Laughter at Work -What are the Benefits
Do you look forward to going to work each day? Do you have much freedom to laugh at your workplace? Are you in the midst of a laughter drought in your workplace?
Are you feeling drained, used and unfulfilled?
It wouldnt be difficult to debate that people at work are laughing less than ever. It's well documented that employee absenteeism and burn-out is on the rise and work for some employees has become a very sober endeavor. Of course, there can be downsides to humor — By this, I mean that there can be too much laughter, sarcasm type humour; or deceitful innuendo.
I'm mindful also, that you may have had an experience of the leader managers who tend to tease staff members or tell dirty jokes so they can pave the way for increased power or productivity. Bearing in mind also that puns and pranks can also end up being unsettling, or threatening, to going wrong. Yes, the old dumb blonde joke, can become a discriminatory comment or a punishable offense.
In a similar vein, people may react differently to humour. For instance you may find something very amausing and side-splittingly hilarious; whilst another person find sthe insider joke of the day
disturbing or distracting. Which brings me to the point, that 'humor is subjective'. Thats why there has to be a balanced line in the sand so to speak.
In terms of the volume of humour within your work environment, and understanding the level as to which it may start to distract fellow work colleagues. Renowned Harvard research studies highlight this interesting point.
"Babies laugh, on average, 400 times a day; people over 35, only 15.
Also,
many workplaces are experiencing a 'laughter drought' [1]
Needless
to say, your organizational culture has a lot to do with how humour is
portrayed. Does it exist in your workplace culture? If your answer is
No, then read on and find out why it should be a Yes.
What are the 'Benefits of Humour' in the workplace?
Numerous global research studies are highlighting that 'humour' can have a positive impact within the workplace, and bring a world of benefits to your employees. So much so, that it can actually induce physical changes in your mind and body.
In citing an article written by Regina Barreca for the Harvard Business School. She explains that humor in the workplace is an eye opener and it can accomplish many things. For instance, it can make your feelings and responses to workplace tasks or issues available to colleagues without terrifying or stressing others out.
She further states;
"It can accomplish what people used to look to alcohol for: channeling fear into pleasure, translating anxiety into courage, and getting at the truth of the matter."[2].
Laughter - Boosts Leadership & Business
Workplace humour is
also the secret to great leadership. Let me draw your attention to a
Robert Half survey - whereby, 91% of executives believe a sense of
humour is important for career advancement and 84% feel that people with a good sense of humour do a better job.
Similarly, an Australian industry-wide study of
2,500 employees report presented by Rise Leadership insights revealed
that 81% believe a fun working environment would make them more
productive; 93% said that laughing on the job helps to reduce
work-related stress. A further 55% said they would take less pay to have
more fun at work.’[3]
"A sense of humor is part of the art
of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done." -
Dwight D. Eisenhower [4]
In terms of business benefits, I turn
to Alison Beard the senior editor at the Harvard Business Review - as
she sights leading global research studies conducted by the likes of
the prestigious London Business School and Wharton. She says that
laughter not only relieves boredom, but it has the added business
advantage of promoting creativity, improved collaboration and
engagement, and increased productivity.
Further citing Harvard Business
School professor Alison Wood Brooks research, who concluded that cracking jokes at work can make people seem more competent.[5]
Humor
and laughter boosts morale, trust and retention - Laughter can be very
disarming and using humour in the workplace can be a great icebreaker, as well as tearing down pre-existing barriers and building stronger relationships.
Assistant
Professor Owen Hanley Lynch found that humour “draws people together
based on their shared understandings and provides ingroups with a common
form of expression.” That is, we communicate our shared experiences
through jokes: “Humour begets bonding; in return, bonding begets more
ingroup humour.” It also helps build connections and allows workers to feel more engaged. [6]
An organisational culture that harnesses humour also reduces employee turnover and retains the best employees.
Laughter - Reduced Stress & boosts Immune System
Research data is also mounting, in relation to humour and laughter surfacing a number of physiological benefits that ultimately reduce
stress and boost the immune system. Stress relief from laughter helps
the body to decrease the amount of stress hormones in your system (e.g.
cortisol and epinephrine).
