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Article
Publication date: 25 December 2020

Michael J. Tews, Phillip M. Jolly and Kathryn Stafford

Despite previous research indicating that fun in the workplace has favorable outcomes, the effect of fun on turnover has not been definitively determined. The present study…

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Abstract

Purpose

Despite previous research indicating that fun in the workplace has favorable outcomes, the effect of fun on turnover has not been definitively determined. The present study analyzed the direct effects on turnover of three dimensions of fun: fun activities, coworker socializing and manager support for fun, and the moderating influence of managed fun (e.g. whether fun is perceived as contrived).

Design/methodology/approach

Logistic regression was used to analyze the fun in the workplace-turnover relationship with a sample of 491 hourly associates from 141 stores of a US national retailer. Data on the fun were obtained through surveys that were paired with turnover data collected six months afterward from corporate records.

Findings

Fun activities were only found to be associated with a lower turnover when employees perceived fun as less managed. When employees perceived fun as more managed, fun activities had no effect on turnover. Coworker socializing was associated with a lower turnover when fun was perceived as less managed and higher turnover when fun was perceived as more managed.

Research limitations/implications

As the data were obtained from employees from one organization, further research would be valuable with additional samples to substantiate the generalizability of the results.

Practical implications

Given the challenge of turnover and the increasing prevalence of efforts to promote fun in the workplace, organizations should allow fun activities to be less managed (and thus more organic) to help reduce turnover.

Originality/value

While previous research has addressed managed/less managed fun in qualitative research, the present study represents the first investigation to examine this aspect of fun in the workplace from a quantitative perspective and to examine its relationship with employee turnover.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 43 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Barbara Plester, Helena Cooper-Thomas and Joanne Winquist

Fun means different things to different people and the purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer the question “what is fun at work?”. Given that perceptions of fun differ…

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Abstract

Purpose

Fun means different things to different people and the purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer the question “what is fun at work?”. Given that perceptions of fun differ among people, the answer is that a pluralistic concept of fun best captures different notions of what constitutes fun at work.

Design/methodology/approach

The research combines two separate studies. The first is an in-depth ethnographic project involving interviews, participant observations and document collection investigating fun and humour in four different New Zealand companies. The second study extends findings from the first by specifically asking participants to reply to survey questions asking “what is fun at work?”.

Findings

Currently fun is described in a variety of ways by researchers using different descriptors for similar concepts. Combining current conceptions of fun with the own research the authors categorize the complex notion of workplace fun into three clear categories: organic, managed and task fun. This tripartite conception of fun combines and extends current models of fun and collates earlier findings into a synthesized model of fun. The investigation found that fun is ambiguous and paradoxical which creates issues for both managers and employees. The authors recognize fun as a multifaceted concept and use paradox theory and the concept of flow to theorize the multilateral fun framework.

Practical implications

The authors find significant implications for managers in regards to creating and fostering fun in the organizational context. Differing perceptions of fun may result in misunderstandings that can negatively impact morale and workplace relationships. A wider conceptualization of fun offers potential for more harmonious and productive workplaces and creates a greater tolerance for competing and paradoxical perceptions of fun.

Originality/value

Current literature on workplace fun uses a variety of descriptors of fun and emphasizes a duality between managed and organic forms of fun. In suggesting a new term “task fun” the authors synthesize earlier conceptions of fun to create an integrated model of fun. The model clearly outlines three overlapping yet paradoxical categories of fun.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 37 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2018

Katerina Georganta and Anthony Montgomery

During the last years, workplace fun has emerged as a potential indicator of a healthy workplace. Congruently, organisations have become interested in enhancing positive…

1173

Abstract

Purpose

During the last years, workplace fun has emerged as a potential indicator of a healthy workplace. Congruently, organisations have become interested in enhancing positive experiences at work, such as joy in the workplace. While such trends have resulted in a growing literature on fun in the workplace, humour and play, academics and practitioners are still uncertain as to the nature of fun and its antecedents. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of fun in the modern organisation and understand the underlying elements necessary for creating environments that valorise and promote fun.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted semi-structured individual interviews with open-ended questions with 34 employed individuals from a variety of professions. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings

The analyses revealed organised fun as a distinct type of workplace fun that can have a significant impact through its social support function and psychological safety as the underlying element for promoting healthy positive fun interactions. The culture of the organisation and management attitudes towards fun emerged as key issues in promoting a fun workplace.

