TODAY is International Fun at Work Day and no, it's not an April fool.

Businesses across the world are bracing themselves for the usual assortment of forged written warnings and photocopied body parts.

But International Fun at Work Day is a wholly serious attempt to foster the notion that work should be fun and when it is, employees are happier, better motivated and more productive.

It is an American concept, but now as it reaches its ninth year the idea is spreading across Europe and Australia.

Among the craziest stunts to be organised so far involved a company in Kansas that turned its car park into a beach for the day, complete with sand, live music and free sunglasses for all employees.

Closer to home in Swindon, local companies are not throwing themselves into International Fun at Work Day with wild abandon but the spirit seems to be there.

Greg Smith, managing director of Cats Solutions, which scooped one of the best business titles at the Wiltshire Business Awards last month, said: "We spend a lot of time in the workplace so if you're not happy this can affect all areas of your life. We like to reward our staff here. I didn't know today was Fun at Work Day but we would have been up for it had we known.

"Business is driven by people preferably happy people."

David Greenleaf of the Stroud and Swindon building society was not aware that today is International Fun at Work Day, but he said it is something staff might take part in next year.

"We'll have some fun here today anyway because of it being April Fool's Day," he said. "It's important to keep morale going."

Joe Wiggins, spokesman for Nationwide, said the company recently voted one of the best employers in the South West was not marking the day with any special events, but it holds events through the year to keep morale up.

According to Kate Hull-Rogers of HumourUs.org.uk, a UK consultancy that specialises in bringing fun into offices, all work and no play can be counterproductive.

She said: "We have the terrible habit of having a bit of fun and then someone saying, 'Let's get back to work.' This phrase must be put into the blender of bad management and whirred out of existence."