Walk Into the Future

Tag: Work Fun

  • 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest

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    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team.”

    (Frank Sonenburg)

    Work hard and play hard is an old saying but we are getting a lot of use out of it daily.

    My Walk into the Future provides multiple outlets for me to live life daily. I leverage this blog to record and share these adventures with my readers.

    The newest adventure was the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest at work. We started this tradition back in October 2021 with an 80’s themed dance party.  I did not think my coworkers would dress the part or even dance at work, but I was wrong. Our folks know how to have fun and are always looking for the next time to party at work.

    It took a while to produce the 2024 theme for our event, but we decided to make this year Dynamic Duos with Karaoke. We never force people to join in, but it helps when Vice Presidents get into the event, dress in costume, and have fun. We also learned that a lot of our colleagues love karaoke and could not wait to sing at work again this year. FYI, participants did not have to sing karaoke as a duo, but several did. We continue to discover talented singers from around campus and this year was no exception.

    My VP (Beth) and I agreed to dress as the Saturday Night Live (SNL) Spartan Cheerleaders this year:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SErOdLSlpkE

    We agreed to become this duo back in June and ordered matching outfits via Amazon. Yes, we take this work party seriously. Beth insisted that we match completely so she purchased matching sneakers for me to ensure we were completely in character. 😊 Our routines did not have a karaoke theme, but we wanted to entertain the audience and get them ready to have fun. We planned to perform as the opening act before the singers got started with karaoke. Most people knew we were up to something but never imagined that I would dress as a Spartan Cheerleader and perform multiple routines in my outfit. Well, Beth continues to convince me to do things out of character and it is fun. 😊

    We started with a little skit to welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest. We incorporated memories from the previous 3 Fall Fun Fest activities. This was a fantastic way to break the ice for the group and gave us time to get into character. This skit led us to perform The Perfect Cheer which was made famous by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as the Spartan Cheerleaders on SNL (starts at 3:36 mark:  https://www.tiktok.com/@matt.gizmo.yerke/video/7287395646066249002?lang=en)

    The karaoke machine kicked in once the Spartan Cheerleaders were done. Again, we have some talented folks on our staff and the singing was outstanding. Several folks hit the stage multiple times to entertain the crowd. We had to adjust the song format a bit when we kept getting songs from musicals. I have nothing against these types of songs but the energy level in the building went down with slow and dramatic musical songs. I will implement a party anthem only concept in 2025 to help keep the crowd moving.

    I am not sure of the theme we will have next year, but it should be another epic adventure for the team. 😊

    What do you do for fun at work?

    Irie!

    “It is not really work if you are having fun.”

    (Pierre Omidyar)

  • Playdoh into the Future!

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Pinterest Pin)

    What’s your fondest memory of Playdoh?

    This is not a trick question but one I have been asking people in my orbit lately.  Why?  Great question!

    I purchased a can of Playdoh one day on a trip to Dollar Tree on a whim.  Thought it would be fun to have around the house and to make forms in between laying down tracks for the Walk into the Future blog. Well, after two weeks I had not opened the Playdoh and decided to take it to work as a simple distraction in between meetings. I placed it on my desk with designs to pull it out when needed to have a little extra fun at work.

    The first time the Playdoh came out was an impromptu meeting. My Vice President and another Associate Vice President were in my office catching up on things that happened on campus.  The meeting was sidetracked as soon as they saw I had Playdoh in my office.  We immediately grabbed a handful of Playdoh and started forming shapes.  The funny thing with this process is we had the most productive meeting we’ve had in a long time while forming Playdoh.

    I didn’t know if the Playdoh and productive meeting was a coincidence, so I doubled down and purchased more and brought it to work.  I let people who enter my office select their preferred Playdoh color and take it back to their offices.  I also let them know they have to bring their Playdoh back with them if they need to speak or meet with me.  Yes, I’ve mandated Playdoh play dates at work! 😊

    Again, I have been surprised with the productivity we have been able to get since Playdoh was introduced into the work environment.  I started as something we did in my office, but I started traveling to other meetings with a bag full of Playdoh.  I place the cans on the table and let my colleagues select a color and we form shapes while solving the world’s problems.  The shapes I created were not very artistic, but I quickly discovered I needed to step up my game because my colleagues have Playdoh skills.  I’ve watched folks make some outstanding shapes and characters during our sessions.  The productivity of our meetings remains high, and we are having fun with the process. 

    Here are a few of the shapes created in our sessions:

    So, why do YOU think Playdoh has been such a success in my work environment?

    My take is most of us were introduced to Playdoh at a young age and these happy memories translate directly to how we remember the smell, feel and form of Playdoh as adults.  Simple concept—Playdoh reminds us of a simpler time in our lives and we didn’t have a worry in the world.  These memories all come back to us as soon as we open a can of Playdoh in the work environment.  Happy people = productive people!

    I’m looking to purchase a larger selection of Playdoh colors to bring into the work environment.  It may seem like a small gesture, but our productivity has gone up and we are having fun with the Playdoh!  Not sure how long this phenomenon will last but I’m enjoying it daily! 😊

    What are your memories of Playdoh?

    Irie!

    “Work hard, have fun, and make history”.

    (Jeff Bezos)