Tax Season Blog Series – 8 Ways to Have More Fun at Work [8/10]

It is officially tax season, and accountants all over are busy and stressed. Isn’t it? As we know, stress is a huge factor during tax season. It not only reduces productivity at work but also turns tax work into chaos, which ought to be fun, and increases the cost and time needed to complete tasks. 

In the last post of our Tax Season 2026 blog series, we discovered various strategies to protect your identity from cybercriminals. 

Continuing the series, in this post, we’ve shared a few tips that can make tax work fun and help you engage with your team efficiently during this busy this tax season. 

Here are some ways accountants and CPAs can have more fun at work during tax season. 

A) Fun Games and Activities 

Playing games and having fun activities such as pranks at work is a great way to make people laugh, facilitate bonding with your team members, and distressing employees. 

This also gives your employees a break from their work, applying their mind with a creative and problem-solving approach while playing games, which, in turn, results in employees returning to work in a happier, fresher, and more energized mind. 

Workplace pranks can also contribute to a positive and healthy work culture by keeping everyone close and sharing the deepest laugh. Make sure that games and fun activities boost the morale of employees and do not discourage them professionally and personally. 

B) Celebrate Employee Birthdays and Anniversaries 

You might probably have many occasions, be it your business growth or a big project, to celebrate as a team or as a business. Of course, those celebrations are essential, but they lack a dedicated focus on an employee or person. 

An employee’s birthday or anniversary is a great way to show you value their contribution and allow them to embrace the limelight. Even for a day, this makes them feel positive, appreciated, and inspired for the whole day. The employee should be presented with souvenirs and gifts to mark the occasion. 

C) Host a Communal Lunch or Dinner 

Those who eat together stay together. Family-style lunch or dinner lets you come close to your team, facilitate open communication, and unify everyone on the same desk, even when the employees are working on different projects or tax-related work.  

This also helps the employees get to know each other better, talk about new and interesting things, and even discover new foods. Order pizza, sandwiches, or throw little parties to bring people together to open the door for the social element at work.  

Eating together creates a friendly environment that connects people more than working together on an Excel sheet or tax software. This feeling goes back into work, thus more engagement, fun, and productivity. Make sure you have a tax season after-party planned for your teammates and employees. 

D) Be Appreciative 

Everyone loves being appreciated. This makes them feel valued, motivated, and good about what they do. 

Start small and make sure you appreciate each employee personally. You can use certain ways to demonstrate your appreciation. For instance, if you want to appreciate your accountant, William, for his hard work and dedication to work, it can be done in the following ways – 

• Thank you! William. 
• You do such a great job! Keep it up. 
• Great job! William. 
• Not everyone is a creative thinker… but you are. 
• You’ve got a winner’s attitude. Of course! 
• You took the time, and that has made all the difference! 
• What a great idea, William! Thank you for sharing it with us! 
• I appreciate your dedication, William. Keep it up! 
• You have no idea how much this has helped me. 

Praise for their good work is one of the things you can do very effectively to motivate your accountants or employees and recognize their efforts in this tax season. You can also send them a handwritten note, do a heartfelt handshake, or a simple pat on their back would also do. Tell someone how much you value their work and appreciate them today. 

E) Create a Workspace You Enjoy 

An unorganized and boring work environment can dramatically reduce interest in work, productivity, and feel-good vibes. No one likes white walls, unorganized files, junk crowding space, and poor lighting in the office. 

It’s about how you add a ‘wow’ factor to your workspace, which would reflect on your company culture, highlight people, and make your employees feel at home. Here’s how you can do it: 

• Designate a wall of the office as the “Employee Picture Wall” where they can stick a picture of their vacation, kids, family, or even team engagement events.  
• Have an “Announcement Board” to announce a piece of news, employee appreciation, job openings, events, and celebrations.  
• Allow employees to personalize their desks. They can add photos of family and loved ones, inspiring quotes or images, or a checklist of priority things for their tax season work.  
• Having plants, proper lighting, and a calm and pleasant wall color can psychologically engage your employees, which results in happier work. 

These are just a few ideas. You can use your imagination and take employee suggestions on how you can create an office space that will make them relaxed and want to come to work. 

F) Encourage Learning and Knowledge-Sharing Sessions 

Tax rules change frequently, and accountants often learn valuable shortcuts, tips, and insights through experience. Create short knowledge-sharing sessions where employees can explain: 

• A tricky tax scenario they solved 
• A productivity tip in tax software 
• A compliance update others should know 

Keep these sessions informal so everyone can participate equally. Even a 15-minute discussion can boost confidence and spark engagement. This not only makes learning more enjoyable but also helps accountants feel valued for their expertise while strengthening the overall capability of your team. 

G) Dress-Up Fridays  

Wearing the same formal clothes every day during tax season can make work feel dull and repetitive. Introducing Dress-Up Fridays allows employees to relax a little and express themselves through their outfits. This could include casual wear, funky socks, colorful accessories, or theme-based dressing. 

This small change brings excitement to the end of the workweek and gives employees something fun to look forward to. Seeing colleagues dressed differently creates laughter, light conversations, and a positive atmosphere that carries into work. 

H) Surprise Fun Moments During the Day 

Unexpected moments of fun can completely change the energy of a stressful workday. Simple surprises like a quick dance break, a funny announcement, or a short team photo session can bring smiles and laughter. 

These surprises do not require much planning or cost but help employees feel relaxed and valued. Small fun interruptions during the day refresh the mind and help employees return to work with renewed energy. 

Bonus: Take a laugh break with this video where CPAs tell their favorite accounting jokes. 

Also Read: 111 Funny Tax Season Memes for CPAs and Tax Pros

Make Tax Season Productive and Enjoyable 

Tax season work doesn’t have to be stressful, painful, and all about business, all the time. Of course! It’s what you do, but professionalism never says you can’t have fun at work. Don’t let stress and pressures of tax-filing bring down your employees. Have some fun and laugh to make your company’s culture a happier place to be. 

So, what do you do to have fun at work? How are you going to reduce your stress and maintain the positive energy in this filing season? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. 

In the next post of the blog series, we’ll discuss what you should do after the tax season is over.