The power of humour at work

Humour is one of the most powerful (yet untapped) tools we have in our arsenal when it comes to improving workplace culture and uplifting the work experience. For many reasons, the workplace typically does not present itself as the playground for levity. One of them is the societal precept that “one shall not bring themselves and their whole selves to work”. It is advised to rather leave those other bits of yourself at home - one of them being - the jokes.?

But bringing your authentic personality and character to work is not only essential for workplace satisfaction, but it's also essential for longevity! Accumulated stress over years can negatively affect lifespan, not to mention the quality of life. Seeing as we spend one-third of our life at work - the work experience certainly impacts our overall life experience. (Studies show correlations between workplace stress and mortality rates, I’m too lazy to actually find the references again but feel free to Google them if you don’t trust me ;)

I strongly believe, and research backs, that by allowing people to ‘drop their guard’ and bring their true selves to work - a huge increase in workplace satisfaction (and productivity) can be achieved. One of the basic psychological reasoning for this is that when environments support true, authentic human connection - a greater sense of belonging can be achieved. When belonging exists amongst humans, especially at work - everything else that matters follows. Also a lot of research to support the previous sentence.

The inverse environment, which demands of people to form inauthentic, manufactured personas for 8 hours a day - creates a long-term and unconscious toll on the psyche and the body. I’m not arguing for a complete disregard of professionalism here, where people rock up in Pajamas and swig Merlot on the job - having manners and acting with integrity does not threaten authenticity. Fear, however, does. I digress.

“Children laugh up to 300 times per day, compared to the average adult at 17.5 times per day”

As discussed, one of the main benefits of humour in the workplace is that it can help to reduce stress. A study by the American Institute of Stress found that humour is one of the most effective coping mechanisms for dealing with stress. (“Wow Bentzy, you actually referenced a real organisation there, bravo!”) Laughter has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals in the brain. This means, not only can humour help you cope with stress in the moment, but it can also help to prevent stress from building up in the first place.

One good laugh — or better still, a workplace that encourages levity — builds cohesion.

– Brad Bitterly and Alison Brooks, discussing their research on humour in Harvard Business Review

Humour can also lead to an increase in productivity in the workplace. Although there are studies to prove it, it’s obvious that employees who report higher levels of happiness and well-being are also more productive than those who did not report these positive emotions. Additionally, happy workers are more likely to stay with a company for longer, which of course reduces attrition costs. So yes, for those cold-hearted capitalists reading this - there is a bottom-line impact for driving humour in the workplace.

Finally, humour can also be used to create better teams in the workplace. A study by the University of North Carolina (OMG, another reference!), found that humour is one of the most important factors for creating successful teams. The study found that humour helps to build trust, foster communication and cooperation, and increase team morale. No shit.

Findings that are not as obvious however and were actually news to me, was that using humour in your job can actually boost your career progression and even salary! Now you’re listening hey. Some interesting results from research on using humour at work found:

• It encourages others to want to work on projects with you in the future.
• People who incorporate levity in presentations are more likely to be seen as competent and confident.

“Humour not only helps individuals ascend to positions of authority but also helps them lead more effectively once they are there. Professors Cecily Cooper (University of Miami), Tony Kong (University of South Florida), and Craig Crossley (University of Central Florida) found that when leaders used humour as an interpersonal tool, their employees were happier, which fostered better communication and resulted in an uptick in citizenship behaviours—voluntary actions that facilitate organisational effectiveness. That is, when leaders used humour, their employees were more likely to go above and beyond the call of duty.” HBR?

Some ways to incorporate humour in your daily work

• Start team meetings with a funny icebreaker activity.
• If you're writing a report, come up with a funny title or include jokes in the text.
• Start your (team's) day with a funny video or joke.
• Sneak some funny names into a team's work tasks themselves.
• If you're giving a presentation, try to add a few jokes into your material.
• Create channels in Slack/MS Teams to share light, humorous content.

Things to be mindful of when applying humour at work:

Context is Key

“A certain joke may work dazzlingly well with one group of people but completely flop with another—or even with the same group in a different context. And although jokes generally function as (well-intended) social glue, they may have the opposite effect if they’re perceived as thinly veiled brags or as insulting to specific people or ideas.” HBR

“A joke’s success depends on who’s telling it, where and when it is told, and to whom”

Inclusive Humour

• Make sure the recipients of your levity will understand the references used across different races, religions and cultures.
• Don’t make jokes at expense of others (no matter if everyone will be in agreement)
• Instead of trying to be funny, focus on what others may appreciate.
• Stay away from ‘inside jokes’ which lead to clickiness.
• Use empathy to ensure others won’t feel awkward as a result of your humour.

Be intentional about your sarcasm?

“Sarcasm can produce higher levels of perceived conflict, particularly when trust is low between the expresser and the recipient. And because sarcasm involves saying the opposite of what you mean, there’s a risk of misunderstanding or worse if the recipient does not pick up on the humorous intent and takes a sarcastic comment literally.” HBR

Coming from South Africa which has inherited the British style of humour (and use of sarcasm), and having worked in America - boy can I relate to the above. I’ve personally found that the work culture in SA was a lot more personable and filled with banter, compared to the American work culture (honestly it sometimes felt like I was proper working with robots).

Oh and another trivial finding - people don’t really swear in meetings in America. Perhaps a lot of this is due to the political and racial tension in America that people are worried to say something that could be remotely offensive. I don’t mean to America-Bash by the way, I’m just sharing my experience of having worked in both countries. Don’t get me started on what it’s like to work in Israel lol. The best is watching Americans and Israelis work together - it’s like chalk and cheese. Reality show idea - you’re welcome Netflix.

Anyway, if none of that made sense - watch the experts explain it better here: TED - jennifer_aaker_and_naomi_bagdonas_why_great_leaders_take_humor_seriously

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Sources: https://hbr.org/2020/07/sarcasm-self-deprecation-and-inside-jokes-a-users-guide-to-humor-at-work

Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev: https://www.pexels.com/photo/laughing-elderly-women-sitting-on-couch-8088245/