Humor at work is not a given, but it serves a great purpose. It comes naturally and spontaneously, and the working atmosphere exudes good vibrations. When people work in offices, institutions, companies they go round the bend with the workload and need something to relax. Humor is a tool through which one gets to show his funny side thereby reducing the tension and worrisome nature at the workplace.
Humor binds people together without a deliberate act. Communication gets far easier, and the train of thoughts get a respite from the trite and dull drudgery of the day. When people go to work braving the morning blues to encounter the long, mind-numbing hours at a specific place, they expect something light out of the serious affairs. Office humor is very important as it lightens the surroundings.
Humor at work always guarantees positive and fruitful results. The employees get motivated and work the whole nine yards to complete the target with the strength of humor. A sanguine working culture is created and people get prodded to work. This, in turn, increases their productivity. Humor should always be light and friendly. Bad humor causes tensions, offends people and the employees might take an umbrage over bad and poor jokes. Think before you speak – this adage must be kept in mind before uttering words or releasing your humor juices. Funny office humor works wonders. Here are some of the ways in which humor is beneficial :
#1. Persuasion
It is very essential to persuade people in a workplace to get the things done at a proper time. Some interactions often result in disagreements and hot arguments but good humor can cheer up people and diffuse the tension. People feel cool, calm, and collected and do not feel burdened with unnecessary work and advice.
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#2. Builds Trust
There is often a dearth of trust and mutual respect between managers and employees and in a hierarchical working structure, this often causes plenty of problems. Funny office humor comes to the rescue every time when the office air gets hot and every individual has a sort of friction with his partners, colleagues or manager. Conflicts are reduced with workplace humor.
#3. Helps In Decision Making
Often there is reluctance seen and observed at every level when it comes to making a decision or planning or executing a project. In order to get things sorted one must be positive and fun loving so that he spreads the good energies around and everyone around gets inspired along with a dose of humor.
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#4. Good For Health
When you chuckle or laugh loud, your muscles relax and the immunity system is strengthened. This is the reason why people join laughter clubs which keeps them fit and healthy. Make sure you spruce up things by humor at work. Funny remarks and comments are a big-time solution for a healthy environment.
#5. Speaker Gets Attention
When one speaks or voices his or her opinion, it is imperative to bear in mind the nature of the topic and some light banter which can go along with the viewpoints. This helps in getting the listeners hooked to the speaker and they pay him great attention for the reason that they do not get bored under deliberated and calculated remarks.
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#6. Solves Problems
There is no better medicine than humor, humor is the happy pill which can do wonders at a workplace. Office humor has to be easy and positive with no bad repercussions. People and their sentiments are hurt in the workplace when humor is dealt with in a negative way, and hence it is termed as bad humor which causes differences among employees and disrupts the entire culture of the workplace.
#7. Builds Connections
Various connections are formed with the help of workplace humor. Employees get to know each other and become cognizant of one another’s tastes and preferences. When you smile and laugh heartily people see through your positive personality and wish to be in your company to buoy them up.
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#8. Stress Is Reduced
Tensions, conflicts, heated arguments and discussions take place at every office due to unavoidable circumstances and one cannot do much to slacken off the negative vibe. Funny office humor comes handy at such situations and apprehensions are anxieties that can be kept at bay with badinage and a little fun.
Workplace humor yields positive results getting employees to work together with healthy discussions. The daily routine sickens the office culture and everyone goes berserk while working that they yearn for space and a break where they can decompress. Funny office humor can strengthen relationships and builds hope and trust among the employees. Given below are the ways in which humor at work provides motivation to the employees :
#1. Increases Career Opportunities
Humor helps you deal situations in a composed manner without being anxious and you if manage to put up a brave front in the tough situations; be it in official meetings or interviews. This helps in boosting the morale of employees and creates opportunities for them for advancing their career. Encouragement plays a significant role so if you keep on working towards the end with bits and pieces of humor, you’re sure to succeed.
