301 Ways to Have Fun at Work

NON FICTION BOOK REVIEW  

362 words

Title:301 Ways to Have Fun at Work;  
by: Dave Hemsath and Leslie Yerks; Berrett-Koehler 
Publishers Inc.; ISBN: 1-57675-019-1; paperback,  
250 pages,  US$14.95, CAN$21.95


Reviewer: A.T.Connellan, "Reading this book could just turn out to be the second
best fun you'll have between the covers."

Are You Having Fun Yet?

Now come on folks, work is not supposed to be fun, is it? Well, nobody told the 
authors, or Berrett-Koehler, the publishers. 

Also left in the dark were those of us who have discovered that fun at work lowers 
tension and raises productivity.

The secret is out-of-the-bag in this 250-page manual for business funatics. The 
detailed index also catalogs the represented companies and their methods. 
Refer back and the authors anecdotally describe the proposition, in practice.

Fun at work is not limited to the small-business, work-from-home crowd. Farsighted 
major corporations apply this principle as an integral part of the workplace, and 
an important ingredient in employee relations.

Enlightened corporations have discovered that an environment which incorporates 
light-hearted breaks in the routine fosters a very special collegiality that cannot 
be attained in any other way. The result is reduced turnover and increased output.

This "keep it loose" principle is used by businesses ranging from Disney and 
the Cleveland Indians to the international business consulting firm, Arthur Andersen

Applied zaniness has a solid psychological grounding which the authors examine 
in detail. They define the boundaries beyond which the practice becomes 
counter-productive.

Hemsath and Yerks collate the application of the fun philosophy into pragmatic 
free-standing sectors of the book. This enables the reader to leap between sections 
that provide the "how-to" of applying fun in the Work Environment, Communication, 
Training, Meetings, Recognition, and Team Building.

Each sector is supported by the philosophy, methodology, and tools required 
to be effective. Anecdotes of actual applications illustrate the principles in action

Berrett-Koehler have a well-earned reputation for publishing innovative work in the 
category of business, non-fiction. This book is a product of their underlying philosophy.

Dave Hemsath and Leslie Yerks are experienced in the use of fun at work. They
 represent a growing number of authors and consultants who are responding to the 
demand for new and more effective work practices.

It will become clear to the reader that the authors applied their philosophy 
wholeheartedly in the writing of this most informative volume. They enjoyed 
themselves, and you will too.

Reading this book could just turn out to be the second best fun you'll have 
between the covers.