laughter

The Importance of Humor at the Office

By in Living Well 1 Comment Tags: , , , ,

Humor_at_Office

Trying to incorporate humor into the workplace can be a risky endeavor. Something that’s funny to one person could possibly be viewed as inappropriate by another person. But according to author Peter Navarro, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Working in an office where people laugh together can have a lasting, positive effect on employees’ productivity and efficacy, and boost their feelings of job satisfaction. According to Navarro, incorporating humor into the workplace results in the following:

  • Improved teamwork – Coworkers who joke around together are also more likely to feel connected to each other, communicate more, trust each other more, and work with each other more effectively. Employees are more likely to feel like they have their colleagues’ friendship and support.
  • Reduced stress – Laughter is a great stress reliever. According to the Mayo clinic, it soothes feelings of tension, releases endorphins, improves your mood, decreases your heart rate, and even relieves feelings of pain. So laughing with your colleagues is definitely beneficial.
  • Enhanced creativity – Humor can help people to relax – and relaxation gives people the freedom to be creative. When employees feel stressed or pressured, it’s very difficult to “think outside the box.” But in a workplace environment in which humor and laughter are part of the culture, it’s much more likely that employees will feel free to take chances and be truly innovative.
  • Increased customer satisfaction – Happy employees provide better customer service. The happiness that they feel spills over to the customers, and makes every interaction more engaging and effective.

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Navarro, P. (n.d.). Humor is fundamental to a healthy workplace — but not without its risks. Recruiter.com. Retrieved from: https://www.recruiter.com/i/humor-is-fundamental-to-a-healthy-workplace-but-not-without-its-risks/

Laughter Is a Good Stress Reliever

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Laughing_Employee

Things are kind of scary right now. The world has changed and we’re all trying to adapt. A lot of us are working from home for the first time. We’re trying to keep up-to-date on new developments. And we’re trying hard to distance ourselves from other people, wash our hands properly, and (even though it’s SO tempting) avoid touching our face.

But it’s also important to blow off steam occasionally, to laugh, and to feel connected with other people. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter is a great stress reliever! So for that reason, I wanted to share two cartoons that made me smile.

The first is by Matthew Inman, creator of the website “The Oatmeal.” It provides some good tips on how to practice social distancing…

And the second is by “Chris (Simpsons Artist),” an anonymous cartoonist who regularly contributes to various newspapers and magazines. His cartoon laughably details the very WORST way that a person could go about washing their hands…

Try and hang in there everyone.  And if you have any other funny cartoons, tweets, or memes to share, please post them in the Comments section below!

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Need a Little Pick-Me-Up? Enjoy These Funny Words of Wisdom.

By in Humor No Comments Tags: ,

Businesswoman in office with laptop laughing

It’s winter. The weather is cold and the days are short. And it will be a while before the next holiday comes around. (Memorial Day seems so far away!)

So if you’re possibly in the need of a little pick-me-up, please enjoy these funny quotes about work. Laughter really is good medicine. It can make even the hardest work day a little bit easier.

 

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
― Douglas Adams

 

“The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.” ― Casey Stengel

 

“I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early.”
― Charles Lamb

 

“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be meetings.”
― Dave Barry

 

“Confidence is 10 percent hard work and 90 percent delusion.”
― Tina Fey

 

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”
― Edgar Bergen

 

“There go my people. I must find out where they are going so I can lead them.”
― Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

 

“We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third.”
― Leslie Knope

 

“Leadership is your ability to hide your panic from others.” ― Laozi

 

“I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need, if I die by four o’clock.”
― Henny Youngman

 

“I think Smithers picked me because of my motivational skills. Everyone says they have to work a lot harder when I’m around.”
― Homer Simpson

 

Do You Ever Laugh at Inappropriate Times? Here’s How to Recover.

By in Learning No Comments Tags: ,

LaughingDuringMeeting

Have you ever been in a meeting and wanted to laugh, even though the topic matter is serious and your laughter probably wouldn’t be appreciated? I’ve definitely been in this situation before. Sometimes, even in the middle of a very somber meeting, something can strike me as funny – and before I know it, I’m dying to laugh out loud.

But giving in to your urge to laugh probably isn’t the best idea. If you burst out laughing, the other meeting attendees might be confused, annoyed, or offended.

So what should you do when the urge to laugh strikes you? Try following these steps:

  1. Pretend to be coughing – I’ve tried this technique before, and I think it works pretty well. When that first laugh escapes your lips, try to make it sound like a cough. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference.
  2. Excuse yourself – Continue to make coughing noises, and act like you need to go get a drink of water. Then quickly excuse yourself from the room.
  3. Calm down – Do whatever you need to do to get yourself under control before returning to the meeting room.
  4. Distract yourself – Once you return to the room, try to prevent any further outbursts by taking deep breaths, pinching yourself, thinking about something boring and mundane (like what you might want to make for dinner), or counting backwards from 100.

If you suspect that you didn’t do a very good job on that first step (pretending to cough), you should probably perform one final step. After the meeting is over, you should apologize to the meeting organizer. Talk to the organizer and apologize for laughing at an inappropriate time. Explain that you were tired or anxious, and that you’re sorry for the outburst.

 

Griffin, T. (n.d.). How to stop laughing at inappropriate times. wikiHow. Retrieved from: https://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Laughing-at-Inappropriate-Times

Laughter Makes Work Better

By in Humor, Living Well, University Culture No Comments Tags:

Laughter

Laughter is beneficial in many ways. Researchers have found that it relieves stress, makes you healthier (both mentally and physically), and even improves the muscle tone in your face, neck, and stomach! It can also strengthen and enhance your relationships with your coworkers. This, in turn, can help you to be more effective and productive at your job.

The best type of laughter is spontaneous and organic. So if a stand-up comedian suddenly showed up in your office and started performing, that would obviously be great – but what would be even better is if you can laugh with your coworkers on a daily basis. That can only happen if you take the time to chat with each other, tell stories about something ridiculous that happened over the weekend, or engage in goofy activities.

Here’s an example of a goofy activity. Last year, a good-natured coworker brought in one of those free calendars and hung it in our office kitchen. It featured various animals in cute poses. Although the animals were adorable, a bunch of us decided to spruce up the calendar even more. Each month, we would cut and paste images onto the photos to make them more awesome. For example, a hopping penguin was given a jet pack…

JetPack

It was pretty ridiculous, but it made everyone laugh. It helped to make the office a more enjoyable place to be!

So when you’re at work, take the time to laugh when you can. Don’t just rely on your office party-planning committee to provide all the fun. Look for little ways to lighten the mood. Laughter is both contagious and therapeutic!

 

Duncan, R. D. (2014, December 26). Laughter: The ultimate workplace prescription. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2014/12/26/laughter-the-ultimate-workplace-prescription/

 

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