How to implement fun therapy in your workplace

There’s a scientific reason why Camp Quality’s tagline is ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’

This philosophy doesn’t just apply to the interactions that employees and volunteers have with children aged 0-13 facing cancer, it also applies in the Camp Quality workplace and how teams interact when managing Camp Quality operations.

Author and humour expert Dr Paul McGhee states that anger and anxiety are energy-sapping emotions. His research indicates that living with anger, anxiety or fear on a regular basis, at work or home, changes the language we use and depletes your mental, emotional and physical reserves which prevents you from being productive, satisfied and happy. Conducted over 20 years, his research shows the many physical, mental and social benefits that laughter brings. The research indicated that laughter is a natural energy pill an antidote to the damaging effects of stress. Quite simply, it enriches our bloodstream with loads of oxygen, which gives us the energy to tackle the emotions that may drain us.*

Why camp quality introduced fun therapy

More than a decade ago, Camp Quality was an organisation experiencing the effects of workplace burnout. Camp Quality introduced a range of evidence-based initiatives to change organisational culture. With expert input, the team developed a wellbeing program called ORANGES that was based on the science of positive psychology, neuroscience and emotional intelligence. The ORANGES program included a practical tool known as Fun Therapy.

This simple ritual helps to relieve tension, broaden thinking, build positivity and strengthen connections

At the start of every meeting, the team practices Fun Therapy; a few moments of dedicated time for a fun activity such as telling a joke, starting a conversation, playing a game or sharing a positive message. This simple ritual helps to relieve tension, broaden thinking, build positivity and strengthen connections which are all essential ingredients for a high-performing team. Fun Therapy continues to be the norm at Camp Quality more than ten years since its introduction.

How to do fun therapy

Fun Therapy is something that everyone can do. There are numerous ways you can easily shift thinking and moods with the introduction of fun at the start of your next meeting and all it takes is a little leadership to get started. Try one of these activities which take inspiration from the children in our lives...

For remote meetings:  

• Use a quirky conversation starter
• Play a memory game like “I went shopping and I bought...”
• Celebrate individual and team achievements  

When you are in a room together:  

• Play a game of cards (like Snap or Go Fish)  
• Play rock paper scissors
• Thank someone who’s lived your organisational values or gone above and beyond to help others

Want more tips to improve workplace wellbeing?

The successes that Camp Quality has seen through since the introduction of evidence-based practices like Fun Therapy, led to the creation of The Oranges Toolkit, Camp Quality’s social enterprise. The Oranges Toolkit provides wellbeing and resilience programs for workplaces, including webinars, coaching, consulting and workshops, with all profits going to supporting kids facing cancer in Australia. To find out how Fun Therapy and other practical evidence-based tools could deliver measurable improvements in your organisation, contact us for a free consultation.

*McGhee, P. 2010. Humor as Survival Training for a Stressed-Out World, Author House, Bloomington, Indiana.