Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work (UK PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS Management / Business) - Softcover

"Fun not only works but is essential for healthy companies. It's not about doing funny things but being fun, something Leslie Yerkes has made perfectly clear in this very readable book."
-- Lena Andersson OD Consultant Lindingö, Sweden

"As a member of the board of the nonprofit organization I direct, Leslie practices what she writes about. She makes the work of the board much more interesting. Her book contains simple steps you can take to bring your whole self to work and grant permission to others to do the same."
-- John Colm President and Executive Director, WIRE-net Cleveland OH

"Leslie Yerkes' new book chronicles high-performing companies that create positive work cultures that drive out fear, increase risk-taking, strengthen trust, and encourage success. If you want your work to be like this, read this book. I loved it."
-- Dorothy Marcic Dr. Dorothy Productions Author of Respect the Musical Nashville TN

" Sometimes, we forget that work is supposed to be fun. Leslie's book reminds us how to return to the fun we have within us in a way that is good for business and good for our spiritual and financial health."
-- Mark Albion Author of the New York Times bestseller Making a Life, Making a Living Denver CO

"Fun Works should be taken seriously by any organization committed to success. It gives businesses compelling reasons to ask: 'How can having fun at work energize our productiv- ity and profitability?' I'm giving this book to one of my clients."
-- Marilee Adams, PhD Author of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life Lambertville NJ

"I used to wonder how a financial-related business could emphasize fun. After reading Fun Works, I realized that fun does not necessarily mean silly or boisterous. I may not be able to express fun in all the ways shown here, but I do believe the workplace can be a place where it is fun to be and that work can be fun, too. I will consciously try to put into practices the principles of Fun/Work Fusion."
-- Donald G. Hart President, United Church Foundation New York NY

"It's not easy to get everyone at work on the same page. When it happens, it's powerful. Leslie's stories illustrate that fun can do just that. Fun does indeed work."
-- Steve Peplin President, Talan Products Cleveland OH

"Leslie's book makes you realize that when fun permeates the environment of an organiza- tion, it is irresistible, contagious, and automatic. When a company feels like a family, when you laugh, cry, and have fun together, retention is higher and growth is stronger and faster. But the smiles around the office on any given day are really the truest measurement."
-- Debbie Donley Principal, Vocon- Cleveland OH

"Fun Works creates the desire to encourage fun in any workplace. Leslie suggests that fun is not something bolted on as an afterthought, that fun at works comes only when fun is incorporated into your fundamental, everyday business processes. To every leader who wants a staff that looks forward to coming to work each and every day, I recommend Fun Works. To read and know Leslie Yerkes is to know that fun is always just around the corner and that without knowing it's happening, Leslie will pull you around the corner with her!"
-- Bret Brentall, Jr. President, Raritan Engineering Millvale NJ

One of the most frequent questions asked about fun at work is a variation of “Can you have too much fun?” The existence of such a question proves that Americans don’t really know how to have fun and work at the same time. Or should we say, MOST American’s don’t know because there ARE some people who love their jobs, who love to go to work, who get great value out of the experience and put great value into at the work experience at the same time. Such people prove that there IS something called “The Work/Fun Fusion.”Throughout Fun Works, you will find tips, resources, examples, and motivation to make your efforts to unleash the power of fun in yourself, your coworkers, and customers easy and fun! To give you confidence and to help build your case for the naysayer, those chronically on a fun diet, you will find case studies of companies that we believe exemplify the ability to integrate the Work/Fun Fusion and profit too. You will also find thoughts and pontifications from the ‘Gurus of Fun,’ authors and experts who give you their spin on each principle. Fun Works shares the voice of individuals, diverse in their backgrounds and professions, who express how work and fun merge for them.Each chapter contains an additional ‘Key’ that, when understood and applied, will help you implement any and all of the principles to your own Work/Fun Fusion situation. There is also the opportunity to assess your commitment to living these principles in the form of a an inventory of behaviors that will give you concrete indicators of how well you have integrated the intangible of fun into your work experience. In this revised 2nd edition, the Leslie Yerkes does a series of follow-up interviews to see how the original companies have changed or maintained their fun-based work environments across the last 5 years. She explores the secrets that enabled companies to maintain an enjoyable work environment, and pitfalls that have inhibited others efforts to infuse fun into the workplace.