‘I always have fun at work’: How ‘remarkable workers’ employ agency and control in order to enjoy themselves

Abstract

Organisations and associated management practices are generally considered responsible for promoting employees' enjoyment of work. Our study, on the other hand, seeks to examine the capacity of individual workers to regulate their own experience of fun. We interviewed eight ‘remarkable’ workers who claimed to always (or nearly always) have fun at work. We utilised a critical realist approach in the analysis that enabled the consideration of both structure and agency in the experience of workplace fun. A key research finding was that participants possessed a strong sense of control over their own happiness at work, demonstrated in four ways: (1) a priority placed on fun, (2) a sense of responsibility for fun, (3) a positive orientation to the world and (4) a sense of mastery and challenge in work tasks. Research findings may inspire both individual workers and organisations to adopt an agentic outlook in the workplace, implementing strategies that enhance employee control.

The Effects of Chinese Seafarers’ Job Demands on Turnover Intention: The Role of Fun at Work

“…Accordingly, further communication with seafarers who participated in the survey is conducted, and show the reason may be that maritime field is different from others. In the case of low job demands, regarding the lack of recreation onboard, a fun environment could help increase seafarers’ job satisfaction and decrease their intention to leave to some extent, which is consistent with previous studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 36 , 39 , 44 ]. However, seafarers have to stay focused and awake throughout the day and night, and deal with some inspections during work [ 1 , 21 ].…”

“… A fun environment moderated the relationship between job demands and turnover intention. Specifically, in the case of low job demands, the higher the degree of a fun environment, the lower the turnover intention, supporting several previous studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 36 , 39 , 44 ]. However, with the increase of job demands, although seafarers experienced a high level of fun environment, their turnover intention was increasing, which may even be higher than that of seafarers with a low level of fun environment.…”

“…This definition includes instrumental outcomes, such as an improved attitude and productivity, which are necessary for fun to gain momentum in organizations [ 25 ]. According to the JD–R model, a fun environment as a “replenisher” of psychological resources and not only buffers the impact of job demands on job strain, but also helps employees enhance their levels of control and helps them to recharge and recover from work demands faster [ 20 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Findings have shown that fun at work has a deep effect on organizations and employees [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Fun at workplace and intention to leave: role of work engagement and group cohesion

“…Several organizations intermix work and fun effectively to make the work environment more exciting and joyful for their workers (Choi et al, 2013;Lamm and Meeks, 2009;Tews et al, 2015;Tews et al, 2020). Fun events lead to beautiful experiences of cheerfulness, happiness and joy (Owler and Morrison, 2020;Xu et al, 2020). It creates a light-hearted atmosphere for IJCHM 34,2 the employees.…”

“…Fun at workplace (FAW) has a favorable impact on the organization and employeerelated outcomes (Becker and Tews, 2016;Owler and Morrison, 2020;Tews et al, 2020;Tews and Noe, 2019;Tsaur et al, 2019). From an organizational perspective, it helps in enhancing numerous organizational benefits, such as improved work passion and competitive advantage (Fleming, 2005;Karl et al, 2005), "superior customer service" (Karl and Peluchette, 2006), "empowerment," "creativity," "productivity" Karl et al (2005) and attract employees, (Tews et al, 2012).…”