Celebrate Fun At Work Day The Last Friday in January
Background image by Nemo @ Pixabay; Public Domain
Do you have fun at work? Well, you should. After all, you spend plenty of time there!
And Fun at Work Day is the one day every year it’s legally required (not really, but it should be :) )
The actual date for this day seems to cause some disagreement.
Some say it’s January 28 every year. Others claim it’s the last Friday of January.
And it should not be confused with International Fun at Work Day, held on April Fool’s Day every year.
Whew! That’s confusing.
At any rate, we’ve chosen the “last Friday in January” camp. Why? Because it makes most sense to us. Friday is a regular work day. In some years January 28 will fall on a weekend. So many people won’t be at work, thereby depriving them of the annual pleasure of having fun at work.
Now some might argue that people who have to work weekends may need the day more than others. But we believe everyone deserves to have at least one day of fun. Every year. At whatever their job may be.
Does this discriminate against people without jobs? Not necessarily. Although “work” is usually associated with a paid job, plenty of other things are also work. Cleaning the house, cooking, yard work (hey, the word “work” is even part of that task!) and more. So today people without jobs should find ways to have fun with whatever work they’re doing.
We haven’t been able to find any information on who started this day or when. Which may partly explain the disagreement over when to celebrate it.
The why seems pretty obvious though. Work is rarely seen as fun. But it should be, at least some of the time.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial but very necessary holiday.
How You Can Celebrate Fun at Work Day
Of course you’ll want to have some fun at work. Employees can make their own fun or companies can organize a fun event.
Individuals
Have a potluck lunch. Everybody brings something to share (try to be sensitive to any food restrictions co-workers might have). See if your bosses will let you have a little extra time for lunch (inviting them to participate might make that more likely!).
Have a theme day, with everybody wearing something from a certain decade or supporting their favorite team.
If fun at work isn’t realistic, at least have fun after work with coworkers. Have dinner or drinks or go to a game.
Companies
Make it easier for employees to have fun by sanctioning or even planning fun activities like those mentioned above.
Stage a talent show during an extended lunch break. Employees can choose to show off a talent or be a judge. But no pressure, those who don’t want to do either can just be the audience!
If you can get discounted tickets for a game after work, organize the outing and cover a portion of the costs.
Whatever you choose to do, we’re not sure going quite this far is a good idea:
World News Videos | ABC World News
When are Future Fun at Work Days?
Since we’re going with the last Friday in January celebrations, the actual date will change every year. Here’s a quick guide to the next few years so you can be sure you don’t miss out on any of the fun!
- 2019 – Friday, January 25
- 2020 – Friday, January 31
- 2021 – Friday, January 29
- 2022 – Friday, January 28 (this year the “always 28th” and the “last Friday” people will all agree!)
- 2023 – Friday, January 27
- 2024 – Friday, January 26
- 2025 – Friday, January 31
- 2026 – Friday, January 30
- 2027 – Friday, January 29
- 2028 – Friday, January 28
- 2029 – Friday, January 26
[…] you may have heard of a Fun at Work Day back in January, too. And it’s true. In the US, we celebrate National Fun at Work Day on January 30 … or […]