Work and fun should go together like fish and chips. But often the only time they end up in the same sentence is when disgruntled employees say: ‘Work is no fun.’

So, can it be and should it be? Some people would say it depends on your job. Not true. I’ve met many people who, on the face of it, have the most serious jobs in the world: undertakers, tax inspectors and the like, who have loads of fun at work. I’ve also met nursery workers, clowns and comedians (yes, comedians) who are truly miserable.

What makes work dull?

The most common cause of a dreary day comes from lack of variety. Although having said that, when I was 16 I visited the United Biscuits factory and saw how they made Jaffa Cakes. The process was amazing but perhaps the most amazing part was meeting Doris, who, with the aid of a long stick with a spike in it, removed the Jaffa Cakes that weren’t up to scratch. Imagine looking at a constant stream of Jaffa Cakes 10 wide for 8 hours a day seeking out the ones with dodgy sponge or wobbly chocolate. For the other two shifts they changed the person doing that job every 60 minutes but on Doris’s shift only she had that role. The human resources manager took us to one side and announced that Doris had done the same job for 30 years. There was a gasp from our group and feeling that it must be terrible. Even then my brain worked differently from the rest of the crowd and I spotted something that most people didn’t. SHE LOVED IT! Doris was the only person who had a smile on her face, she sang with the radio, chatted with her friends and took great pride in her work. And she gave us all a dodgy Jaffa Cake!

What’s the secret?

There are several factors that come into play when you are deciding whether work should be fun. And that was the first one – did you spot it? ‘Deciding’ that work should be fun. Step one is about making that all-important decision: ‘Do I want to have fun at work?’

The obvious answer is ‘yes’, but I believe that’s a misconception. Some people choose not to have fun at work because it’s easier for them to be negative and by being negative they get more significance.

Here’s a scenario: five work mates go out for lunch; very quickly the conversation turns to the ‘nightmare of a day’ that one of them is having. Have you ever overheard a conversation that goes something like this?

Now, just imagine if a fourth person jumped in with:

How do you think the rest of the people at the table would react? Do you think they would:

• Say how nice it was to hear someone was having so much enjoyment at work and ask for advice on how to make their workplace more fun?
• Complain that, ‘It’s alright for some’, before continuing the ‘why my life’s worse than yours’ competition?
• Wish their work life was as much fun, but hate the thought of actually doing anything about it as they get much more attention being negative?

The challenge is we often do get more attention for being negative and miserable than for being positive and having fun. So, are you ready to break the mould?

Could you be the first Minister of Fun for your department or organisation?

Here are some simple things you can do to make work lighter and more enjoyable:

• Organise a standing ovation. If you have a hero at work, arrange with your buddies to give them a standing round of applause. It’s a hoot and I’ve yet to meet the person who’s getting too much recognition.
• Celebrate ‘hireversaries’. Have a celebration for the dates when people started working with you.
• Spice up your voicemail. ‘I’m either on the phone or away from my desk’ is the most boring message in the world. Why not: ‘Sorry I can’t pick up in person. I’m currently on a top secret mission to make internal auditing fun again – I may be gone for some time . . . only kidding. I’m in all day so leave a message.’
• The power of plants! Fill your office or working area with plants and flowers. It makes you smile, your colleagues smile and the planet smile too.
• Dress-up Wednesday. Everyone does dress-down Friday; why not dress up on a Wednesday?
• Create an alias. Invent an evil nickname for the unpleasant side of your personality and when you feel yourself being negative just say: ‘That wasn’t me, it was Wicked Wendy, Dreadful Dave, etc. . .’
• Complain to yourself. If you want to have a moan, leave a message on your own voicemail or send yourself an email. Once you’ve listened to it or read it, if you still think others need to hear it then go ahead.
• Have a backward meeting. That means you start with the date of the next meeting and work back to apologies.
• LAUGH!!! Find an opportunity to laugh every day. Laugh at your mistakes. Laugh at yourself. Laugh with each other.

If after testing these ideas for 90 days, you still feel like you’re working in ‘negatyville’, then perhaps it’s time for you to find a workplace where you can have some fun.