Funny Works - Especially on the Job

02/28/07

“Humor at work,” says humor consultant and stand-up comedian Claire Berger, “releases social and professional energy, creates trust, and improves morale.”

This should be no surprise, maintains Berger. “Ask any salesperson what their best tool is, and you’ll get the same answer: humor. It builds bridges."

Since people spend more of their waking hours at work than with their loved ones, she says, they need another reason to come to work besides a paycheck. “If they have more fun at work, they look forward to coming in. That decreases sick days and burnout, and it improves retention.”

Berger, CEO of Funnyworks, Inc., is quick to point out that she’s talking about productive humor. “The goal isn’t to turn people into stand-up comedians or turn the company into a three-ring circus.” The goal of using humor at work is to create a new, positive attitude among employees.

Humor Sparks Turnarounds
Berger describes a job she had with a large, regional telephone company. The HR person looked at the collections department and knew she needed to shake things up. Not only did the employees have to endure abuse from deadbeat customers, but they were isolated from each other and the rest of the company.

The HR person called in Berger, who initiated a surprise, ninety-minute “human treasure hunt.” In that hour and a half, employees were put into a situation in which they had to learn what they had in common — favorite movies, cultural heritage, even food they all found disgusting. Before long, people were laughing and connecting with each other in a way they never had. Morale improved immediately. One participant, initially resistant, stopped Berger on her way out and said, “This is just what we needed!”

And the energy generated that day lives on in humor; employees collect the most creative excuses they hear for not paying their phone bills on time. “People tack them up in washroom stalls, in the parking garage, and other places where others will see them and get a chuckle,” says Berger.

What You Can Do
How can you humanize your work environment and get the benefits a few laughs can bring? Berger offers two techniques:

Meet Market. Pick a morning, and ask everyone to write a need on a placard or piece of paper and attach it to their shirts or jackets. It might be, ‘Need a tennis partner,’ or ‘Need a date for my cousin.’ People soon start talking—and laughing. This exercise is especially good for people who work in cubicle farms and may not have much need to interact with one another. “It’s a comfortable way to make new contacts,” says Berger.

Birth of a Notion. A regional director of an organization felt bad about not being present to celebrate employee birthdays in far-flung offices. So he called everyone (about eighty-five people) in for a meeting. When they arrived, they were greeted with balloons, a birthday cake, and a candle with the names of everyone on it. “It was a surprise party for everyone,” says Berger. “People ate and socialized and played games like ‘pin the tail on the client.’ They still talk about it.”

Doing something humorous and out of the ordinary, maintains Berger, generates creative energy. “People go back to work happier, energized, feeling more worthwhile and part of things. Ultimately, they are more productive.”

Claire Berger is the author of Funny Works! 52 Ways to Have More Fun at Work. Find out more at: www.FunnyWorks.com