Having more fun at work just makes sense. Time and again, it has been proven to boost productivity and workplace morale and decrease staff turnover. In essence, fun is the lubricant for getting a job done well.

But if you have a seemingly entrenched office culture of taking things a little too seriously, how can you lighten the mood to cash in on laughter?

Read on for 7 light-hearted suggestions to inject a little more mirth into your everyday.

Being professional doesn’t mean you can’t laugh. It is possible to be serious about your work without having to take yourself too seriously. The most professional of people know the importance of building relationships with humour and a little playfulness. After all, people want to be around those who enjoy their work and have a bit of fun.

Create your own office traditions for birthdays (who brings the cake?), milestones, significant holidays and other important achievements. It could even be as simple as wearing casual clothes on Wednesdays, starting a lunchtime walking group or having an ANZAC biscuit bake-off for ANZAC Day.

How does your team celebrate achievements? Champagne? Morning tea? General office applause? However you do it, it’s important to celebrate together and to acknowledge those who have helped to bring about those achievements.

In our everyday ‘busyness’ it’s easy to become embroiled in the stressors and frustrations of your work. To counter this, why not begin each staff meeting with a quick ‘The best thing about my day so far…’ segment? Or perhaps you could ask each staff member to briefly state a great encounter they’ve had with a client or colleague that week.

Encourage staff to bring in fun stress toys or photos to lighten the office mood. Create a joke board or humorous staff newsletter. Sometimes it’s about enabling staff to listen to their favourite music or use a ‘fit ball’ instead of an office chair.

Break from routine whenever time and work schedules permit. Instead of holding the usual staff meeting in the Board room, head to the nearest park or go out for coffee. Allow staff to leave a little early from time to time, or invite them to sleep late the following morning. Crank up some lively music to overcome mid-afternoon energy slumps, or (if you’re a particularly nice boss), arrange for a masseur to visit the office to provide quick shoulder rubs for stressed staff.

Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes ‘having fun’. Encourage all members of your team to dream up their own ways of having fun at work. After all, none of us should be waiting for someone else to start the party!

We hate to end on a serious note, but we want to stress that fun at work is not about making fun of other people or of the company. It’s not about telling offensive jokes or about compelling people to take part in activities they feel uncomfortable about. In our view, fun is in the eye of the beholder.