatory team building activities in the agenda for more cohesiveness; and

• ask team members to suggest new high-energy creative ideas.

2. Dress up for Halloween or for a particular event (i.e., in all pink for breast cancer awareness) or in team colors for special game days.

3. Celebrate employee birthdays. Patients love knowing and extending birthday wishes.

4. Have quarterly “themed” staff luncheons with each staff member contributing a favorite dish.

5. Encourage a relaxed attitude where professionalism and (properly defined) humor coexist.

6. Initiate staff contests, “star employees” or other incentive programs to reward positive actions.

7. Get to know each other a little better to learn what makes everyone smile. (Email me at lynn@soshms.com for a complimentary survey to share with staff.)

8. Conduct contests for patients (i.e., matching the baby pictures to the doctors and staff or counting how many candies or ______ in the jar with a prize to the winner(s)).

9. Decorate your office for holidays.

10. Walk into the office wearing a smile that says you enjoy being there. If you don’t enjoy being there, why should your staff? You have choices. Choose happy!

“There is little success where there is little laughter.” — Andrew Carnegie

So go ahead. LOL, LYAO, FOTFL! It is never too late to get those endorphins pumping and spread positive vibes through the office. Remember how easily you laughed when you were a child? Life is too short to be too serious and the older you get, the more you realize that.