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The Positive Implications Of Workplace Fun At Work In The Workplace

Decent Essays

Popular press articles introduced a variety of positive outcomes that may stem from workplace fun. It has been suggested that people who have fun at work should experience less stress (McGhee, 2000; Miller, 1996), demonstrate lower turnover (Mariotti, 1999), and are more energized and motivated (Stern & Borcia, 1999). People having fun doing their jobs also get along with others better (Meyer, 1999) and provide better customer service (Berg, 2001). However, the majority of these results rely on anecdotal evidence provided by proponents of workplace fun, rather than by empirical research findings. Very few empirical research studies have been conducted to investigate the relationships between workplace fun and various work outcomes. A stream of research conducted by Karl and colleagues focused on the positive effects of workplace fun on various job attitudes and outcomes (i.e., Karl, Peluchette, Hall-Indiana, & Harland, 2005; Karl et al., 2007; Karl & Peluchette, 2006; Peluchette & Karl, 2005). In each of these studies, workplace fun was positively associated with job satisfaction. Specifically, Karl et al. (2005) examined three sectors – public, non-profit, and private organizations – and found no significant differences across the three sectors in employees’ attitudes towards workplace fun. However, further exploration revealed that there were significant differences in experienced fun. These findings are consistent with the assertion that significant differences exist in

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