Another week of quarantine.
While we may be getting into more of a rhythm, for many of us it’s becoming a lot. While the introverts among us are having the time of their lives getting to focus on their computers without anyone bugging them, those of us who are extroverts could really use a good happy hour with actual crowd noise in the background and finger foods to share. Or at least sharing a tea with a new business connection who begins as a stranger but then becomes a friend through laughter and stories.
These days I spend most of my time jumping from one Zoom call to the next. Some are better or worse than others. Yesterday I had a 1-1 meeting where the woman I was meeting with must not have known that her camera was on, since at the start of the call she actually paused to take a selfie and post it! I’m not kidding! Now that’s a clear message about how valuable she thought my time was. She may not be the first person I’ll think of for a business referral with that level of professionalism!
But I have had some great meetings too. And some of the best ones typically include laughter. Which got me thinking about humor in the workplace. I think humor is one of the reasons why our networking group is so productive. We like to joke around but we get the job done. That sometimes rubs newcomers the wrong way and there have definitely been some memorable moments when that bleeping device like they have on radio stations may have come in handy, but it’s all part of the charm that makes this group work.
I have had the opportunity over my career to consult with 30 of the Fortune 500 and I can tell you that most of them don’t have cultures that encourage humor. In fact the opposite is true since they’re so paranoid of litigation. There also tends to be an overall corporate culture that to be professional means you must be serious. But humor in the workplace, when it doesn’t cross the line, can not only make life more enjoyable, but more productive too.
Think about it. There are 168 hours in a week, 49 of which we should ideally spend sleeping. If we’re only working 40 hours per week, which is pretty light for an entrepreneur, that means we’re spending over a third of our waking hours working. That’s a third of the part of life you actually remember. Shouldn’t it be enjoyable?
I caught a good TedX talk by Andrew Tarvin on humor in the workplace and he quoted some interesting statistics. Now statistics have never been known to be funny but just go with it for a moment. According to Psychology Today, humor at work makes people more productive. According to the American Physiology Society it makes us less stressed (and couldn’t we all stand to be a little less stressed these days?). According to the Journal of Aging Research, humor at work makes us happier (no surprise there). But here’s a good one. According to the Harvard Business Review (definitely not a lightweight publication), people who use humor at work tend to get paid more! Now I bet I have your attention!
You know I love marketing psychology so here’s a little brain research that says why this works. When we laugh, our brain releases serotonin, the feel good hormone. This helps us to pay attention and to socially connect better which supports brainstorming. This in turn leads to better decision making. Now remember, when using humor in the workplace, you don’t need to be a standup comic. Just making someone smile is helpful. Let me give you an example.
The banker fell overboard from a friend’s sailboat. The friend grabbed a life preserver, held it up, not knowing if the banker could swim, and shouted, “Can you float alone?” “Obviously,” the banker replied, “but this is a heck of a time to talk business!
Now clearly the reason I didn’t hear more laughter is that most of you are politely on mute not wanting to interrupt my educational moment, but using humor in the workplace doesn’t mean telling jokes all day, unless of course you’re much better at it than I am. But back to science for a moment, according to Harvard, when you heard the first few words of that very pathetic joke, your brain sprang into action in anticipation that maybe I might make you laugh. Sorry to disappoint you by the way. But your frontal lobe moved your brain from busily processing information from those emails I know you’re reading right now, to an emotional response. That would, in theory bring your attention back to me which would allow us to have a more productive conversation.
Aside from telling stupid dad jokes, here are some ways you can work humor into your workplace:
- First, as a leader you set the tone. You of course would never say anything to offend an employee, but you need to be the check and balance on your team as well. I once had to take an employee aside and strongly coach him on his use of metaphor in a meeting to describe how hot the weather was. I’ll save you the exact words but I called him out on it both during the meeting and afterwards to make it clear to the team that off color humor was not cool.
- But there are lots of other opportunities to work clean humor into your workday. There are plenty of crazy things going on in the world, especially right now, that you can comment on to lighten the moment as you’re kicking off a meeting. As an example, you may be interested to know that several artists are selling coronavirus themed crafts on Etsy. I mean seriously, who doesn’t want a COVID beaded pendant or plushie?
- Since many of us are hanging out with coworkers on Slack these days, using a general office channel with posts to replace water cooler banter can be fun. As long as they’re not in bad taste, there are certainly lots of crazy memes and videos being shared these days. Like the one Brigid Delaney posted where she said “in an unsettling reversal of my teenage years, I am now yelling at my parents for going out.” Or Roxi Horror who posted the following:
- Day 1 of quarantine: I’m going to take this as an opportunity to improve my health.
- Day 2 of quarantine: Due to personal reasons, I am eating a lasagna in my shower.
So you don’t need to be a comedian to incorporate humor into your business. Just try to look at the world a bit less seriously and not only will you break the tension and reduce your team’s stress, but you may help them to be more productive and satisfied with their lives. Studies show that people with at least 3 close friends at work are not only happier at work, but overall. And a productive, happy workforce may help get the creative juices flowing that will sustain your company through this crisis.
Let me leave you with one last thought.
I went to the pharmacy today and asked the assistant, “what kills the Corona Virus?”. She replied to me “Ammonia Cleaner”. “Oh I’m sorry”, I said. “I thought you worked here!”
And on that note, I’m done for today!