Encouraging humour in the workplace

The answer?  Encouraging more humour in your workplace.

It benefits you!

Humour at work is highly recognised for the benefits it brings to individuals. Laughter releases endorphins that reduce stress, create a sense of wellbeing and make you feel more alert.

 

It can also help you think and be more creative.  Just take a moment to remember the time when you were stuck on a problem, then had a good laugh which cleared you of your negative feelings.  It allowed you to look at the situation with a fresh positive outlook.

 

Laughter oxygenates your blood, which increases your energy levels, relaxes your muscles and strengthens your immune system.

 

Laughing also burns calories - 100 laughs equals approximately 10 minutes of jogging!

Happy workers are productive workers.  Humour and laughter can lighten the mood of your workplace and make it truly a fun place to be.  This, in turn, makes you, your colleagues and even your managers more enthusiastic about their jobs and much more productive.

When using humour at work, it is important to remember that what you and your friends may find funny could be insulting and offensive to others.

Humour should not be used to mask complaints about your workplace, or insults directed at your boss or colleagues and humour has very little to do with practical jokes.

Your primary role is to lead the team and part of that role is to create a happy, relaxed work environment in which humour has a time and a place.

 

Be self-deprecating - workers love it when bosses or more senior team members take the mickey out of themselves.  It’s a win-win situation.  Your team gets a laugh and they also feel like you’ve brought yourself down to their level by mocking your own self-importance.

 

There’s a time and a place for everything, especially in the company of your colleagues.  As for making people laugh, there are productive ways to do this in your office.  You just need to know when to stop.

Start small.  Create a humour board in the lunchroom where everyone can post up tasteful cartoons, jokes or goofy photos of themselves and their colleagues.

Or make a humour box where everyone can put suggestions for silly activities during the week.  Then pick one suggestion each month and put it into action.

Humour has to be used at the right time, in appropriate amounts and shouldn’t make fun of an individual. When used appropriately, humour is a great addition to any workplace.  In fact, workers with good senses of humour are more likely to be promoted and even keep their jobs during tough times.  So put on your biggest pair of clown shoes and start laughing!