{"id":14194,"date":"2022-04-05T16:48:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T07:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/en\/?p=14194"},"modified":"2023-07-25T14:58:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T05:58:08","slug":"can-work-ever-be-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/en\/can-work-ever-be-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Work Ever Be Fun?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-post-series-box series-382 wp-post-series-box--expandable\">\n\t\t\t<input id=\"collapsible-series-38269e66f3ee1246\" class=\"wp-post-series-box__toggle_checkbox\" type=\"checkbox\">\n\t\n\t<label\n\t\tclass=\"wp-post-series-box__label\"\n\t\t\t\t\tfor=\"collapsible-series-38269e66f3ee1246\"\n\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-post-series-box__name wp-post-series-name\">\n\t\t\tThis is post 1 of 4 in the series <em>&ldquo;Staff Column(Shin Kihoon)&rdquo;<\/em>\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-post-series-box__posts\">\n\t\t\t<ol>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><span class=\"wp-post-series-box__current\">Can Work Ever Be Fun?<\/span><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/en\/choose-the-real-work\/\">Choose the Real Work<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/en\/will-the-way-we-work-eve\/\">Will the way we work ever change?<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/en\/communication-skills-at\/\">Communication Skills at Work<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ol>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<br \/>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">  body {font-family: NanumGothic, \"Malgun Gothic\", Dotum;}   .responsive_imgarea {margin: 0 auto;}  .responsive_column_wrap {max-width: 900px;margin: 0 auto !important;}  .responsive_txt {color:#555; font-size:17px; line-height:1.8;margin:0 30px;}   .fix_txt {color:#373737; font-size:18px; }  .fix_txt span {font-weight:bold;}  .intro_txt {color:#7c7c7c!important; font-size:30px!important; text-align:center !important;}  .intro_txt span {display:block; color:#30abde!important; font-size:36px!important;font-weight:bold; margin:0; line-height:1; }  .line {position:relative; width:calc(100% - 60px); height:1px; background:#e7e7e7;}  .line img {position:absolute; top:50%; left:50%; transform:translate(-50%, -50%); width:72px; height:72px; }  .hash_txt span {color:#111; font-size:18px; font-weight:bold;}  .span_txt {color:#009cc0 !important; font-size:26px !important; font-weight:bold !important; text-align:center !important;}   .img_box {text-align:center;}  .img_box div {margin:0 auto;}  .img_box div img {width:100%;}  .img_box p {color:#888 !important;font-size:18px !important; margin:10px 0 0 !important; line-height:1.2;}  .img_box.flex_box {max-width: 840px; margin:0 auto;display:flex; justify-content:space-between; align-items:flex-start;}  .img_box.flex_box > div {width:49%;}   @media (max-width:768px) {    .responsive_txt {margin:0;}    .intro_txt span {margin-top:10px;}    .line {width:100%;}    .img_box p {font-size:14px !important;}   } <\/style>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt fix_txt\">      <span>Columnist<\/span> | Introducing the columns written by member of Amorepacific Group    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt intro_txt\">      The Way People Work Nowadays      <span>Part 1. Can Work Ever Be Fun?<\/span>    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt line\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/b700b71c-0692-47af-ad69-209df83b3a17.png\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_txt fix_txt\" style=\"text-align:Center;\">      <span>Columnist<\/span> | Shin Kihoon<br \/>      Amorepacific Vision Support Team    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt hash_txt\">      <span>#INTRO<\/span><br \/>      I am in my 12th year at my work. I am somebody who can\u2019t start or continue to do something if I\u2019m not into it. So, I\u2019ve had no choice but to continue to find new things. When I fail to find something new, then I need to find a way to work differently. I have always mulled over how to have fun at work and as such, ended up writing this column, thinking that there must be people out there who think the same way and want to have fun while working.    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt hash_txt\">      <span>#BODY<\/span><br \/>      One of the things I remember when I first started working at a company was that people asked the same question as if they had promised to do so in advance. People continued to ask me the same question for about a year since day one when I bumped into them in the bathroom or said hi in the elevator. From colleagues who joined the company just several months before me to team leaders, and even directors, everyone asked the same exact question.    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      &#8220;Are you having fun?&#8221;    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"img_box\">\n<div style=\"max-width:840px;\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/2063bebb-f4d6-48ff-a442-5fc3e671ae63.jpg\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<p>I wonder why people kept on asking me if I was having fun at work.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      Of course, I said, \u201cYes!\u201d but it wasn\u2019t something I said after thinking carefully about the question. It was just a reflex action. Plus, my acting was not so great (It\u2019s still bad, but it must have been worse back then.), so they must have known that I was just saying it. I\u2019m not sure if they were happy with my answer but I was too busy to check on my emotions at work in my first year at the company. I was only thinking about getting the work done properly.      <\/p>\n<p>      Looking back on those days, it was definitely not fun. It was not fun at all, and I even felt suffocated. On Sunday nights, I had to struggle to breathe thinking that I had to go to work the next day. I didn\u2019t get any proper turnover of my role from my predecessor, and all my team members who joined the company before me left, so I became the senior member of the team in just five months into the company. Making things worse, the team leader had just come onboard and he was not familiar with the work yet. Every time a phone rang, I had to listen to things that I did not know about, but I had no one to ask. The counterparts yelled, \u201cYour predecessor handled all this,\u201d and pressed me to handle the task immediately. I had nowhere to turn to and complain. It was not fun at all.    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"img_box\">\n<div style=\"max-width:560px;\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/7e2f8399-c444-469b-a764-097a460867cc.jpg\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<p>There must be a moment when you were frightened to hear your phone ring<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      I wonder why people at work asked me if I was having fun at work? Did they think that I should be having fun? Or did they wish that I was having fun here? Or is it because they were enjoying their work and wanted me to feel the same? Or the opposite?    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      &#8220;But has there ever been a time in which work was fun?&#8221;    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"img_box\">\n<div style=\"max-width:560px;\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/73f767e5-0850-40ec-8b0f-cb3884ebdaf0.jpg\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      Fast forward 10 years, I switched jobs several times and my roles changed along the way. The workplace changed as did my colleagues and how I worked also changed a great deal. Now I know something about what I am good at, and how I should work to deliver good results.      <\/p>\n<p>      Sure, there were interesting moments at work. At times, I felt great about my performance and got favorable responses from customers (I have memories of office dinners, too). But that is not part of my daily routine and it takes up less than 1% of work. 99% of my daily work is the process. The question, \u201cAre you having fun?\u201d was about whether the process was fun or not.    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"img_box\">\n<div style=\"max-width:560px;\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/1318663b-1dd5-4ad0-9100-39342ee71f62.jpg\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<p>When people talk about happy moments at work, they usually mean when you get good results<br \/>       (Of course, you get overjoyed if your hard work pays off).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      \u201cWhere do we get delight from?\u201d    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      The first thing that came to my mind when I thought of the keyword fun was games. Games are fun. It\u2019s fun throughout the process of playing them. Games are essential content that still gives me joy. It\u2019s not just me. My father who is over 70 years old plays games, and my first child who just entered elementary school and my four-year-old child all play games. In fact, seven out of ten people in Korea reportedly play games.    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"img_box flex_box\">\n<div>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/304b00ff-59e3-4783-984e-74ed44c4d139.jpg\" alt=\"\">        <\/p>\n<p>Games for children (8 years old)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/3337e3fe-a85c-41bf-bd59-c782b5039e83.jpg\" alt=\"\">        <\/p>\n<p>Games for seniors (70 years old)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      \u201cWhat makes games fun?\u201d    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      I searched the web by typing in this question and was surprised to find that there has been much research done on this matter. I probably didn\u2019t ask why because I automatically thought of games as a fun activity. But it seems that there are many graduate school students who are curious about this very question. So, why are games fun?      <\/p>\n<p>      There are many types of games out there, but <span style=\"color:#000; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold;\">games are activities aimed at accomplishing given goals, or competition.<\/span> Starting with the card games that adults play, to puzzles for children, and open-world games that I love all fall under this definition. In that sense, games are similar in nature with our work. <span style=\"color:#000; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold;\">Games and work are both activities performed to achieve set goals.<\/span> The same goes for competition. But games are fun while work is not. What makes the difference?      <\/p>\n<p>      The reason we feel why games are fun (This is my personal view, which also happens to be the same as the research results.) lies in the <span style=\"color:#000; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold;\">new experience and a sense of accomplishment.<\/span> In games, you can become the lead character of a completely different world that is unlike the common mundane world, where you go to work during the day and take care of children at home in the evening. Plus, you can get new experiences that you cannot encounter in the real world. This helps to immerse you in the game\u2019s story, complete missions and get rewards, to accomplish more challenging missions and continue the journey into ever more new experiences.      <\/p>\n<p>      The same is true for office workers. Everyone has their own missions. Although not as immediate as in games, they still get rewards and as they complete the missions, they grow and can take part in more challenging missions.    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"img_box flex_box\">\n<div>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/185f1415-1cad-47cb-baa2-87f4fc2d5c01.jpg\" alt=\"\">        <\/p>\n<p>A child chacter who just learned archery<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/ec39f822-b1e7-4da5-91a7-aae0c2b0de8a.jpg\" alt=\"\">        <\/p>\n<p>completes a series of quests to grow into a veteran archer<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      \u201cThen why is work not fun?\u201d    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      People have different preferences for games. Even if you loved a certain game, other gamers may find it boring. The reason is usually (in my opinion) the difficulty of the games. Some people may find some games too complicated and end up not having any fun, or it may be too easy and repetitive and thus lose interest. So, most games offer options that allow players to adjust the level of difficulty.      <\/p>\n<p>      Regrettably, you cannot adjust the level of complexity at work. You need to play the game according to the level of difficulty set by the company. Sometimes you perform highly complex missions, or easy missions that involve repetitive tasks. Games occasionally provide random, immediate gamble-like rewards to lure the gamers to continue playing the simple, repetitive quests. Plus, games are structured in such a way that the mission must be solved in some way. In reality, however, some missions are just impossible to be accomplished, and you cannot simply press the finish button as in games. This is why people stagnate and fail to face new challenges. You continue to receive monthly compensations, though.    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt span_txt\">      It\u2019s the level of difficulty.    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt main_txt\">      Yes, it\u2019s the level of difficulty (That\u2019s not all, of course). Wouldn\u2019t work be fun, too, if it progressed well? There\u2019s nothing more boring than being stuck, unable to make a breakthrough. It\u2019s similar to roaming around the same route that you were lost inside the game. Work may become fun if you could find the right direction and start resolving tasks little by little. In this way, you may be able to grow, take on new challenges and have fun in the process.      <\/p>\n<p>      <span style=\"color:#000; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold;\">Are you not having fun at work? What you need then is change<\/span> (rather than pressing the finish button). If you are stuck, you need to try taking a different approach and try a new way by breaking away from conventional practices. If you don\u2019t choose the option of making changes, the only option left is to <span style=\"color:#000; font-size:17px; font-weight:bold;\">spend more time using the same way to continue to get lost and be bored.<\/span> You can\u2019t expect to have fun by staying still. Perhaps people persistently ask the question, \u201cAre you having fun?\u201d with that intention in mind. If you are not enjoying your work, the first thing you need to do is to change.    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"img_box\">\n<div style=\"max-width:610px;\">      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/dev.stories.amorepacific.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/contents\/acad4060-0cab-48af-993d-9d472dab90dc.jpg\" alt=\"\">    <\/div>\n<p>Are you bored at work? Then make some changes. <br \/>      See things from a new perspective and adopt a new approach.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive_column_wrap\">\n<div class=\"responsive_txt hash_txt\">      <span>#CONCLUSION<\/span><br \/>      Being a person who values fun, I readily applied for the columnist contest after hearing about it during the self-quarantine week spending days in complete monotony. Writing the column itself was a fresh new mission for me, so I thought it\u2019d be fun, but I realized that this is a difficult job for me as I endured the painful pressure while I was writing the column.      <\/p>\n<p>      I have studied several things about work, but I decided to write about my personal experience thinking that if I just put together the results from research done by others, readers are not likely to sympathize with the column. This could leave room for objections, but since everyone has a different opinion on \u201cfun,\u201d I hope that people just take it as the personal view of the writer.      <\/p>\n<p>      From the second column, I will talk about how to have fun at work, in other words, the changes you need to make to work better, or new ways of working to be more successful at work step by step. I hope the first column will provide readers with an opportunity to think about the need to change how they work.    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is post 1 of 4 in the series &ldquo;Staff Column(Shin Kihoon)&rdquo; Can Work Ever Be Fun? Choose the Real Work Will the way we work ever change? Communication Skills at Work Columnist | Introducing the columns written by member of Amorepacific Group The Way People Work Nowadays Part 1. Can Work Ever Be Fun? 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