Humour at work

Finding the right balance of seriousness and positive camaraderie is never easy, but accepting the benefits of a good laugh in the workplace can improve morale and the health of employees. The challenge is how to do it right

By Debbie Therrien

Everyone enjoys a good laugh now and then. It seems only natural that we should enjoy that at work now and again as well. After all, that’s often when and where we need it most.

But not all would agree that that’s a good idea. With a “never mix business with pleasure” attitude, many bosses have difficulty buying into the value of humour at work. After all, we’re there to work, not have fun, right?

The effective use of humour has long been one of the most difficult balances to achieve. There are mixed messages. On the one hand we have been reminded that “if we smile the whole world smiles with us” and “laughter is the best medicine.” But at work we are told to take things more seriously, and, occasionally, “quit goofing off and get back to work!” Many people come to believe that if they are   funny, they won’t be taken seriously.

Michael Kerr, author of You Can’t Be Serious — Putting Humor to Work, stresses that humour is not only a tool in the workplace, but also a barometer — it indicates how healthy and well-functioning a workplace is. Through humour-filled workshops he inspires audiences to combat stress, boost morale, and be more productive, creative, and innovative by tapping into their humour resource.

If you doubt the benefits of adding humour to your workday, consider the following:

• Laughter is good for your health: Those who have a healthy sense of humour may, according to some researchers, get sick less often and recover more quickly from illnesses. Laughter stimulates the immune system, decreases stress hormones, and increases endorphins.
• Humour reduces the negative effects of stress: Many psychologists tell us that humour is the complete opposite of stress. It gives us control over our emotions and helps us rise above a crisis.
• Humour helps us problem solve: It gives us a different perspective and allows us to distance ourselves from our problem so we can effectively find a solution. Humour is a catalyst for creativity and can help spark new ideas. It can help us to be innovative when faced with problems.
• Humour builds strong teams: It breaks down stereotypes and promotes a sense of unity in any workforce, and builds a shared history that reminds employees they are playing for the same team. Teams that laugh together, work well together.

Developing a respect for humour in the workplace may be HR’s new weapon to combat the negative effects of stress, which according to new research by the Conference Board of Canada is out of control in many companies. Statistics point out that mental illness is on the rise, we are spending more and more time at work in spite of flexible work arrangements, and the bill for absenteeism is now an estimated $3 billion per year.

Some businesses have already tapped into their lighter side and are embracing their sense of humour as a way of building rapport with staff, and in doing so have experienced surprising results even they hadn’t imagined. Many of these companies are in highly competitive industries, where workers are almost constantly under pressure to perform.

Southwest Airlines understands something many of us seem to have forgotten: when something is fun, you can’t stop people from doing it. In the U.S. airline industry, Southwest is approaching its second decade of record profits while other airlines have faltered. Chairman and CEO Herb Kelleher believes that on-the-job fun results in better customer service. An employee may sing a popular song or perform a stand-up routine such as, “Those wishing to smoke, please file out to the lounge on the wing where you can enjoy your feature film — Gone with the Wind,” to get passengers to actually pay attention to the pre-flight instructions. Kelleher claims that the culture committee, a 70-person cross-section of staff established to perpetuate the company’s values and spirit, is its most valuable group.

How should businesses incorporate humour into their workday? “By hiring for sense of humour and positive attitude,” Kerr suggests. “Companies should also list healthy humour (as opposed to inappropriate humour) as one of their core values.”

At Calgary-based WestJet Airlines, they are doing just that. Potential frontline workers such as flight attendants and call centre staff participate in group interviews in which they are required to tell stories, jokes, and participate in various games. Clive Beddoe, president and CEO, believes this is how you find fun and funky people. His mantra is happy employees beget happy customers.

Adding fun into your workforce doesn’t happen overnight. It needs support throughout the organization including people at the helm, and it must suit the culture of the business. For instance, adding fun into an accounting firm is different from a manufacturing company.

A few years ago, Scott, Batenchuk & Co., a Burlington, Ont.-based accounting firm, found itself struggling to find talented individuals to add to their smaller-sized firm. They believed that if they improved morale and created a fun place to work they would retain their existing team members and might attract new ones.

Glenn Taylor, a partner in the firm, describes the process that reshaped his organization. “We included ‘having fun’ in our firm vision, created a social committee comprised of volunteers from across the firm, allocated a budget, and gave them license to be creative.” They try to inject humour into several fun events during the busiest time of the year, February to April. These activities include a pancake cook-off, where partners and managers volunteer to cook; this year at their bowling night, each person had to show up with crazy hair; a staff golf tournament; and an April 30th party. Other smaller events during the year encourage staff to get together, share conversation, and get to know each other better.

“In less than a year, fostering humour at our office has paid off in spades,” Taylor reveals. “Clients have made comments about the upbeat and friendly people we have working here, and there has been a definite positive impact on our bottom line, both in terms of recruiting and retaining people. Our employee turnover rate is now lower than the industry average.”

The most effective humour at work is humour that focuses on the commonalities among people rather that the differences — to appreciate and play with life’s absurdities, to poke good-natured fun at others, and especially, to laugh at our own flaws and foibles. Fun and work aren’t mutually exclusive. Showing your human side lets others know that you are approachable, which leads to good communication and a prolific exchange of ideas.

Kerr believes there are literally hundreds of ways to lighten the mood at work. Try these for starters:

• put up a humour bulletin board,
• add a humour break to meeting agendas,
• have staff participate in theme days,
• allow staff to personalize work areas,
• hold contests that involve staff — e.g. match the employee to their pet, and
• celebrate birthdays, milestones, and achievements.

In today’s environments, it’s not just money that keeps people at work. More and more, companies are being forced to offer workplace conditions and contexts that support life overall: not just on the job, but in areas of personal wellness and quality of life. People are learning that work can be play and that play can be extremely productive.

As comedian Bill Cosby says, “If you can laugh at it, you can survive it.”

Fun is intrinsically motivating. In the bottom-line analysis, that’s good for business.

Debbie Therrien is a Hamilton-based freelance writer.

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