Literature Review
Job satisfaction is determined by a number of factors such as leadership or management styles, human resource policies and organisation’s culture. Job satisfaction is the extent at which employees feel contented with the roles they play at workplace. It can also be defined as the feeling of personal satisfaction and self fulfilment at work. Some of the elements that can be used to determine whether employees are satisfied with their jobs include punctuality, minimal absenteeism, and good relationship with co-workers. Even if employment is voluntary or involuntary, personal satisfaction plays a vital role in determining organisational output. It is important to promote a healthy working environment that does not merely increase organisation’s performance. It should also boost job satisfaction among workers. Fun or playfulness at workplace can be used as a tool of motivating employees, increasing job satisfaction and boosting overall performance. This paper reviews existing literature in order to examine the impacts of playful culture at workplace with respect to job satisfaction.
Research has shown that a playful culture is very crucial in the holistic process of motivating employees in an organisation. In most cases, it may entail sharing food, refreshments, teambuilding, outings, games, giving awards and humour. In actual sense, this may work well whereas in some cases, a fun-filled workplace environment may generate negative impacts on job satisfaction.
Positive impacts of a playful culture on job satisfaction
Upon careful review of literature, it is evident that a playful culture such as having leisure time and fun at workplace helps in reducing stress. Proponents of playful culture at workplaces claim that fun motivates and energises workers. Consequently, the productivity of employees in an organisation is increased. We may not doubt the fact that when employees work in a less stressful environment, they are likely to develop a positive association with other people. In other words, employers should invest in the emotional development of employees to ensure that they relax, bond and cooperate with each other to achieve the set goals.
Researchers have also approved that laughter and fun are among the most effective tools that may minimise the effects of irritating and bitter experiences at workplaces. A playful culture breaks boredom at workplace. As a matter of fact, evidence has shown that most employers prefer recruiting employees who have a sense of humour because they are believed to work better than those who lack light moments. Having fun at workplace also boosts creativity. Empirical studies have shown that playful people are the best decision makers since they get along well with their co-workers. Besides, when a playful culture is embraced at workplace, there are few cases of absenteeism, lateness or sickly feelings that may be reported among employees during working days. Playfulness leads to positive psychological and physiological effects. Therefore, it is obvious that happier employees are more productive and loyal to their leaders.
A playful culture has been used as a key mechanism for boosting or enhancing organisational effectiveness. Managers of companies are highly encouraged to embrace corporate cultures that encourage fun, humour and playfulness. In addition, recent surveys have shown that workers desire to have fun within their working environments. Scientific evidences have demonstrated that a playful culture improves communication since it breaks tension and conflicts.
Negative impacts of a playful culture on job satisfaction
A playful culture or fun at workplace is an inadequately defined concept in contemporary organisational management. Lack of comprehensive understanding of its underlying importance can cause negative impacts in job satisfaction. It is worth to note that fun at workplace ought to be applied appropriately. In most cases, there are elements of play that can be offensive to ordinary people. For instance, while using humour to make people grasp the absurdity in our opinions, perception and behaviour, it is possible for an individual to sound offensive. There are people who do not take things lightly. This may increase the intensity of conflict at workplace. In other words, when embracing a playful culture at workplace, it is imperative to define what it entails. Aspects of fun such as flattery and casual uncommon jokes should be discouraged in order to cater for individual differences. Moreover, fun should be applied carefully with the intention of promoting a positive working environment. Therefore, a company’s culture must match with the employees’ interest in order to increase job satisfaction.
It is evident that job satisfaction is a crucial factor on a firm’s effectiveness. Research has shown that a playful culture plays a key role in boosting job satisfaction among employees. Having fun improves quality of work output by reducing boredom and mental fatigue. Play is one of the social needs of human beings because it improves communication among workers. It also increases creativity and eliminates tension among employees. Nevertheless, it is critical to note that not all employees desire fun at workplaces. Fun may be irritating especially when it is accompanied by hidden agenda. When developing a playful culture at workplace, it is recommended that employers should take it as a voluntary move. It is also important to involve employees while designing play activities to ensure that they have an option to choose from the available fun activities.