Be it dress down days, an office pet or a NERF gun battle (no, just us?), having fun at work is an essential part of boosting both the wellbeing and the productivity of employees.

According to BrightHR’s new study, no one does it better than HR professionals, as they topped a poll of over 2,000 UK workers as the most likely to have partaken in fun activities at work in the past six months.

Employees working in arts and culture followed closely behind, placing a great importance on workplace fun, with 78 per cent of people confirming a long-established link between fun and creativity and innovation.

Our report found that people working in healthcare, travel and transport were least likely to do any fun activities in the office, with more than 40 per cent across both sectors insisting there was no play at work.

And while they may be highly paid for crunching the numbers, it would appear that accountancy firms are among the most depressing places to work, with 73 per cent of British accountants claiming they would ‘benefit from a good belly laugh’ in the office.

The findings are part of our ‘It Pays to Play’ report, which proved what we have long believed, that employees who are happy and engaged in a play at work culture have improved morale, and are less stressed and more productive.

As we look across job sectors, it is clear there is much progress to be made in terms of employee engagement. Bosses need to adopt a new work ethos, treat their employees as consumers and ensure employees love the company they work for. Happy HR professionals can help to lead this charge, injecting a little fun into employees’ lives, from Xbox games to charity bake-offs.

Professor Sir Cary Cooper, wellbeing in the workplace expert and scriber of our ‘It Pays to Play’ report, sums it up perfectly when he says “work is no longer about getting the job done and then going home for your fun – we, and particularly the younger generations ,want to enjoy their work too”.

https://www.brighthr.com