Fun Is the Strategy. Not the Perk. Why the Most Overlooked Retention Tool Has Nothing to Do with Pay, Perks, or Policies

The Big Lie:

“Work isn’t supposed to be fun.”
Wrong. That mindset is quietly killing your culture.

At Destination Workplace™, we’ve trained 15,000+ leaders, and here’s what we’ve seen over and over:

The companies where people stay the longest… laugh the most.

Fun isn’t a distraction. It’s a strategic lever that boosts retention, builds trust, and energizes your culture.
 

And yes, it’s backed by data.

The Research: 

2025 National Workplace Trends Study

Fun = Retention Fuel

• 43% of employees say trust in coworkers determines whether they stay.
  ➤ Trust doesn’t come from another Zoom call. It comes from shared laughter, inside jokes, and real connection.
  
  
• 57% of employees say inclusive, supportive cultures are non-negotiable.
  ➤ Fun creates safety, not silliness. It lowers the armor and raises belonging.
  
  
• 36% of employees say recognition is the most important leadership trait.
  ➤ When you make recognition fun, it becomes a habit, not an HR initiative.
  
  

Let’s be blunt:
If your culture isn’t fun, your people are already job hunting.

Steal These 3 Fun-Driven Culture Tactics

1. Gamify Your KPIs

Turn goals into team challenges.
Reward winners with silly-but-sticky prizes: name a meeting room after them, give out “Most Savage Slack Message” awards, or send them a surprise lunch.

2. Make Recognition Ridiculously Fun

Monthly shoutouts like “Chief Culture Officer” or “Silent Hero Award” can do more than a raise. Let peers vote. Add balloons. Use GIFs.

3. Host an Offsite That Doesn’t Suck

Mix development with levity: 70% content, 30% team play. Laughter builds more trust than any leadership manual.

How We Use Fun to Drive Real Business Outcomes

1. Keynotes that Wake Up Cultures

• We don’t just deliver talks. We deliver energy.
• We infuse high-interaction keynotes with games, challenges, and engagement.
• We provide the kind of strategies that makes people actually want to implement what they learned.

2. Trainings That Don’t Feel Like Dental Work

• We ditch the slide deck snooze-fest and run high-energy, laugh-out-loud sessions that embed leadership skills through interactivity. 
• We provide on the spot role-playing so attendees walk away confidently knowing how to use the strategies they learn.
• The result? → Higher retention, better application, and teams that want more.

3. Culture Retreats that Remove Executive Ego

• Trust doesn’t come from trust falls. Our retreats use shared experiences, humor, and feedback loops to break down barriers and build up real alignment.
• We remove the ego and make it fun to revamp culture.

4. Core Values Into Actionable Behaviors

• We turn your “words on the wall” into behaviors on the floor. 
• Through gamification, storytelling, and experiential learning, your values become memorable and lived.
• We show you how to create a rewards program that revolves around your core values.

“Fun is not a distraction from the mission. It is the fuel for it. Cultures that laugh last.”

Want a keynote, retreat, or training that transforms and energizes? Book Betsy Allen-Manning to speak or learn more about our leadership training programs and culture strategy sessions at DestinationWorkplace.com.

About Betsy: Featured on FOX, CBS, NBC, and ABC, Betsy Allen Manning is a high-energy leadership keynote speaker and workplace culture strategist who equips organizations across corporate, franchise, association, non-profit, and government sectors to develop high-achievers, high-impact leaders and high-purpose cultures. Through her national workplace research and DNA Activation Framework, she delivers data-backed, high-interaction keynote presentations and workshops that strengthen performance, leadership, and retention. Betsy is also the founder of Destination Workplace™, an award-winning leadership training company in Dallas, trusted by some of the world's most elite brands nationwide.