It has almost become a mandatory practice for companies to ensure that employees have fun at work. Many workplaces now have fully-stocked lounges, games rooms, funky painted walls, and regular social events. A few even have a slide to travel down to the next floor. However, some experts warn that imposing fun at work can have negative consequences. “Once the idea of fun is formally institutionalized from above, it can lead to employees becoming resentful,” warns one critic. “They feel patronized and condescended, and it breeds anger and frustration.” Apply the attitude model to explain how fun activities might improve customer satisfaction, as well as how they might result in poorer customer satisfaction.

There are two aspects to this question: (a) how “fun” workplace events at work generate positive or negative emotions and attitudes, and (b) how job satisfaction affects customer service.

(A) “Fun” workplace events and employee attitudes: Companies introduce “fun” events so employees will experience positive emotions and associate those emotions with the work experience. Emotions and attitudes literature explains that the more we experience positive-valent emotions at work relative to negative-valent events, the more employees will form a positive attitude toward the work and/or company. Job satisfaction might be considered a general attitude toward the job and work environment because it is an evaluation of that work and its context. The problem with “fun” events is that they presume employees will experience positive emotions. Usually they do, but there are also plenty of instances where events intended to create positive emotions actually generated negative emotional experiences in some or most employees. The activity might be irritating (maybe a waste of time), embarrassing (causes awkward social incidents), or any number of other negative emotions.

(B) How job satisfaction affects customer satisfaction: The service profit chain model explains that job satisfaction affects customer service. Specifically, job satisfaction influences employee retention, motivation, and behavior. These employee outcomes affect service quality, which then influence customer satisfaction and perceptions of value, customer referrals, and ultimately the company’s profitability and growth. Therefore, “fun” workplace events can improve customer satisfaction, but only if those events positive emotions in employees and employees associate those positive emotions to the workplace.