Having fun is serious business

Lowri Dowthwaite is being totally serious when she says she wants everyone to play more at work.

The lecturer in psychological interventions at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) helps businesses and organisations across the county tackle the issue of workplace wellbeing.

And creating the fun-factor is an important part of her approach to making people’s working lives better. She says simply that being funny and having a laugh makes us all smarter.

Lowri explains: “The more you can have fun and play at work, the more creative you become and in turn the more productive you are.

“We need to move away from the idea that work should be serious and that if you are not serious you are not working hard and not doing a good job.”

Workplace wellbeing is a serious issue. In the UK it is estimated that stress and unhappiness at work costs the economy £26bn each year.

As Lowri says, creating happier workforces is vital to ensure businesses flourish.

She points to studies showing that happy people make better employees and have a positive impact on their organisations.

Happy teams experience less incidence of ill-health and absenteeism, are more resilient, more productive, better at problem solving, have superior customer service and are ultimately more profitable and successful.

Surveys of workplace wellbeing have also found that companies with highly-engaged employees significantly outperform their competitors. A lot of Lowri’s work is carried out with business leaders on creating a more positive workplace culture.

She says: “We still have a bit of a hangover from our industrial past that work should be hard and that if we are not showing stress we’re not working hard enough.

“Stress has historically been seen as something positive, a sign that they’re being more productive. That’s something we really have to get away from.

“The fact is that stress inhibits our ability to problem solve and makes us less flexible in the way we work.

“And studies of positive organisations suggest the more fun we have at work the more productive we are, and the less likely we are to suffer burn-out.”

Lowri is a lecturer in psychological interventions at UCLan and a leading speaker in the field of happiness and positive psychology. Her work has led to her being labelled in the media as “Mrs Happy”.

She says: “Companies need to talk to their workers and listen to them. Open conversations with staff can make a big difference when it comes to creating the right culture.

“It is finding out how people would like to enjoy their work more. And that’s not just about talking to people who aren’t happy – it’s about talking to those who are and finding out what makes them enjoy coming to work so much.”

The world of work is changing and Lowri says that has to be reflected in the way people are managed. She talks about the rise in ‘job crafting’ where people’s work is co-created with their managers – doing away with the traditional job description and allowing workers to focus on the things they are good at and enjoy.

Lowri explains: “If people are given the freedom to define their own role within the boundaries of the organisation, they are genuinely a lot happier in that role.”

To find out more about the work that Lowri does email or call [email protected] 01772 893703.

  • To read this feature in full and access further Lancashire business news, advice and analysis subscribe to Lancashire Business View magazine or join the LBV Hub from just £2.50 per month. Click here to subscribe now.

Enjoyed this? Read more from University of Central Lancashire

Latest news

1

Partner promotions at WNJ Stuart Mercer, left, and Matthew Johnson

Partner promotions at WNJ

21 May 2025

2

Accrington-made Vita Advanced Mattress wins prestigious 'Best of the Best' Award at Interzum 2025 Dr. Emily Schweissinger - Evonik, Dr. Roland Hubel - Evonik, Dr Mike Murray - The Vita Group, Natalie Watson - The Vita Group, Chris Hupfeld - Coverstro, Dr. Annegret Terheiden - Evonik and Dennis Wagner - Covestro

Accrington-made Vita Advanced Mattress wins prestigious 'Best of the Best' Award at Interzum 2025

21 May 2025

3

Napthens advises Calico Homes on land acquisition for £23m Dovestone Gardens extra care facility in Burnley Paul Hardy

Napthens advises Calico Homes on land acquisition for £23m Dovestone Gardens extra care facility in Burnley

21 May 2025

4

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway Alan McBride Muse Will Town Defence Infrastructure Organisation Jennifer Chard Defence Business Services Cllr Lynn Williams Blackpool Council Garry Bowker Vinci

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway

20 May 2025

5

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities Skiddle cheque presentation to Alder Hey Hospital

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities

20 May 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May
Freelancer Meet-Up May.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May

society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

Liverpool Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-881365363-4862066883-1-original.20241023-085714.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
23 May 2025 - 23 May 2025

Liverpool Business Expo 2025

Aintree Racecourse , Liverpool , L9 5AS

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29
Artboard 15.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
29 May 2025 - 29 May 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin