Fish Flingers Help Corporations Reel in Fun
To put it simply, their job stinks.
The fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Co. spend much of their day tossing salmon, monkfish and clams across the counter at each other. But the head of a corporate training video company is convinced that employees of other companies can learn a lot from these guys.
John Christensen, CEO of ChartHouse International Learning Corp. in Burnsville, Minn., made the “Fish!” training videos based on the passion the fish-flingers have for their work and how that translates to the bottom line: increased productivity, higher quality and happier employees.
What’s their secret?
“We’re committed to having fun. If you’re not committed to that, you’re fired,” joked Pike Place Fish Co. manager Dick Yokoyama.
Other corporations are buying into the concept that work and play don’t have to be separate worlds. Nordstrom Inc., Boeing Co., Sprint Corp. and McDonald’s Corp. have all used the Fish videos, and employees at Pike Place Fish have been guest speakers at software makers, airlines and research companies.
Some find it odd that fishmongers who work in galoshes and bright orange rubber pants can inspire business executives clad in suits and ties.
“We’re typical guys,” said Anders Miller, 24, who has been throwing fish for seven months. “When did we become motivational speakers? I don’t even do my laundry.”
In 1997, during a visit to Seattle, Christensen discovered Pike Place Fish Co. He saw the fishmongers full of energy and joking with a cheering, laughing crowd. They attacked children with crawfish, handed out samples of crab legs and showed off their tossing skills with products to be weighed and wrapped.
But it was their consistently good spirits that took Christensen off guard. “The passion and the wholeheartedness--I was mesmerized,” he said.
As he left, he started thinking. Could he create this environment at his own company and for businesses around the world? Christensen spent most of the next year creating the video of the fishmongers and their advice on how to create a good workplace attitude.
The 17-minute video costs $595, which includes a guide, workbook--also referred to as the “playbook”--and the licensing of the use of the film.
It centers on four concepts: choose your attitude, play, make their day and be there.
“It’s hitting people and striking them in a new way, shedding a new light on wisdom we know,” Christensen said. “We’re just packaging them in a way people can digest them.”
The fishmongers acknowledge the four steps aren’t necessarily easy.
“We do more than that,” Yokoyama said. “It’s a hard job, hard work.”
The video led to the sequel “Fish! Sticks” and “Fish! Tales,” which features a series of companies explaining how Fish has changed their business.
After Sprint managers watched the Fish video, the company installed televisions in its call centers and a pool table in the break room. A manager started dressing up like Elvis on occasion too. The company credits the moves with increasing its retention rate.
The videos’ success has also spawned a book, workshops, an apparel line and Pete the Perch--a small, brightly colored stuffed fish.
“We packaged this stuff in lightheartedness,” Christensen said. “We wanted to break the doldrum-ness of corporate America. The minute you get it, it’s fun.”
The video created a stir at a call center at the Vacation Planning Center in Fort Myers, Fla. The company kicked off a Fish week that included viewing the video, a silent parade, Fish shirts and a pond where employees could fish out prizes.
Training manager Linda Brooks said that it created more work and planning for her, but that employee turnover has gone down since the department started implementing lighthearted activities.
“It’s fun to see the results,” she said. “They know I’m going to get them and surprise them in some way, and they are going to benefit from it.”
At a librarian’s recommendation, Charlotte Lindstrom showed the Fish video to her English-as-a-second-language class at Bellingham Technical College in Bellingham, Wash. It was enlightening to the students, most of whom are manual laborers, she said.
“They need to see all types of atmospheres and see work can be fun,” Lindstrom said. “They don’t always associate work with enjoyment. It gives them another perspective.”
Pike Place Fish has created Flying Fish/bizFutures Consulting Team. For $20,000, the fishmongers--complete with a few fish to throw--put on programs to encourage employees to have fun, said consultant Jim Bergquist, who works with Pike Place Fish.
The fishmongers are still surprised they are having such an impact. They say many people have thanked them for the video and presentations.
“I’m just a normal person,” said Dan Bugge, who makes an appearance in the second Fish video. “It’s humbling to have people come and tell us we have changed their lives.”
*
ChartHouse Learning:
https://www.fishphilosophy.com
Pike Place Fish Co.:
https://www.pikeplacefish.com
