How to have fun at work, ways to make the workplace all fun and games.

When Monday rolls around it can sometimes seem like an intolerable effort to crawl out of bed in the morning, as the prospect of going to work is not always a desirable one. Fun and the workplace are not often associated with one an other and unfortunately for many it is just a means to an end, just a way to pay the bills, just what they do every day to get by. If this all sounds painfully familiar and the daily grind is getting you down, injecting a little fun in the workplace will do you and your colleagues the world of good.

Maybe it's not quite as dramatic as all that, maybe for the most part you do actually enjoy your job, but it does occasionally get a little tedious and you just want to cheer it up a little.  Well these little pointers should help you do exactly that, regardless of what it is you actually do or indeed where you do it, your workplace can be fun, honest.

How well do you know the people you work with and when was the last time you spoke to someone new? If you are one of those people who are generally sociable, what kind of things do you talk about? Do you keep it general, news, weather, politics, family and what you did or didn't do at the weekend, or do you play games?

Even in the most serious of work atmosphere, word games amongst workers are great fun and try to get as many people involved as you can, the more the merrier. We used to play this particular game in a factory I used to work in, the work would get a little mundane and when the usual pleasantries had run there course we would start up a game and it would on occasions, run all throughout the day.

Someone would chose a subject; food for instance and someone else who's name either began with an F or a D, would name a food, like strawberry then someone could only answer with another food if their name began with S or Y and so on. You can then vary this game by only answering after a certain amount of time, say half an hour and just when your all talking about something else, someone or a few people will suddenly blurt out their answer. It can lead to all kinds of discussions and can be a lot of fun. On occasion there may not be anyone who's name begins with either letter, in wich case you either have to find someone who does and entice them in to the game or use the next letters, in this case T or R.

If the sound of silence is driving you crazy and listening to a little music every now and again will not impinge on the ability to do your job, it's definitely worth considering trying to implement music into your work routine. If your place of work does not have an available sound system but there is no professional or safety issue as to why this is, it maybe worth approaching the man or woman in charge and enquiring.

If you already have music in your place of work but for one reason or another don't feel the music or radio station is best suited to the workforce, maybe it is a common point of complaint among staff members or it's too loud or quite, that's an issue that may well be worth pursuing also.

If your jobs a rather solitary affair and won't suffer from you listening to a personal music player, it way be worth broaching permission to use one and investing in one if you don't already have one.

When the body exercises it releases lots of 'happy hormones' that make you feel great. However as we are talking about the workplace I'm not suggesting you delve full on into the latest celebrity fitness craze, take an impromptu bicycle ride or diligently start tower running.

However a few gentle stretches throughout the day will do wonders, there is something very funny about watching people scramble to there feet when a 'surprise and spontaneous stretch session' is announced.

Some companies now even have gym membership discounts available for there dedicated workers, if all this talk of stretching sounds like a soft option and a session at the gym is more your thing, it maybe worth finding out if the company you work for is one of them.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of good old fashioned competition to keep you on your toes and keep you motivated.

There are a few ways in which competition can be implemented into the work place, one way is to measure it quantitatively. (The person who achieves the most, wins.) This works particularly well in a job where you are creating simple to assemble products, or in the sales sector. You could set it up as individuals up against each other or teams, it could be spread out over a week or decided everyday. Prizes and forfeits keep it interesting and you never know all your hard work, may even lead to a promotion.

Hubpages now runs regular competitions and the excitement is evident among hubbers when they do. I for one enjoy the buzz and the anticipation surrounding it.

Sometimes you just have to stop! Stress is not fun and anyone who says that hard work never killed anyone is either misguided or lying. Life is full of pressures and work is one of those necessary evils, however it does become a little more bearable if you take the time to relax.

Don't eat at your desk at lunch time because if your anything like me you don't really have a lunch break, you just end up eating while you work, wich are two completely different things. If you have to stay in the workplace for lunch, spend it with some good company and lighten the mood with a laugh and a joke.

It's important to take regular brakes and especially rest yours eyes if your working on a computer.

Stress balls or juggling balls can be a great way to ease some tension, throw them around the room with your colleagues or take some frustration out on one.

Yes, I'm serious. Many large corporations and small businesses alike are investing in fun, throwing parties at work, with music, lights, food and drink. If the boss is not keen on the idea then arrange for a get together after work on a Friday and really let your hair down!

The benefits of occasional self indulgence are many, treating yourself every now and again is no bad thing. It's easy to feel guilty about all the things we haven't done and feel we should, we then easily seem to forget to reward ourselves for all the things we do do. Sometimes we feel like we are doing it all and getting nowhere, the treadmill of life can leave the best of us frazzled.

You and I both know you deserve a little something for yourself, set yourself a task or goal for the day, week or month and when you have achieved it, buy one thing, you really want, that's just for you. You can then feel confident that you earned it.

Another little incentive that works well in the workplace, is a box of chocolates for everyone to share at the end of the week.

Dress down Fridays have been a huge success and some organisations have gone one step further with the idea and introduced, fancy dress days.

These work best with a theme, here are a few of the more popular ideas:

• Superheros and Villains.
• The Ocean.
• The wild west.
• Victorians and Georgians.
• Roman.
• Egyptian.
• The Desert and middle east.
• Cross gender dressing.
• Celebrities.
• Tropical island.
• Futuristic.

A happy workforce, is a productive workforce and a fun workplace will be a success . Many schemes all over the world have adopted this new attitude to business and all the data shows it works, team leaders and other staff members alike, are all very vocal on the possitive effects of fun in the workplace.