Fun at work: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Background Fun at work is gaining recognition as a key factor in today’s competitive organizational climate, with growing research interest. Objectives To review and synthesize existing literature on fun at work by examining its dimensions, antecedents, outcomes, theoretical frameworks, research contexts, and methods used, to provide a comprehensive understanding of its role in organizational settings and to generate directions for future research. Methods Following the SPAR-4 protocol, this study systematically reviewed 114 research articles published up to July 2025. Extensive searches were conducted in the Scopus citation database. The review was structured using the ADO-TCM (Antecedents, Decisions, Outcomes—Theories, Contexts, Methodologies) framework to categorize and analyze existing literature comprehensively. Results Over half of the studies in the fun at work domain have been published since 2020, reflecting a growing scholarly interest in the topic. However, the studies remain concentrated in specific countries and industries, limiting generalizability. The review identifies over 60 outcomes of fun at work, along with key research gaps, and proposes directions for future research. Implications Notably, no major literature review on fun at work has been conducted since 2019, despite the field accumulating a substantial number of studies during this period.