People sometimes ask me, “How can we bring more humour and fun into the workplace?” My answer: Be playful. Playfulness is like a sprinkle of chocolate on your cappuccino—it makes things warmer, more human, more appealing but is not guaranteed to be to everyone’s taste.
Take the two Christmas trees in the photo above. On the left, you’ve got me and Charlie Curson doing a sneaky Titan Award* plug in front of the Landmark Hotel’s Christmas tree. It’s everything you’d expect: rich, tasteful, coordinated. The kind of tree that whispers, “Don’t touch me, peasant,” while sipping a £10 coffee. It’s perfect for their clientele—classic, expensive, and very very posh.
Now, look at the tree on the right. That’s my local Hitsona gym’s tree, topped with… the gym manager, James Ali, as the Christmas fairy. It’s playful, cheeky, and self-deprecating. Imagine walking in and seeing James perched up there in all his DIY angelic glory. It’s not just decoration; it’s a conversation starter. A laugh. A window into the personality of the place. In fact all round the gym are a plethora of manic looking Christmas elves holding signs with those go to inspirational quotes, “you’ve got this” etc etc. As you’re doing your circuit, it adds a smile to the grunts and swearing.
So here’s the action… Take a look around your office (or gym) and ask yourself—could your decorations be more playful, more fun? More human? Adding a touch of humour and personality can make your space feel more inviting and real—reminding everyone, “This is where humans work.”
Yes, if The Landmark stuck James on their tree, it would definitely lose that “classic English posh” vibe and maybe even get their manager sacked. But what if they added a bit of that fun, humour, human vibe to the Christmas décor – but did it in a Landmark way? Would a bit of humour and fun make even the swishest spaces feel warmer, more welcoming, more human?
What do you think? Could playfulness even work in traditionally formal spaces like The Landmark Hotel? As business dress becomes much more informal (check out your rush hour commuters to see how few now wear suits), would more of the same work in our office spaces?
*Titan Gold Award for Best B2B Event 2024 for ‘Leading with Laughter – A Stand-Up Approach to Strategic Leadership’