🎉 When did having fun at work disappear?

I was talking with a friend about her daughter’s first job and the toxic colleague she’s already dealing with.

Which led us to a strange realization.

Work used to be… fun.

People went for drinks together.
 Bosses occasionally picked up the tab.
 Birthdays, weddings, promotions were celebrated.
 Colleagues became friends.

Yes, there were brown-nosers and professional troublemakers.
 But somehow the vibe still worked.

So what happened?

A few suspects:

💸 Two decades of relentless cost-cutting that quietly eliminated the social glue of organizations.
🧴 The hypersensitivity Olympics where disagreement is “unsafe” and Bob from accounting becomes “toxic” for asking about year-end.
🏠 Remote work arriving just as office culture had already deteriorated.
🤖 And the freight train of AI, promising efficiency… and possibly a future where everyone does three jobs.

Meanwhile companies are puzzled by disengagement and lack of loyalty.

Strange.

Remove the joy.
 Remove the community.
 Remove the perks.

…and people stop caring.

In my latest podcast I ask a simple question:

When did we collectively decide work shouldn’t be enjoyable?

And more importantly — how do we bring the fun back?

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

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