Originality/value

Organised fun emerged as a new type of workplace fun. The relational characteristic of fun and its function as a social support method are discussed. The study has delineated the contextual factors that should be addressed by researchers when studying workplace fun.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2018

Maeve Clancy and Carol Linehan

The purpose of this paper is to explain some divergent findings on experiences of fun at work. It explains conflicting findings by moving from a focus on classifying the activity…

1067

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain some divergent findings on experiences of fun at work. It explains conflicting findings by moving from a focus on classifying the activity (as, e.g. task/managed/organic) to foregrounding the dynamics of the experience, adding to the growing conceptualisation of fun at work as a multi-dimensional construct.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on empirical data obtained through case study and interviews with 13 participants from two organisations. These interviews were subjected to intense thematic analysis.

Findings

It was found that an individual’s underlying beliefs about the organisation; the perceived drivers of the fun practice; and the level of control exerted over a fun practice significantly shape the experience. The paper draws on the concept of the psychological contract to frame the relationship between these three key interacting elements.

Practical implications

This paper provides a greater understanding of the dynamics of fun experiences, enabling management to better recognise and contextualise the impact of fun practices.

Originality/value

Given conflicting findings on both the experience and outcomes of fun at work, this study elucidates the dynamics underpinning the experience of fun at work. It is novel to consider experiences of fun through the lens of psychological contracts, which offers fresh insight into the understanding of individual experiences of fun.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 41 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Barbara Plester and Ann Hutchison

The idea of workplace fun seems positive, straightforward and simple but emerging research suggests a surprising complexity and ambiguity to this concept. Drawing on recent…

9061

Abstract

Purpose

The idea of workplace fun seems positive, straightforward and simple but emerging research suggests a surprising complexity and ambiguity to this concept. Drawing on recent literature and empirical data, the purpose of this paper is to use three different forms of workplace fun: managed, organic and task fun to examine the relationship between fun and workplace engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an ethnographic approach, the qualitative data originated from four different New Zealand organizations, within different industries. Organizations included a law firm, a financial institution, an information technology company and a utility services provider. Data for this study were collected from semi-structured interviews with a range of participants in each company. In total 59 interviews were conducted with approximately 15 originating from each of the four organizations. One full-time month was spent within each company experiencing the everyday life and behaviours at all levels of each organization. The specific focus of the research is organizational culture and humour and during analysis findings emerged that linked to engagement, fun, disengagement and the concept of flow.

Findings

This paper offers exploratory findings that suggest some specific connections between the concepts of fun and engagement. Empirical connections between these concepts are not currently apparent in either engagement or fun research, yet the data suggest some firm associations between them. The exploratory findings suggest that some forms of workplace fun offer individual employees a refreshing break which creates positive affect. Participants perceive that such affect results in greater workplace and task engagement. Additionally the data show that some people experience their work tasks as a form of fun and the authors link this to a specific form of engagement known as “flow” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975; Moneta, 2010). The authors suggest an organizational-level effect, where workplace fun creates enjoyment which stimulates greater overall engagement with the team, unit or organization itself. Conversely the data also suggest that for some people managed or organic fun (see Plester et al., 2015) creates distraction, disharmony or dissonance that disrupts their flow and can foster disengagement.

Practical implications

The ambiguity and complexity in the relationship between these concepts is an emerging topic for research that offers a variety of implications for scholars and practitioners of HRM and organizational behaviour. The authors contend that workplace fun potentially offers practitioners opportunities for fostering a climate of high engagement which may include most employees and thus create additional workplace benefits. Additionally through highlighting employee reactions to different types of fun we suggest ways of avoiding employee disengagement, disharmony and cynicism and the associated negative effects.

Originality/value

The concept of fun is not empirically linked with current engagement research and the authors assert that workplace fun is an important driver of employee engagement. The authors identity engagement at the individual task level and further extend engagement research by emphasizing that fun has the potential to create engagement at the team, unit or organizational level. These differing levels of engagement have not thus far been differentiated in the extant literature.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 38 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2009

Sharon C. Bolton and Maeve Houlihan

This extended editorial to the Special Issue “Are we having fun yet? A consideration of workplace fun and engagement” aims to review the current debates on organised “fun at work”…

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Abstract

Purpose

This extended editorial to the Special Issue “Are we having fun yet? A consideration of workplace fun and engagement” aims to review the current debates on organised “fun at work” and to suggest a framework for understanding workplace fun and employee engagement. The papers included in the Special Issue are also to be introduced.

Design/methodology/approach

The editorial review asks for an approach that offers a critical appraisal and sets the latest move towards fun at work within the context of the material realties of work.

