In certain industries, the workplace can be cutthroat. Picture Wall Street stockbrokers frantically trying to beat sales quotas — or sales representatives fighting for commissions.

These kinds of high intensity, competitive jobs require a specific kind of leader — one who knows how to bring their workforce together.

For real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, the trick to strengthening relationships amongst her employees is being the fun boss. 

"I put fun before anything," she said in a TikTok video posted last month. "In sales, you like who you're working with, but you don't really, totally like them because they're going after your market. So you have friend-enemies. I believe when you have fun with your people, it's a great equalizer."

"If you want a happy team, you better plan for fun," she captioned the TikTok.

Fostering a culture of enjoyment and amusement is important in the workplace, research shows. Employees who have fun on the job see positive impacts in creativity, relationships, productivity and psychological wellness, according to a recent study from Taiwan's National Central University, which surveyed 508 workers.

To bring a good time into the office, workplace culture expert Tom Gimbel recommends bosses bring a bit of their natural humor to the office, using harmless joke-telling or icebreakers to strengthen relationships in the workplace.

"Humor is a great connector of people of different backgrounds," he said. "The art of being funny in a business setting is probably a bigger challenge [now] than ever before. But if done correctly, and done well, it can be a great unifier for a culture."

Ultimately, fun, authentic bosses get the most out of their employees, Gimbel added. But there should be a balance between fun and productivity, author and employee engagement expert, Bob Nelson, wrote for Harvard Business Review in 2022.

Putting fun before essential business needs, like hiring the right talent, customer service, sales or effective planning, could potentially hurt a businesses success — employees might become distracted, have poor performance and the company could suffer because of it.

If your boss can't prioritize fun in the office, perhaps you can do so yourself. After interviewing "hundreds" of employees about how they bring enjoyment to their jobs, Nelson got lots of varying answers, from people swapping "to-do lists" for "fun lists," to professionals jamming to their favorite songs at work. You could also help plan an employee outing or a workplace event, like a potluck or scavenger hunt, to boost morale and build relationships.

Bosses who encourage these kinds of activities in their organizations will surely reap the benefits of a happier, more collaborative group of workers, Corcoran said on TikTok.

"When people laugh together, they come up with new ideas," she said. "When people laugh together, they loosen up."

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Barbara Corcoran as a panelist.

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