Lighten up: Humor in the workplace

From the October 2009 issue of Ceridian Connection.

Have you ever uttered the phrase, "if I don't laugh, I'll cry" during the workday? Sometimes, you just have to lighten up. Health experts have told us that from an emotional and physical perspective, a humor break is a good idea. Did you know that humor, or levity in the workplace, can also stimulate productivity and even longevity on the job, among other things?

Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher, authors of The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up, have done extensive research on humor in the workplace. According to Gostick, employees at the best places to work say that they are having fun. He says there is a correlation between having fun and making money. Levity-minded individuals also win the race over their not-so-fun colleagues in areas such as promotions, creativity and relationships.

In their book, Gostick and Christopher highlight examples of cultures that promote workplace humor and make a compelling case for humor. Their research has found:

• 98 percent of CEOs would hire someone with a good sense of humor over someone who lacked levity


• 94 percent of employees believe that fun is okay at work


• 90 percent of employees who say their boss has an above average sense of humor want to be in their current job a year from now versus 78 percent who don't have bosses with a sense of humor

In an interview with FOX News, Christopher said that it is more about bringing "lightness" to the workplace, making it fun rather than funny. It's also important not to take yourself too seriously.

Toys for Taylor
At first glance, Woody Taylor seems an unlikely humorist as Ceridian's vice president of HRS Implementation Strategy and Operations. After all, "technocrats" are frequently stereotyped as enjoying spreadsheets, computers and data more than interpersonal relationships. That seems to be true for Taylor who is passionate about his work but not about corporate structures in general.

"Humor has always been a way for me to get to know people and make them feel more at ease with me," says Taylor. "I am very direct and intense, and I can come off as too abrasive to people. Humor helps diffuse a little of my intensity about work and opportunities."

According to Taylor, a lot of good things can happen when you set people at ease with their work environment and they continue to be challenged. Their productivity is better, they are more loyal to the company and they develop more ownership and accountability around their work product. In addition, they're more fun.

People who walk by Taylor's office may be surprised to find an entertainment playground: a fishing pole, Nerf guns, a Mao pocket watch from Beijing, numerous techie gadgets and a monkey with clapping cymbals. "It's not really to entertain people, it's to entertain me, which other people often find funny," says Taylor.

Taylor pulled off one of his favorite pranks with the help of a few colleagues. They tricked a rather straight-laced and conservative executive into posing for a professional portrait hugging a stuffed animal. Taylor also recently featured live bait on camera during a Webcast with his team (no leeches were harmed during the filming of the department meeting, however).

Despite his photo ploy, Taylor knows that humor has its boundaries. He likes to use humor to relieve pressure in tense environments and bridge over to more productive discussion when people get too emotionally invested in business concerns. Taylor, who describes his sense of humor as dry and abstract, stresses the importance of being aware of your audience and weighing how they may respond during certain situations. Humor should never detract from productivity or trivialize customer and coworker concerns.

"Humor has been a part of all of my life experiences, work included. I find humor is my best defense against having to improve my communication skills," Taylor adds dryly.

Keep it Real
Keith Peterson, Ceridian's vice president of Marketing Communications, will be the first to tell you that he doesn't take himself too seriously. Many customers, colleagues and his marketing team have been either subjected to or subjects of Peterson's humor. He exemplifies someone who has fun and, by making people laugh, connects with his audience.

Professionals who attend INSIGHTS, Ceridian's annual customer conference, may recognize Peterson as the personable master of ceremonies as well as a classroom instructor. On stage at INSIGHTS, he has played characters from a dog to Star Trek's Mr. Spock. In the classroom, his specialty is humor and bridging communications. His presentations focus on how laughter can improve health, productivity, communications and teamwork.

Peterson's natural competitiveness frequently surfaces at department functions. When his department held a bridal shower for one of his employees -- complete with games -- Peterson allowed himself to be draped in a toilet paper bridal gown. Needless to say, his team won!

With laughter and humor, there also comes responsibility. In one of his presentations, Peterson offered suggestions on how to interject humor into the workplace:

• To make it appropriate, tie your humor to the purpose and situation at hand -- the upcoming merger, the new reorganization, difficult people you must deal with, etc.


• Tell true stories to make your message believable. Stories that are true are sometimes the funniest because of coincidental or improbable turns.


• Use good taste and judgment -- never make others feel uncomfortable.


• If you must poke fun at someone, first make fun of yourself -- your own flaws, neuroses and inadequacies.


• If you must poke fun at someone else, focus on areas of low ego issues -- handwriting, a distinctive laugh, a preference for skiing versus paperwork, etc. -- that communicate affection, not disdain.


• Be creative -- don't rehash old ideas, mimic a famous person's personality or use jokes that do not match your temperament.


• Test your ideas first to make sure they're really funny -- otherwise, you may become the joke!

"Take your job seriously. Take yourself lightly," says Peterson.