In addition, its also a key way of
accessing dopamine from the brain's reward center. In considering the
research conducted by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) in the U.S.
“When
you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it
actually induces physical changes in your body - It enhances your intake
of “oxygen-rich air,” thus increasing your brain’s release of
endorphins. It “can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle
relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms
of stress.' [7]
Other studies explain that
laughter serves as a natural boost to our immune systems; as, well as
having a significant impact on the body's production of natural killer
cells. This, in turn can help you fight off illnesses.
For example, an
experimental Biology study published in Science Daily stated that the
body's response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise.
Dr.
Lee S. Berk, a preventive care specialist and his colleagues studyied
the human body's response to mirthful laughter. Their findings
highlighted that laughter helps optimize many of the functions of
various body systems and further established that laughter helps
optimize the hormones in the endocrine system,
including decreasing the levels of cortisol and epinephrine, which lead to stress reduction.
Even more intriguing, is that they found that laughter has a positive effect on modulating components of the immune system. Whereby, the antibodies and activation of the body's protective cell production increases (e.g. T-cells and especially Natural Killer cells' killing activity of tumor cells). [8]
How to use Humour in the Workplace
The burning question arises - How can can organizations and individual leaders get their employees to laugh more?
A good starting point, would be to not take yourself too seriously - we all have a tendency to take ourselves way too seriously now and again, and this can often get in the way when it comes to laughter. Hence, the need to foster lightheartedness and lighten up a bit.
Also, dont be afraid to poke humour at yourself and roll with the energy flow - as, it can be a strong signal that everything is okay. Plus, if your honest and authentic, it can also help people develop or rebuild workplace relationships.
For those of you looking for a great team-building activity, try taking your team to a comedy club or enroll in a cuulture improvement workshop. Start a humor bulletin board or add a humour selection into your company newsletter.
Place some fun reading items into your lunch rooms and place funny pictures on the walls. Why not invite workers to watch a lunchtime video once a week.
Strive to foster humor as a conversation lubricant. Particularly, in meetings when issues arise or conversations become tense, it helps to relax the atmosphere.
Hold a joke of the month competition with a nice prize at the conclusion. Dare I say it - Ask the employees for their suggestions.
Concluding remarks
In general, people prefer to have fun and enjoy their work, and it also motivates them to come to work when their colleagues have a sense of humour. It seems that more humourous giggles in the workplsce can be just what the doctor ordered.
So, if you are wanting to lighten your workload, then dont be afraid to laugh out loud in your workplace. It's wise to focus on poking fun on things that everyone seems to be worried about. McGraw and Warner cite a line worth remembering from the anthropologist Edward Hall:
“If you can learn the humor of a people and really control it, you know that you are also in control of nearly everything else.” [5]
Refs.
1.McConnell, L. (2019). 'Working adults in the US are experiencing a 'laughter drought' — and here's why Harvard researchers say that's a problem' Insider. Publication date: October 4, 2019.
2. Barreca, R. (2001). 'Leading with the Funny Bone: Humor, Gender, and the Workplace' Harvard Business School - Working Knowledge. June 8, 2001.
3.Rise (2018). 'Why workplace humour is the secret to great leadership' Cited online at https://risepeople.com/blog/why-workplace-humour-is-the-secret-to-great-leadership/. Publication date: October 23, 2018
4."Dwight D Eisenhower Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 5 Mar. 2021. <https://www.quotes.net/quote/289>.
5. Beard, A. (2014). 'Leading with Humor.' Harvard Business Review. Organizational culture.
6.Lynch, O.H.,(2009).'Kitchen antics: The importance of humor and maintaining professionalism at work.'
Journal of Applied Communication Research. Vol. 37, (4), pp. 444-464. Published online: October 9, 2009.
7. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) (2019). 'Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke.' Publication date: April 5, 2019.
8. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (2010). "Body's response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise, study finds." Science Daily. Publication date: 26 April 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100426113058.htm>.
Photo Image Credits:
1. Pexels - Artem Podrez 2. Pexels - Barbara Ribeiro .3 Pexels - Fauxels
