Returning to work after a holiday can prove challenging at times.
But getting re-energised about regular routines, deadlines and the odd water cooler conversation doesn't need to be unpleasant.
Catherine Price, the author of The Power of Fun, says this mindset can be alleviated by tapping into your playful side.
"Playfulness in particular tends to freak out adults, because we take ourselves way too seriously," Price tells ABC RN's This Working Life.
"We think it means having to wear silly hats and play children's birthday games. That is not what it means — I don't want to do that either."
Instead, it's about having a more light-hearted attitude in your working environment, where possible.
Price says this is because when people let their guard down in the "spirit of playfulness", it enables better connections to flourish.
She conducted an online survey that asked for participants' favourite memories of having fun and was pleased to discover that fun doesn't have to come at a high cost.
"One of my favourites … is of someone who said that one of their most fun memories involved nothing more than going outside in the rain with their grandfather without umbrellas and just allowing themselves to deliberately get soaked," she says.
"There are some misperceptions I think we have about fun, that it's only for the privileged. It's only if you have free time. It's only if you have money. But in fact, it's way more accessible to us than we realise."
Striking the balance
In the process of encouraging playfulness in our working environments, we need to be cautious that one person's idea of fun doesn't become another person's work hell, workplace coach Anetta Pizag says.
Pizag has a background in architecture and works with organisations on their physical environments and work practices to help employees feel, behave and perform at their best.
She says, while it's not uncommon for office spaces resembling theme parks to receive their fair share of criticism, there's a clever intention behind this design.
"It's to create an environment where people feel safe and invited and encouraged to let their inner child participate in the process of creation," she explains.
But there's no point in having a ping pong table in an office if it's positioned right next to an area where people are trying to concentrate.
"They are then driven mad by the constant sound of the ball. And I've actually talked to people who said that they had a ping pong table is their biggest pet hate," she says.
Yet she's also spoken to people who have felt more genuinely connected with their colleagues after playing ping pong. Their relationship has moved from being purely professional to more personal, which has improved their sense of belonging within an organisation.
Organic fun
Building better connections doesn't have to involve alcohol, Catherine Price says.
"Yes, alcohol will loosen people up. But not everyone wants to drink, so I've started doing a thing where I find easy things to organise," she says.
She offers the example of when she told colleagues she was going to an ice-skating rink and encouraged them to join her. "People showed up and they had fun," she says.
She says it's important the idea of having fun is not forced by the organisation or management.
"The trick, of course, is that if your employer is like 'now we will have fun', it's not very fun," Price says.
"I think there's some ways to come at it a little bit sideways … first of all, just recognise the fun you're already having, even if it's little moments, recognise the colleagues that you actually enjoy spending time with."
Also identify what your fun magnets are, namely the people, activities or settings that tend to generate the feeling of fun for you.
In addition, fun that's infectious can also help create a safer space.
"When people are laughing or giggling, people are going to be more themselves," Pizag says.
Having more fun at work can also improve employees physical and mental health in terms of social connection, Price says.
"Many people know that constantly being under emotional stress is very bad for us physically, because of the effects that it has on a hormone in our bodies called cortisol," she says.
Cortisol helps the body respond to physical threats, and as a result it spikes blood pressure, heart rate and blood glucose.
"It's not good if it's elevated over time chronically. And that leads to an increased risk in basically every chronic disease you can think of," she says.
"So anything you can do to reduce stress is enormously good for your physical health.
"Putting that together, I think it stands to reason that fun is not frivolous at all. It's actually a health intervention."
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