The Quickest, Most Effective Ways to Add More Humor Into Your Workplace Culture

Dec 22, 2023

I’m often asked, “What’s the most effective way to begin infusing a workplace culture with more fun and humor?”

I always respond that it’s incredibly helpful if the tone is set by the senior leaders, because, once again, senior leaders are the orchestra conductors!

Now keep in mind that in a positive workplace culture where people have a sense of belonging and feel safe enough to bring their authentic selves to work, 95% of the humor that happens at work is organic – it just happens in the moment.

But when employees see you, as a leader, having fun and sharing your sense of humor in your own authentic way it paves the way for others to relax and be themselves. Being authentic is critical here though – don’t try to force the humor or do anything that’s not true to yourself. But when you can be the first person to poke fun at yourself or share a laugh, the impact is powerful. It’s about taking your job and role as a leader seriously, but never yourself.

Consider this: A study presented at a Society for Neuroscience conference shows that people reflexively conceal or share a smile based on their rank, power, and status. Dubbed “the boss effect,” the study reveals how the social pressure of our perceived status affects our neurobiology. People who feel powerless at work tend to automatically mimic everyone else’s smile, regardless of their position. If people perceive themselves as being powerful, however, they rarely return a high-ranking person’s smile and in fact automatically suppress the tendency to mimic another person’s grin.

 

And this is just speaking about smiling, so imagine the possible ramifications when we turn to the topic of humor!

So one thing to be aware of is making sure you, as a leader, don’t “step on the laughter.” Comedians understand the importance of not stepping on the laughter; they wait until the laughter in an audience subsides before speaking again, otherwise everyone will miss the next line and it will suppress more laughter.

In the context of workplace culture, this essentially means this: Don’t be a fun sucker! Make sure as a leader you are not creating an overly somber, oppressive environment where any laughter in the office gets frowned upon. There are oodles of studies that talk about the relationship between dictators and humor. Spoiler alert: Dictators really, really tend to hate humor!

If you have what you’d consider a very serious, conservative culture and you’re struggling with this topic, I have some helpful suggestions for you here: How to Add Humor to a Conservative Workplace Culture.

Beyond leading by example, here are five effective ways to infuse your workplace with more humor:

 

1. Say it with a laugh. Wherever possible incorporate humor in your communication, whether it’s in email messages or presentations. From a workplace wide perspective, incorporate some humor in your safety signs, culture handbook and anywhere you have the opportunity! Not only will it make your communication more memorable and effective, it sends the message that you value humor and that it’s okay to take a light-hearted approach.

 

2. Mirthful meetings. As you saw in chapter 6, meetings are a critically important touchpoint for your culture, so infusing your meetings with more fun and humor is key both for more effective meetings and delivering a message about your culture.

 

3. Fun recognition awards. Review the list of recognition awards from the last chapter. Creating some fun rewards that are relevant to your workplace is an easy way to up the fun factor.

 

4. Create a humor squad or rotating humor ambassador position. Although you can’t outsource key components of your culture to just one group, some companies have had great success using a dedicated team or person to champion fun initiatives.  The Austin, Texas-based software company, Social Solutions, has a “Work Hard Play hard” team that drives all of their social and celebratory events. Zoom Video Communications, which made the #1 spot on a list of happiest employees in the US in 2019, has a “Happiness Crew” which organizes fun theme days, social activities, and recognition events. If you go this route, have employees apply so you send the message you are taking the voluntary role seriously. Allot a small budget to support them if you can. And rotate people through, perhaps every quarter or every six months, so no one gets burned out and more employees get a chance to contribute.

 

     5. Rituals and traditions. Nearly every high-performing, inspiring workplace I’ve researched embraces the power of rituals and traditions as a way to strengthen their culture. Rituals and traditions give    employees a greater sense of history, they are opportunities to create a greater sense of belonging, and most definitely a fantastic way to up the fun factor in any workplace.

 

Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame Speaker who speaks internationally on the topics of inspiring workplace cultures, inspiring leadership, and businesses that leverage their humor resources to drive extraordinary results. He is the author of “The Humor Advantage,” “The Jerk-Free Workplace,” and “Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Drive Extraordinary Results.”