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#2. Innovative Ideas
Employees get au fait with novel ideas and notions which keep them away with the mainstream and day-to-day with the help of which they learn new things and experience a different world altogether. Humor in the workplace creates scope for new ideas and inventions. When stuck in the regular rut of office work and hours, employees begin to rot and their productivity decreases. So with funny office humor, you open a new vista of ideas.
#3. Decision Making
When you interact with people at your workplace from different cultures and background, you tend to feel a little bewildered and puzzled but once you put a foot in partaking discussions with bits of fun and humor in office, you feel confident in making decisions.
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#4. Paycheck Increases
The friendly atmosphere is what helps you to impress people. Once you become the cynosure of all eyes, you are paid more attention by the executives and managers which, in turn, increase your profits and you get bonuses which ultimately leads to happiness and more opportunities. Profits are increased this way and you get major perks from the office.
#5. Leadership Skills
Once you start making decisions, your mind becomes set to discuss things with people around at work. At times employees tend to hesitate but once they get the knack of dealing with the problems head-on, they emerge as leaders.Humor in the workplace helps you prepare yourself a new stage for you where you can prod people and persuade them to do things or carry out orders. Nothing better than a leader of a group with a good humor.
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#6. No Absenteeism
People shirk work because of its tedious nature and boring routine. When humor in the workplace is introduced, people like to work and form a group, discuss things and complete their projects and assignments at a given time in a given date. Employees show loyalty towards the company and encourage participation and less withdrawal from work.
#7. Long-Term Memory
Whenever a discussion takes place in an office or a company, people express their personal views and cite examples but it is quite difficult to keep in mind all the major points word-by-word. While you discuss a topic in your company by citing funny examples, people are bound to remember it. Light banter and office humor are stored in the memory land and you don’t forget things easily. Employees, therefore, have a long-term memory if their workplace is full of fun.
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#8. Pedagogical Tool
Anxieties are wiped away, tensions go for a toss, stress goes South when you learn while having fun. Humor at work helps you learn things in an unconventional manner. Employees don’t cram any rules, they just learn things in the process while they engage in friendly conversations and comments. This not only helps in learning new things but also builds a circle which trots out both fun and learning experience on a plate.
#9. Increases Happiness
It is a known fact that employees learn and enjoy where they can relax and show creativity by being stress-free and free of tension. When employees learn new things, they begin to take work seriously and commit to it, so that they can give their best output. Happiness comes with humor at work and is an antidote to all kinds of problems and snags.
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#10. Boosts Brainpower
With humor comes the objective concentration, which helps in retaining the employees focused. There is no role of subjectivity while one is at the workplace, your work considering the overall structure of the company and the group you work in. Personal opinions are kept at a distance and things are dealt in a light and objective manner. Employees become interested in holistic development and this is why it enhances their brainpower, also called as cerebral development.
Do you think humor is required in a workplace? Please let us know in the comments.
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I read the above article which doles out the perks of humor in workplaces, which is undoubtedly true. Humor is something which must be present in every workplace but like everyone knows it is not a planned act. It doesn't require efforts and because of its nature, one can hurriedly and inadvertently incorporate bad humor in office which can lead to serious and major issues. When you say spontaneous, you don’t decide what to say or not. It just comes out naturally and you te4nd to lose the plot thereby receiving flak from employees or colleagues at office. Humor has its own importance, I concede, but it is not that significant. One can improve brainpower with continuous work and happiness can come in the form of perks and hikes. Humor does not work at every level. Yes, it reduces stress and diffuses tension but then it brings with it a great lot of nonchalance. Once you get into the humor circle you cannot retreat to the regular life because you feel accustomed to the fun moments which you cannot do without. This is the major drawback of humor introduced at every step in the workplace. Employees will feel safe in the fun zone and would not be able to face the serious situations, if need be, which does not require humor at all. This is the stage where people fail through and cannot adjust to the serious and humor-lacking workplace. There should be light moments because life is not all about being serious but only if the circumstances permit. Sometimes it just brings in happiness, other times it becomes the villain of the piece which can affect relationships to a great degree with no fault of yours. So pause, ponder and then pour fun.