Exploring Fun as a Job Resource: The Enhancing and Protecting Role of a Key Modern Workplace Factor

Abstract

Workplace fun, defined as the result of organic or organized activities that cause enjoyment in the workplace, has become increasingly important for both organizations and employees. Efforts to create a fun workplace are rooted in the notion that such experiences can contribute positively to the affective, cognitive and behavioral functioning of employees. Conceptualising workplace fun as a job resource two functions of fun are revealed; its enhancing role and its protective role. Workplace fun as a job resource can function as a social support mechanism and have a significant impact in buffering job demands while at the same time increasing positive outcomes through job engagement. We propose a theoretical model that helps better understand its function as well as its necessity and offer propositions that can help future research. Furthermore, taking into consideration the literature on the negative side of fun, we examine trust as an important moderator of fun’s results on key outcomes and freedom of expression as a key prerequisite for workplace fun. Finally we have identified nudging, job crafting, and appreciative inquiry as potential avenues for promoting organic and organized activities that can contribute to a culture that supports workplace fun.