A Little Humor in the Workplace Will Do You Good

There is a British comedy series called “The IT Crowd” that almost perfectly depicts my life at LevelTen. If ever there was a real-life office filled with Roy, Moss and Douglas-like characters, this is it. A sampling of our potential daily dialogue might include: Roy: [singing] We don't need no education. Moss: Yes you do. You've just used a double negative. _____________________ Jen: How can you two live like this? Moss: [typing] How can you two... Roy: Don't Google the question, Moss! _____________________ [The computer controlling the bomb-disposal robot has crashed] Moss: What kind of operating system does it use? Police: Err... it's... Vista! Moss: We are going to die! Humor in the workplace is no laughing matter. Get serious about it: take improvisation classes, watch “The Office” and “The IT Crowd” for pointers, and make humor an integral part of your daily workplace routine. Here are some benefits of humor, and practical advice about incorporating it into your office: 1) Humorous people are perceived to be more intelligent and creative, two things highly valued in workplaces. 2) Joking around on the job can have a very positive effect on productivity, morale and employee retention. Happy employees are more loyal employees, and have fewer late, sick and absentee days. 3) Humor can lubricate the channels of communication, making senior employees more approachable and demonstrating that they are team players. You need openness and comfort in bringing up difficult issues to function effectively as a team, and shared positive humor is a powerful means of achieving that. If senior management jokes around, employees will feel more safe to do the same. 4) Because humor can be culture specific and could result in awkward situations, pick g-rated universal topics that allow you to find common ground and not offend anyone. Kids and sports are safe subjects. Avoid serious topics and politics, and always know your audience. When in doubt, play it safe. 5) Shared laughter is great for creating “inside jokes,” and therefore building camaraderie and bonding. It enables you to make a lasting favorable impression in others’ minds. 6) Humor helps reduce hostile feelings among co-workers by putting you in a better mood and a better place to resolve conflict. Humor is contagious and can therefore stop problems from escalating. It can also aid in decreasing depression. 7) Using humor during meetings and presentations can keep people from getting bored, keep them engaged, and ensure that the meeting is a success. 8) Humor and laughter exercise the lungs, increase oxygen in the bloodstream, and stimulate endorphin production. They have been scientifically proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, reduce pain, and boost immunity. 9) Humor can help you get the job: A survey found that of 737 CEOs surveyed, 98% preferred job candidates with a sense of humor to those without. 10) Humor can get your employees motivated and excited about the task at hand. Humor earns buy-in and increases enjoyment of one’s job. I leave you with this final statistic: The average pre-schooler laughs or smiles 400 times a day. That number drops to only 15 times a day by the time people reach age 35.