A good sense of humour isn’t just a way to make your workday more pleasurable, it can also help you perform better (and get ahead). Forbes notes that a playful atmosphere can be incredibly conducive for ideation in creative fields: it helps turn off that part of your brain that monitors your own behaviour and feel self-conscious.
And even if you don’t work in a field that’s considered “creative”, humour could go a long way towards furthering your own personal success:
A Robert Half International survey, for instance, found that 91% of executives believe a sense of humour is important for career advancement; while 84% feel that people with a good sense of humour do a better job. Another study by Bell Leadership Institute found that the two most desirable traits in leaders were a strong work ethic and a good sense of humour.
Of course, being the office clown is easy to take too far, and work isn’t the place for comedy that pushes boundaries. If you’re not funny, that’s fine too — but if you’ve got it, use it. Hit the link for a full list of ways work and funny can mix together well.
10 Reasons Why Humour Is A Key To Success At Work [Forbes via Fast Company]
Comments
6 responses to “Be Funny At Work, It’s Good For You”
My job as a graphic designer in a department store involved us needing to nag people for information all the time, mostly because they were too busy to get to us on time. I found spending 10 minutes coming up with a funny picture or gif to send out to everyone asking them for the image or copy. I got results far quicker that the rest of my department sending angry emails and complaining. It also meant I was the first person people thought off when dealing with our department. Also helped with the fact people called our office the ‘office of doom’
We used to have a supplier who would say “thank you” for each order with a gif of a puppy (neither their nor our business has anything to do with puppies). I thought it was incredibly strange and pretty lame… but I’ve never forgotten her!!
The worst thing is when people try to be funny when they are not
Save your ‘funny’ email chain letters and leave it to the pros
My pet hate: People who think it’s funny to send emails on Monday about how much Mondays suck, and then send more “funny” emails on Friday about how great the weekend is. One day this crap is gonna make me go postal.
I find the best jokes at work are usually the ones where people aren’t 100% sure I’m joking.
You guys heard of the ‘FISH’ method? It’s been doing the rounds in the corporate world for a while – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FISH!_philosophy
I went to a seminar a couple of years ago. It can work if it’s done well. I find that if I really try to engage with work, my colleagues and my clients and have a bit of fun. Your day goes faster, you enjoy your work and you build better relationships.
As a Web developer, Putting Easter Eggs in our intranet pages is always a laugh.