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 leadership keynote speaker, workplace culture expert, and best-selling author who helps executives and HR leaders strengthen employee engagement, improve retention, and prepare for the future of work. Betsy’s thought leadership and original research in the National Workplace Trends Study and the Destination Workplace™ framework equips organizations with data-driven strategies to build cultures where people apply, engage, contribute, and stay. She is also the founder of an award-winning company known for providing top leadership training in Dallas, and is recognized for advancing leadership excellence and driving workplace culture transformations worldwide.