EDITOR: I was amused to find the Economist advocating sex and drugs (nicotine and alcohol) in the workplace and disappointed that they left out the rock-n-roll ("Having fun as a job requirement," Monday).
I hope they were joking. Fun at work doesn't require drinking at the desk (or workbench) or affairs with co-workers. What's necessary is managers secure enough to hire people they trust and then to trust them and secure enough to let out their own inner playfulness.
When the trust is there, and when managers play, the fun will grow up spontaneously, whether in the form of awards certificates for calls handled well, or silly competitions to see who can get the work done best. If the trust isn't there, company-organized fun is like faked sexual pleasure — neither party really has much fun.
It's easy to have fun at work when people trust each other. And it's not necessary to court disasters such as alcohol impairment, unintentional support for alcoholism, people who can't talk to each other after they break up, sexual harassment, etc.
A little rock-n-roll now and again, though — that's OK.
BILL HOUGHTON
Sebastopol
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