• by Charlie Anderson , Op-Ed Contributor, February 4, 2016

Fun is, well, fundamental at work. It’s so important that there’s an official day dedicated to celebrating and championing fun at work. There’s no doubt that fun is an essential element to sparking creativity, inspiring teamwork, boosting morale, and building relationships with the people with whom you interact daily. After-hours karaoke aside, the reality is that when fun is infused with work, staffers work harder, are more productive, and are exponentially happier. That’s why fun is ingrained in Shoptology’s culture, not just on Jan. 28 when “Fun at Work Day” is celebrated. But, each and every day. 

Fun is at the heart of our operation. Ping-Pong tables, exercise-ball chairs, restaurant-style booths, and even a dual-tap kegerator are in our midst. We make concerted efforts to come together and enjoy the camaraderie regardless of how much work is on tap. It’s crazy how shaking your sillies out in a quick game of table tennis clears the mental coffers and sparks innovative ideas. 

Sure, there are the scheduled happy hours and birthday lunches, but fun here tends to be more organic and authentic. It’s not manufactured or mandated. Our people just seem to know when it’s “Back to the Future Day” and show up as Marty McFly or Doc Brown. We’ve even had some show up as crazy clock tower lady. Inevitably, crowds gather for some interoffice trivia at lunch and staffers find prizes to dispense. Capturing the fun had by employees in our midst is a highlight of monthly agency meetings where we share news about the company’s operations. 

While #WhatUpShop was created to share information about new hires, campaigns, and clients, it has expanded to include inside jokes and goofy happenings, like when half the agency spontaneously showed up for work one day wearing plaid. It was seriously unplanned, just like the day multiple creatives came in wearing Batman T-shirts the same day. 

Fun is also highly contagious. When the videos shot during the holiday party go viral (the PC videos, of course) the lines of HR generalists start ringing off the hook and page views of our site increase exponentially. Pranksters beware: fun can easily become a four-letter word when not done right. But, whether letting dogs roam free or offering craft beer tastings at “Hoptology Hour,” the vibe that comes from an organization that lightens the mood of committed staffers working at warp speed for clients is game changing.   

Case in point: when pitching to become Dean Foods’ first shopper marketing agency of record late last year, our teams came together and made chocolate chip milk shooters to deliver to the client along with our RFP response. In the midst of the pitch, part of the team was in the kitchen baking cookie shooters with Dean Foods’ products while the other part of the team was baking ideas for the client. Pitch perfect: Dean Foods’ loved our ideas and our tasty treats that were fun to make and eat. We toasted with those very shooters after officially winning the business in January.   

All of our Shoptologists are so excited for the fun 2016 will bring. It will offset the challenges we will inevitably face and make our celebrations that much better.