News

How To Be Funny At Work

How To Be Funny At Work
by Catherine Iste

Laughing releases stress, increases productivity and supports team-building. On the other hand, a failed attempt at humor can increase tension, undermine motivation and decrease engagement.

Most of us determined long ago using humor as a workplace tool was not worth the risk. But what if you had an HR-approved method for being funny? Here are a few tips for being appropriately funny at work.

3:47 p.m.

Monday mornings and Friday afternoons envelop a collective understanding in office environments. Early morning on a Monday is an understandable time to be cranky, while late on Friday is normally marked with Christmas Eve-type joy. These are great times to inject a little humor, particularly as it relates to the time of day.

In her witty article "Leading with Humor" for Harvard Business Review, Alison Beard reviews the research related to workplace humor and notes that using humor related to shared experiences reinforces the bond among those employees. She points to this recommendation from The Humor Code, by Peter McGraw: "Good comedy is a conspiracy. Create an in-group."

Similarly, collective experiences when people are tense — like working late, facing a deadline or after meeting a tough client — create an "in-group" and are great opportunities to use humor. The shared, external experience to which the people involved can relate creates a tie between them. Tap into that unspoken bond to create a shared moment of fun.

Read full article on MultiBriefs.