Behind the Roast - Humor in the Workplace

With 2022 coming to a close, this means I have been on the journey with @LinkAja for approximately 6 months since appointed as CEO. Diving headfirst into the fintech industry and faced with the uncertainties in the market in 2022 (plus what seems to be a more challenging 2023), combined with the unique circumstances that LinkAja has, presented a steep learning curve. Moreover, the nature of the business requires agility and moving at a breakneck speed.

The turbulent situation when I joined also added to the challenge. Add to that, transition in leadership usually comes with unrest within the ranks. Low morale, demotivation, increased turnover, and so on. In this situation, LinkAja pivoted to a new business direction that we call the two-sided business model which combines B2B and B2C services by providing solutions to our business partners and the needs of their ecosystems, including the end-users.

For me, the first order of business was to increase transparency to build rapport and a sense of belonging for all employees. Townhalls, previously done quarterly, are now held monthly, with every directorate sharing updates so we can celebrate the small wins together. The board of directors’ weekly meeting started to involve all VPs to help cascade information down to their respective teams. We celebrate and reiterate the company values through our values-based awards and so on.

And finally, it all culminated in the CEO Roasting session.

A good roast for stronger bonds?

You may have heard people say, “if your friends don’t make fun of you, are they really your friends?” or something of the sort. The idea that friends, especially close ones, make fun of one another is fairly common. But is it appropriate at the workplace?

As it turns out, humor plays a big part in creating a sense of belonging and camaraderie. A study has shown that a sense of humor and sharing laughter can benefit organizations by increasing motivation, closeness, and trust.

Laughing together help people bond and increase their happiness with the people in the group. In a work setting, this can also mean increased satisfaction.

More than that, humor also helps us to cope with stress and brace us in facing adversity. It also teaches us humility, to better connect, make our presentation/speech more memorable, and a host of other benefits.

I also believe that creating a roast session specifically for the CEO, the highest leader in the organization, helps reduce the distance between senior and junior, and to nurture a culture of giving feedback.

Minding the Boundaries

Of course, it can be unnerving for people to do this kind of thing, especially when the target is their superior in the organization. We set the terms and conditions when inviting all to the session:

Everyone is free to roast, the following terms & conditions apply:

1.???Will not affect performance ratings

2.???Will not lead to job mutation

3.???No hard feelings

It’s safe guys, so feel free to roast the CEO. When else?

This is important because we need to set the tone for humor to work. For people to speak up, they need to feel safe. And I hope this example can ripple to the entire organization becoming more upbeat, closer, and everyone can speak up and receive and give feedback.

And we also need to remember the boundaries, which would differ from person to person, organization to organization. Humor can be powerful, but keep in mind your audience and read the room.

From the two-hour roasting session, I learned many things about myself and others that I may not have noticed before. From the small gestures and habits to often repeated mistakes that I did. As much as it was to nurture open-mindedness and empowerment, being the subject of roasts can be a real eye-opener too.

Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of preparedness of the roaster and also impressed by the roasting capabilities of the team.

Among the many things mentioned during the CEO Roasting session, was my affinity for the humble es podeng, a simple treat that I like to have before meetings, during, or after.

Finally, following the roast last week, we close with a regular townhall to outline our strategy and plan for 2023.

And now all LinkAja employees know that our growth will be powered by es podeng.

Salam es podeng!