The pleasure principle

Hey – guess who’s quoted in this article on fun at work in the New York Post? (Hint: It’s me!)

Take note, though, before you run out to buy a pingpong table, or bean-bag chairs for the conference room (as Motley Fool did): If you’re begrudgingly throwing your employees a bone, it’s not going to work, notes “Happy Hour is 9 to 5″ author Kjerulf. There must be a genuine desire to create a fun workplace.

“If you just do it because it’s good business it’s likely to feel forced and unnatural to people,” he says. “Fun has to be real, or it’s no fun.”

The article itself is great – and explains how companies like Motley Fool, search engine makers Hakia.com and many others introduce some fun and games to the workplace.

My favorite example from the article:

Desiree Gruber, president of Full Picture, a public relations and event planning firm, brings her two dogs to work daily. Mookie and Sam roam around to greet visitors and play ball with staff.

“We can never take ourselves too seriously when we have the dogs around,” says Gruber. “Without fail they make the office a more lively, warm, and spontaneous place.”