Humor At Work — Why It Needs To Be A Part of The Work Culture
Managers and owners need to realize that humor in the office no more hampers productivity, but rather improves it and helps to promote mutual trust in the workplace
“Sometimes I feel I am working in a sophisticated jail. All facilities and amenities are there, but people work like robots sans any expressions of joy and happiness on their faces. Look at them and everyone seems so stressed out and pressurized as if they have been infected by the novel coronavirus! Seriously, if things continue like this then I might as well consider switching my job sooner than later.”
This is what my good friend had to say when she called me up last night to share her frustration. I could tell her from the tone of her voice that she is indeed not happy with the environment at her workplace.
Sadly, this is not a unique or exceptional case. It seems that a large number of organizations’ foremost priority is to increase profit margin by pressurizing employees to an extent that many of them experience job burnout — a state of mental and physical exhaustion where employees lose motivation and drive to work.
As the Chief Marketing Officer at ProofHub, I believe that our employees are our most valuable assets. From the very first day, we have made all efforts to create a friendly, stress-free work environment for our employees.
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However, this does not mean that we compromise on the quality of our work by any means. Yes, work is worship for us, but we also understand that our employees are humans. They need some lighthearted moments during work to maintain work-life balance and avoid dreaded burnout.
Laughter is the best medicine. Nothing can be farther from the truth than this age-old proverb. All of us want to have a good laugh during the day, amid various challenges that both professional and personal lives throw at us.
Humor At Workplace — Different Perspectives
I am not sure if all team leaders do realize that humor is a vital ingredient to a successful and productive work environment. The problem is that while employees see humor as an obvious component to enjoy their work, the management has other things to think about.
They might be too busy thinking about maximum output, meeting deadlines, boosting revenue, and getting the most out of employees. “Laughter and jokes at work? You can go home and watch Mr.Bean to have plenty of that, but you are supposed to work in the office and not the other way around.”
This is what one of my friends, who also happens to be the entrepreneur of a marketing agency, had to say when I asked her if her team shares a laugh or two during work. I strongly beg to differ from this perspective.
It’s really hard to describe the great, positive effect of beaming smiles and wide grins in the otherwise tense office environment. We have also registered a sound difference in the attitude and productivity of our employees when they have a good dose of humor during the workday.
I’ve gathered up a few reasons about why it’s important to ensure that your workplace offers a humor-filled environment for your employees. It does a world of good for organizations, employees, their performance, and morale. Read on to know more about it.
A Fun Business Is An Effective Business
This is not just a personal statement. Rather, the data collected by social scientists over the last 20 years shows that employees are more happy and effective in places where there’s good fun for some time of the day.
If you’re going to be working for 8, 10, 12 or even more hours in a day, you deserve a good laugh at least some of the time. Here’s how fun impacts the workplace:
- Increases productivity
- Boosts morale
- Reduces stress
- Improves staff retention rate
- Results in better performance evaluations
Humor in the workplace also helps to keep down employee conflicts by allowing your team to bond. A team that bonds well also works better than what is expected of them. And it also helps to improve your staff retention rate, which further helps to keep the cost of hiring new employees down.
When it comes to offering good jobs, It’s not only about money these days. It hardly matters how much you pay your employees if you don’t have a positive workplace culture.
As Tony Hsieh puts it, “Happiness is a business model”.
Humor Improves Health And Good Health Is True Wealth!
It’s not without a solid reason that doctors and our well-wishers ask us to stay happy and cheerful whenever we are not feeling good. Research has shown that the health benefits of laughter are far-ranging, and the workplace is no exception.
Having a good laugh helps with:
- Increases blood circulation in the body
- Stimulates the heart and lungs
- Relaxes muscles and reduces stress
- Increases feel-good endorphins released from the brain
- Boosts the immune system
- Produces a general sense of well being
With all the health benefits of laughter, I can tell you that you cannot afford to devoid your employees of having some fun while they work. Moreover, healthy employees mean less sick leaves, which is another way to combat absenteeism from work.
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Humor Can Bring Out The Creative Side Of Individuals
No matter what type of business you manage, and if it’s large or small, creativity will always be a vital component in its progress. Serious, classroom-like restricted work environments rarely bring out the best in employees because they are not encouraged to bring unique ideas to the table.
Employees need to participate in spontaneous group discussions to produce ideas off one another. I am surprised at how even the most introvert of employees can come up with out-of-the-box ideas in a relaxed, fun environment.
At ProofHub, employers and employees sit on the same table for some time in a day for casual conversation. Our team members put forth their suggestions and we must accept that we have made a lot of improvements to our software for project management on the basis of valuable inputs provided by some of our savvy employees.
Unless you create a friendly environment at work, your workforce will lack the confidence to embrace open communication. So, let humor bring out the creative side of your employees, and use their talent to your organization’s advantage.
Humor Builds Mutual Trust Within The Organization
Have you noticed how managers and bosses who have a good laugh with employees inspire confidence in their employees more as compared to those who practice formal behavior with their team. Why is it so?
Again, you don’t have to think long and hard to find the answer. It’s amazing how casual conversations with a healthy dose of fun and humor in it can help to build trust between managers/owners and their employees.
However, that is not to say that there is no seniority in such work environments, but it gives the appearance of a flatter organization. This means that employees do not hesitate to approach their bosses directly, which in turn leads to clear communication and effective collaboration between the two sides.
Promoting Fun Attracts An Audience
Promoting humor at work can provide substantial benefits to your organization. Sharing stories about lighthearted environments in your workplace can help you create a strong branding story and garner attention on social media platforms.
There are a lot of job seekers out there who prefer to work in organizations that have a touch of friendliness to their work environment. This will work as a window for such individuals to find out what it’s like to work in your organization, which further increases familiarity and trust.
And it’s not just to attract passive talent. Even the potential customers can feel that they ‘know’ your company and get to see its fun side. This can likely make them consider engaging with you.
“Work is much more fun than fun” Noel Coward
Increase In Commitment And Job Satisfaction
The positive results of a positive and fun work environment have shown in the form of a significant increase in the form of improved employee engagement, commitment, and participation. Many companies aim to provide great professional growth as well as fuel great, fulfilling lives.
At ProofHub, almost 60% of our workforce has been working with us for more than 8 years and that’s quite a long time, especially in the days where job-hopping after every couple of years (or even less) has become a new normal.
The main reason behind high job satisfaction and customer retention in many companies is because their workforce works more like a family. They share good times and face challenging situations together with great determination, and understand each other better.
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Leaders Lead By Example
And in the end, it all begins and ends with you, the managers and leaders. When you feel joyful at work, it shows in your attitude and behavior. Highly motivated team leaders can encourage their workers to enjoy the work, have good times, without compromising on the discipline.
Remember, the captain is as good as his team is. Your actions will have a direct impact on the overall performance and behavior of the team. So, make sure you’re leading from the front and walk the talk. Set positive examples for others to follow in your footsteps.
The Final Say
The aforementioned positives should help team managers and entrepreneurs realize the positive impact of healthy fun and humor at work. We all want our teams to be in their best state of mind when working for us.
Happy, satisfied workforce is the organization’s most valuable possession. It’s up to senior management to figure out the ways (or activities) to promote humor, laughter, and fun in the workplace, but it all should be in good spirit.
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