While it seems counterintuitive, the idea of “fun” in the workplace is actually pretty divisive.

There’s always at least one overly enthusiastic member of an office “Fun Committee” who is just a little too excited about organizing the next happy hour, or potluck, or ping pong tournament (“Cake in the break room for Karen’s birthday!!!!!”).

Then there are the people that audibly grumble about workplace activities every single time and wouldn’t be caught dead at an office happy hour or potluck (“We just want to do our work in peace, please!”).

Throughout my career I’ve been on both sides of the office fun debate, but as the current chair of Communiqué PR’s “Fun Fun Fun Committee,” I find myself increasingly in favor of fun at work, and not just because I like eating cake and taking breaks.

After all, most of us spend at least a third of our lives at work so why shouldn’t we be enjoying ourselves while also being productive? Does it have to be an either/or debate? Virgin Group’s Richard Branson has said, “Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business, and it has been key to everything I’ve done from the outset.”

Indeed, studies have shown that fun at work has a multitude of benefits in terms of building employee morale, bolstering team dynamics and relieving stress:

Fun helps retain and recruit talent

Forbes notes in a February 2017 article “Benefits of Fun in the Workplace” that “many millennials are drawn to positive work atmospheres; in fact, 60 percent of 2015 graduates reported that they rather would work for a company with a ‘positive social atmosphere’ even if it meant a lower paycheck.”

Consider that a workplace’s culture has a huge influence in the employees that it attracts and retains. Unproductive, frivolous or unprofessional “fun” activities can be the downfall of organizations (as hard-partying tech companies like Zenefits and others have found out), but if organized in alignment with a company’s culture and values, team activities can boost employee morale and a business’ bottom line.

Fun keeps employees engaged

No matter what industry you’re working in, it’s important that you’re operating at the top of your game. However, stressful, high-performing work environments often go hand in hand with employee burnout and disengagement. The Forbes article notes, “In different studies conducted by Gallup and the Queen’s School of Business, disengaged workers had 49 percent more accidents and 37 percent higher absenteeism. Moreover, healthcare costs at high-stress companies are 46 percent higher.”

A positive, fun work environment can help bolster client relationships

As the American Express Open Forum article, “6 Reason to Have More Fun at Work,” notes, “Happy, enthusiastic employees foster enthusiastic customers. Enthusiasm is infectious. People like it. A happier staff that has more fun is a staff that can sell your business to the outside world.”

But look, I get that not everyone wants to – or is able to – participate in office foosball tournaments and birthday gatherings. Every work environment has meetings, deadlines and deliverables that need to be completed; work can’t grind to a halt on a daily basis in the interest of fun breaks.

The key is that – just like in your personal life – you can’t force fun on people. And in a work situation, fun can’t be mandatory. The BBC has an insightful story (“We Are Not Amused: The Tyranny of Forced Fun at Work”) about the downside to forced fun:  “When participating in forced fun becomes a requirement, employees can become resentful of needing to step away from tight deadlines in order to do what feels less important. Others simply don’t want to spend what can feel like unnecessary time with work colleagues they already see more than 40 hours a week at the office. And frankly, for some people, forced participation is just not enjoyable no matter how you look at it.”

The occasional happy hour might not be a cure-all for disengaged, stressed out and unhappy employees. But organizing team activities that help create emotional connections within the organization, that foster a culture where employees can conduct meaningful work while offering recognition or rewards, are a solid first step in that direction.

Plus, there’s usually cake!