Enjoy!: 101 Ways to Add Fun to Your Work Every Day
By Gini Graham Scott
AMACOM, 2008
This delightful book, Enjoy!: 101 Ways to Add Fun to Your Work Every Day, is based on the premise that having fun relieves stress. “People work too hard, particularly in the United States . . . and have a higher level of work related stress,” writes the author, who has written over 50 books, two of which are reviewed in this issue of the Graziadio Business Report.[1]
Enjoy! is divided into five parts. Part One consists of three chapters that review happiness, provide tools to make you happier (Scott is big on making lists), and offer tips on attitudes and relationships many of these tips may sound familiar while others are thought provoking. Part Two, “Breaking Down the Barriers to Enjoyment,” includes chapters on how to “Silence Your Inner Critical Voice” and “Rediscover Your Inner Child.” Such suggestions are contrary to what many of us have tried to do in cultivating our business personas most of us suppress our childlike qualities in an effort to become socialized and appear “professional.”
Part Three goes into 101 ways to add fun at work. Several ideas would not work in all office environments (e.g., bring your pet to work, email jokes, and record a humorous voicemail message), but all 101 ways could find a home in the right office environment. Some of the ideas are extremely useful (e.g., start meetings with a fun opener, institute diversity day, and throw recognition parties); while some are downright novel (e.g., bingo awards, change-the-names-and-titles games, and creative ideas for logos).
Part Four includes a long chapter (adapted from one of Scott’s other books) on what to do when traveling. Some of her suggestions sound like games I have played with my kids to keep them entertained on long trips, and others are good tips that many of us do naturally. Part Five concludes the book with a short summary chapter.
I was initially worried that Scott’s first two chapters were simply derivative material as all 24 of her references for these chapters were from the same source; however, I found the content to be original and useful in the context of this book. Enjoy! is 256 pages and the ideas certainly sound like they would be fun at work, and many could be used in off-site team-building scenarios. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in creating a more open and cohesive working environment.
[1] Click here to read a review of another of Scott’s books (co-authored with Terrence Gargiulo), In the Land of Difficult People: 24 Timeless Tales Reveal How to Tame Beasts at Work
