“Man, I wish we could get rid of him. What a pain in the butt!” exclaimed the president of my burgeoning natural foods company.
“Yeah, I wish! But we can’t. He brings in too much money. The owner won’t let us fire him,” bemoaned the general manager.
Who’s that?
The head honchos were talking about me! I was the bane of their existence. In their eyes, I was worse than an annoyance. I was a curse. Their cross to bear this lifetime.
What’s Up with That?
Why did I upset them so? Simple. I had too much fun!
I reveled in fun. I propagated play. I promoted enjoyment on all levels of our organization.
As the company vice president, I offered free homemade gourmet, organic lunches so all the workers could bond by eating together every day. By request, like a radio station, I piped in everyone’s favorite music throughout the warehouse and offices. I provided free Hollywood film showings and live rock band concerts every Friday night to develop a sense of community among the workers. I arranged Non-competitive Game Days with other New Age businesses. I got the company to pay for employee hiking, canoeing, sailing and skiing excursions.
In our retail food stores, I sponsored parties almost every day. Customer Gratitude Days. Employee Appreciation Days. New Employee Celebrations. Old Employee Goodbyes. Welcome-to-Spring Bashes. Summer Flings. Winter Festivals.
A Threat to a Smooth Running Ship
What upset my bosses’ world of professional propriety was general merriment. Revelry for no reason. Play with no purpose. Amusement with no apology!
A Danger to the Bottom Line
The only weak link in their argument against fun in the workplace was that the Universe didn’t agree! A small flaw in their philosophy of business.
The World Talks Back
Yes, what really got under their skin was that all my “frivolous folly” filled the coffers. Fun attracted customers like kids to ice cream. Our retail outlets were always packed. People ordered wholesale from us because our phone people joked with them—and our delivery people came bearing smiles, laughter and free gifts.
My bosses called me shallow and silly. They warned new executives and employees to not spend much time with me or they would be “infected with idiocy.”
