Workplace fun matters … but what else?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend research on fun in the workplace by focussing on its relationship with job embeddedness among Millennials. This research examined the influence of four dimensions of fun, including fun activities, manager support for fun, coworker socializing, and fun job responsibilities, on embeddedness. In addition, this research assessed the impact of fun relative to other aspects of the employment experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from 234 full-time working Millennials via survey methodology.

Findings

Fun job responsibilities were the most dominant predictor of embeddedness followed by perceived career opportunities and praise and rewards. The other dimensions of fun accounted for significant variance in embeddedness, yet their influence was more modest.

Research limitations/implications

The research demonstrated that fun plays a role in enhancing Millennials’ embeddedness, accounting for significant additional variance beyond other important aspects of the employment experience. At the same time, some aspects of fun were more dominant predictors of embeddedness than others, and other aspects of the employment experience were more dominant predictors than certain aspects of fun. These findings should be interpreted in the context of the primary limitation that the data were cross-sectional.

Practical implications

Workplace fun may play a role in enhancing embeddedness, but organizations should not lose sight of other human resource management practices.

Originality/value

The present study examined the role of workplace fun in a more nuanced perspective by examining its relationship on embeddedness relative to other important constructs.

Citation

Tews, M.J., Michel, J., Xu, S. and Drost, A.J. (2015), "Workplace fun matters … but what else?", Employee Relations, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 248-267. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2013-0152