31 March 2008

April Fool’s Day is traditionally a time for playing jokes on one another but nowadays an office prank could easily backfire. Inappropriate jokes at someone else’s expense should be a thing of the past but studies have shown that an injection of humour in the workplace could yield positive results. Could it be that your organisation is missing a trick and political correctness is making a fool out of you?

It is true that we don’t all share the same sense of humour. Getologoists, who study laughter, have shown that what is perceived as funny will vary depending on a person’s age, gender, culture and personality. A recent study carried out by the University of Western Ontario of 2500 sets of twins from North America and the UK even suggests that it may be genetic. The results revealed that whilst twins from both countries could see the funny side of life and shared a positive sense of humour, an appreciation of sarcasm and ridicule, a negative sense of humour, was only inherent in the Brits!

Negative humour is almost always at someone else’s expense and can include anything from gentle teasing to jokes which are blatantly sexist or racist.  Employers are acting responsibly by not tolerating such behaviour in the workplace, which could amount to bullying or harassment, and should have clearly written policies to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and respect at all times. Any conduct which is potentially offensive or humiliating to the recipient, or other workers, should be prohibited. This includes verbal jokes as well emails. Employees who think it’s funny to engage in any form of discriminatory humour should be warned of the consequences; disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal for gross misconduct, depending on the severity and, potentially, personal liability for an unlimited amount of compensation. 

Having said that, employers shouldn’t rule humour out completely. Being able to laugh has a positive effect on our health and well being, both physically and mentally. Medical research has discovered that when we laugh our bodies immune system is activated and we increase the natural cells that fight off disease, such as viruses and tumours. Our defence against respiratory infections is also improved by laughing as it increases the concentration of antibodies in our saliva. Laughing is good for the heart as it reduces the level of stress hormones and lowers our blood pressure. A bout of laughter is like an aerobic exercise- oxygenating the blood and increasing the flow rate while giving your facial, abdominal, leg and back muscles a good workout.

Laughing also stimulates the part of the brain which is responsible for our emotional behaviour and motivation and uses the same responses as problem solving. It can be very therapeutic as it increases natural endorphins which are responsible for our feeling of wellbeing and can help to overcome negative emotions such as sadness and anxiety, which can become harmful leading to depression and stress. Laughter is contagious and tighter social bonds are created when we have a laugh together.

The benefits for an organisation having a sense of humour are therefore numerous: 

• Absenteeism can be reduced as workers’ physical and mental health is improved and stress levels are lower.
• Employees will feel more positive and an increased sense of satisfaction with work which will improve morale and reduce staff turnover.
• An increase in productivity should come from improved motivation and better team work and relationship building.
• Enhanced problem solving and creativity capabilities that may make your organisation more competitive.

It is no wonder that more companies are now adding fun to their list of corporate values and that a new brand of management consultancies have emerged to plug the gap with specially designed laughter workshops and programmes. However, there are a few simple things you can do in-house. Hold regular social events and organise a team building fun day. Circulate a daily joke and put comedy materials, such as books or videos, in the rest areas (although be very careful of it content). Think about how you communicate and try to inject a bit of humour in your presentations and newsletters and, where possible, lighten up reports.

It is a known fact that our bodies react in the same way when we force ourselves to laugh, so why wait for tomorrow’s jokes? Have a chuckle yourself right now!