Findings

A review of contemporary debates on fun at work reveals a predominantly prescriptive focus on attempts to engage employees through fun activities that oversimplifies the human dynamism involved in the employment relationship. The editorial suggests that we need to consider the motivations, processes and outcomes of managed fun at work initiatives and to consider employees' reactions in terms of “shades of engagement” that detail how people variously engage, enjoy, endure, or escape managed fun.

Research limitations/implications

The suggested framework for understanding workplace fun and employee engagement offers opportunities for empirical testing.

Practical implications

Understanding workplace fun and the work that it does, and does not do, offers opportunities to improve relationships between employees and between employees and the organisation.

Originality/value

The editorial and Special Issue overall offers an important contribution to the ongoing fun at work and employee engagement debate and opens up avenues for further exploration and discussion.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 31 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Virpi Tökkäri

– The purpose of this paper is to synthetize qualitative research on play in the organizational context.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthetize qualitative research on play in the organizational context.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a metasynthesis, the research premises and findings of 12 individual empirical studies were examined.

Findings

The findings of the metasynthesis showed that the research on organizational play has focussed on three central themes addressing play as fun, pros and cons of organizational play, and management of play. In interpreting the findings, seven perspectives of organizational play are constructed as follows: authenticity, belongingness, experience, social activities, generating, functions, and artifacts. The perspectives are conceptualized into three dimensions of play as the orientation of being-in-the-world, play as meaning-making and enactment, and play as creations.

Research limitations/implications

The sample consisted of 12 studies, which provided a limited insight into organizational play. However, following the guidelines of metasynthesis, the sample was appropriate and of good quality. The research suggests guidelines for further research into organizational play.

Practical implications

Achieving psychosocial well-being at work and success in management requires understanding of essential personal and social processes, such as play. The findings provide knowledge that can be applied in management and other workplace practices.

Originality/value

The study highlights the divergent perspectives of the organizationally important phenomenon of play. The paper contributes to a better understanding and the development of play in organizations.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2020

Mohamed Mousa, Rami Ayoubi and Hiba Massoud

This paper addresses nurses working in public hospitals in order to find out how gender may affect their perception of both diversity management and organisational inclusion…

1471

Abstract

Purpose

This paper addresses nurses working in public hospitals in order to find out how gender may affect their perception of both diversity management and organisational inclusion. Moreover, and given the novelty of workplace fun and the lack of research in this field in the context of developing countries, the authors explore the relationship between diversity management and organisational inclusion and explore workplace fun as a predictor of organisational inclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 360 questionnaires were collected from nurses in three public hospitals in Egypt. The authors applied a t-test to identify how gender may affect perceptions of diversity management. Moreover, the authors employed hierarchical regressions to test gender and diversity management as predictors of organisational inclusion and to test whether workplace fun can predict organisational inclusion, too.

Findings

The findings indicate that compared to their male colleagues, female nurses respond to diversity management practices more positively. Second, no significant statistical differences in the mean values for female and male nurses were observed regarding their perceptions of organisational inclusiveness. Third, diversity management is positively associated with organisational inclusion for the nurses. Finally, workplace fun mediates the relationship between diversity management perceptions and organisational inclusion.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in human resources (HR) research in the health-care sector, in which empirical studies on the relationship between gender, workplace fun and organisational inclusion have been limited so far.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2016

– This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

504

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

The horror of the office Christmas party. The sheer terror of the Summer work barbecue. The unfathomable awfulness of the corporate celebration. Everyone has undergone these rituals and everyone tends to agree that they are forced, lacking in any spontaneity and often hugely embarrassing for all concerned. So why do the Human Resources consultants, training and textbooks all encourage firms to “celebrate success” and “bond” when the people these events are aimed at are cringing inside?

Practical implications

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Details

Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0967-0734

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Simon C.H. Chan and Wai-ming Mak

This purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between workplace fun, trust-in-management, employee satisfaction and whether the level of fun experienced at work…

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Abstract

Purpose

This purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between workplace fun, trust-in-management, employee satisfaction and whether the level of fun experienced at work moderates the effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a sample of 240 frontline staff in a large-scale retail store in Hong Kong.

Findings

The results show that trust-in-management mediates the relationship between workplace fun and employee job satisfaction. Additionally, employees who experience a high level of fun in the workplace have a greater effect on workplace fun, trust-in-management and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is that it collects data from a self-reported single source in a cross-sectional survey design.

Practical implications

Because workplace fun helps organizations promote employee trust and job satisfaction, organizations should provide more enjoyable activities for employees to participate in.

Originality/value

This study provides a new insight into the effects of workplace fun on employees’ trust-in-management and job satisfaction.

Details

Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8005

Keywords

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