Humor Motivates and Rewards Employees
Inject humor and fun into your workplace to make work more enjoyable, rewarding and productive.
Here's why: People like to laugh and have fun. If they can do it at work, chances are they're going to be happier and more productive. Speakers, entertainers and politicians have used humor to get people's attention and gain approval throughout history. So can you.
Happy Employees are Productive Employees
Optimism and cheerfulness are protective influences against the damaging effects of failure, rejection and disappointment. These negative effects are part of life and, in all likelihood, are not meant to be avoided because we can learn so much from them.
In many cases, people who have overcome their failures find ways to laugh at their mistakes, realize their shortcomings, and grow from them. Don't be afraid to share your experiences, laughing at the wrong turns, finding ways to share the lessons, poking fun at the efforts that didn't work.
Humor is a powerful coping mechanism that gives courage when in difficult circumstances. With a smile on your face, your employees will likely find their own failures less defeating and maybe even laugh at themselves. It may be during these conversations that the problem is revealed.
You don't have to turn your workplace into a circus, but light-hearted conversation can be helpful. Employers might find it beneficial to start the staff meeting with a humorous story. They might encourage office activities that allow employees to laugh and have fun. Some companies sponsor softball, bowling and league teams, which allow employees to bond away from the office.
At Eastman Kodak, an exec formed a Humor Task Force to gather comedy videos, humorous books and other props in a Humor Room, frequented by employees who were looking for a smile.
Joe Baron, who works for Opryland USA in Nashville, offers advice for human resource managers. He makes laughter a job requirement. He says coming to work knowing he'll be able to chuckle once in a while is very beneficial.
Baron acknowledged that there is a time and a place to be serious and that some problems are void of humor. But he stresses the fact that laughter in the workplace nearly always generates higher productivity and fewer employee problems.
Humor and fun tend to go hand-in-hand. But if people are comfortable and know they can have fun together, chances are they'll be more united when the chips are down and the large projects are on the line.
Reach out to one of our business coaches to learn how to develop a positive, team-centered culture at your business!