Two employees walk into the office. Both sit down at their desks and begin working on their computers. They stare at their screen and behave like automatons.
What’s wrong with this picture? It’s boring!
Where is the life in this situation? Where are the smiles and people enjoying themselves?
Think humor in the workplace is a no-no? Now that’s funny!
We have choices in how we decide to lead. One of the best is to include comedic into your repertoire. Workplace humor is not only engaging, it makes us human.
To understand the benefits of humor in the workplace, you need to keep reading!
Humor in the Workplace
Humor is a crucial part of life. We almost need laughter to survive. If we didn’t have laughter, life would be rather dull and drab.
When we step into the office, we put our get stuff done mode on. We have our serious faces on, and we focus on our work. Things can start to feel heavy pretty if we don’t do something about it.
Things don’t need to be this way. Incorporating humor in the workplace is what you need to succeed as a leader.
You don’t have to be a stand-up comedian to bring the laughs into your work. You can bring your playful side though. Your employees will appreciate you for it.
When people in the workplace see your human side, you build a bond. And with a bond, you build trust. Trust creates results in business relationships.
Boost of Confidence
When bringing a playful nature in, we show our confidence. All great public speakers know this.
We need to be able to connect with others if they’re going to take us seriously. Ironically, for them to take us seriously as leaders, we need to make them laugh.
One way we can connect is through storytelling. Storytelling is an art form in and of itself.
Do you have a funny story to tell at the next meeting or public gathering? By doing so, people guards will be down, but their attention will perk up.
When you tell a funny story, people can put themselves in your shoes. When you do this more often, they feel they can approach you more often.
Employees may often feel intimidated by their bosses in some way. On some level, they may feel they cannot be their true selves around you. When you show them an unexpected side of you, their beliefs change.
Cultivating a Comedic Culture
A workplace environment needn’t be boring and stale. When people love coming to work, they’ll want to keep coming right?
Sprinkles of laughter throughout the day creates the right vibe in the office. There is a fine line when dealing with people’s livelihoods. We need to show our respects while at the same time offer a chuckle.
While it’s difficult to please everyone, there are things we can do to lighten the mood. One example is to start with a fun weekly e-mail. Make it light-hearted and a fun read with gifs and memes included.
When employees have something to look forward to, their spirits will rise. When we work hard, we can play hard too. Morale and creativity will speed ahead as well.
We need workplace humor to make our days.
Lead With Laughter
Remember to lead with laughter. Life is hard enough. We don’t need to stop our enjoyment the moment we clock in at 9 AM.
Humor in the workplace is one sign of a happy office. We can get so much more done in this fashion.
To learn more tips and tricks on how to succeed as a leader, read our blog today!