Fall in Love with Weird

Hump day. That’s right—we said it. That ominous midpoint day of the week that many employees dread.

The day that once it is over, you are considered in the “corporate clear” and can now run full speed towards the grassy meadow at the end of the week. So what do we do—just white knuckle it through a series of boring endless tasks on the most tiring day of the week? Our company had a different idea. We decided to embrace the unconventional and wrap Wednesday in weird.

Explain please.

It all started one dreary Ohio afternoon. You know the type. Where the clouds hit just like a scene from a former vampire book you “used” to read in your youth. My fellow colleague Jess and I glanced at our long list of “to dos” and both let out a notable sigh. How would we ever get the energy, let alone the motivation, to re-engage with our work?

Then a small but funny moment occurred. This caused us to laugh hysterically. We decided to keep going. Eventually mocking our to do lists as weird characters. The side aches and tears of joy started to flow. Another co-worker enters. “What are you two laughing about?” We fill them in. They soon join the wacky comedy acting session. We all joke that we don’t know what came over us and this must be a fluke or—just maybe—something is in the air on this weird hump day. Whatever it was, it was fun and caused us to achieve the much needed mental boost to master the mundane.

The following Wednesday, we did something weird again. “It must be Wacky Wednesday!” The theme then continued week after week. Thus giving our employees permission to act a little off each and every Wednesday as a way to have fun. Suddenly this dreaded day of woe went from one of the company's least favorites to now being a day that we all look forward to.

Someone gets a crazy email? That’s not stressful—wacky Wednesday strikes again. Someone comes in with a coffee stain on their white top—how wacky. As you can see, this day of wacky behavior evolved to be a way to ward off any corporate “bad vibes.” In time, this unconventional approach evolved into a beneficial method for our staff to enhance their mental well-being, effectively address challenging tasks, and foster connections with their colleagues.

Wacky Wednesday backed by research? Sure, why not.

Ok here we go. Don’t fall asleep, just stay with me on this. Many of us are continually attempting to help ourselves and fellow employees uncover a little more vigor and engagement within their daily work. Let’s face it, though, pizza parties at lunch just aren’t cutting it. Research shows that promoting positive emotions and engaging experiences at work can improve visual attention and foster a broader range of positive attitudes in and out of the workplace (Cropanzano & Wright, 2001; Fredrickson & Branigan, 2005; Schaufeli et al., 2001). Positive emotions such as joy, interest, enthusiasm, and inspiration are important as they can enhance an individual's focus, cognitive processes, and behaviors, leading to the development and expansion of enduring psychological and social resources (Eldor et al., 2016). Go figure. Furthermore, studies demonstrate that emphasizing this style of work engagement results in a more effective work-related attitude compared to job satisfaction and job involvement. This underscores the significance of how alternative work engagement helps generate positive feelings and a sense of purpose (Eldor et al., 2016).

What does it all mean? In order to create truly connected, productive, and “happy” employees, one must implement holistic and joyful alternative solutions tied to prioritizing engagement over traditional job-related metrics. Enter Wacky Wednesday.

There is no set script but here are examples of how we embrace Wacky Wednesday:

The best part about Wacky Wednesday is that it’s not predictable and there’s little to no overhead. Somewhere our CFO just rejoiced. So we encourage you to discover your own wackisms naturally based on your company culture. Hint: sometimes the best wacky things happen by accident and you just need to allow the silliness to flow sans barriers.

However, here are some examples below to help kick things off:

• Wednesday, The Musical. Oh no, you guessed it. A simple update becomes a song and dance number.
• A mean and intense email pops into your inbox? Wacky Wednesday strikes again. Laugh it off and move forward.
• Think your office might be haunted? Purchase a small ghost locating device and check it out. Yes, we did this.
• Reading off your to do list to a fellow employee? Pretend you are both from another planet.
• Good at doing impressions? Embrace it. I do a mean Cher impression and sometimes it can get pretty wacky when she decides to show up.
• No serious meetings planned? Wear a funny—yet appropriate—shirt. One of my favs is a shirt my President and I wear together that features a cat in a cowboy hat saying “Meowdy.”
• Take turns starting each meeting with a cheesy joke.
• Take turns having different employees take over the “DJ role”, playing music based on different themes for the day.
• Locate weird postcards and write some words of gratitude down for a coworker.
• Best of all, there is no judgment on Wacky Wednesday– only funny moments that can be solved with the help of colleagues.

In conclusion

In a world where routine often dominates our days, injecting some creativity and spontaneity can bring a breath of fresh air to our lives. Choosing to find the light and wrap Wednesday in weird is a wonderful way to break free from the ordinary and embrace the unexpected.

So go forth and be weird. Now if we could just figure out Mondays.

Monica

Director of Operations

References
Eldor, L., Harpaz, I., & Westman, M. (2016). The work/nonwork spillover. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 27(1), 154805181664736. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051816647362

Cropanzano, R., & Wright, T. A. (2001). When a “happy” worker is really a “productive” worker: A review and further refinement of the happy–productive worker thesis. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 53, 182-199.