Work... the daily grind…it’s a place where productivity is measurable and the bottom line serves as a necessary evil. Some say work can’t be fun, because if it was fun then it would be called “play.” Can work be fun? Can work include a bit of humor and still see objectives attained? Can laughter and smiles benefit a work environment, or do they serve to create added risk to the organization? Humor in the workplace is a revolving door through which employees and employers pass each time a joke is told at the water cooler, a funny comment is made in a team meeting or a political cartoon is posted on the wall of a cubicle. The question becomes, where will the employee and the organization be led each time they pass?
Why Humor at Work
Human beings, by nature, act in ways that match their internal values and innate needs and desires. Subsequently, an individual who introduces humor into the workplace will likely do so in consideration of (consciously or unconsciously) their purpose and resultant needs and goals.
Hierarchy of Needs
According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, people act in ways that are hierarchically consistent with their level of need. One who has physiological and safety needs may inject humor into their work environment as a means to reduce the possibility of becoming anxious or uncomfortable due to a lack of such basic needs. One who has a need to be socially accepted or who has esteem needs may use humor as a means to become accepted, to form emotionally-based relationships with others throughout the organization or to form a level of self-acceptance beyond that to which they additionally socially ascribe. If a person seeks self-actualization, humor may be used as a means to become the best he/she is capable of being by both leaving and entering each workplace encounter with a sense of legacy.
Needs Theory
Based on the work of psychologist David McClelland, humor in the workplace can be assumed to be driven by a motivational impetus based on an individual’s own needs. Human beings acquire, shape and reshape varying needs over time beginning in the early stages of life and continuing throughout their adult and professional careers. These needs are driven by achievement, power or affiliation. While achievement and power can have a strong influence over a person’s actions, the need for affiliation can play an instrumental role in the use of humor in the workplace. Those with a strong need for affiliation have a very real desire to be accepted by their fellow coworkers and be part of the group. Often, humor becomes the tool used to become, or remain, affiliated and liked amongst fellow coworkers.
The Positives of Humor
Several myths and catch-phrases abound when it comes to humor, smiling and laughter. Some say it takes many more muscles in the face to frown, so smiling makes much more sense. Others say laughter is the best medicine. Bill Cosby said, “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” When it comes to work and life, and all that goes with it, humor can make a good situation better and can lessen the pain of a bad day.
Communication
Many would agree that communication and interpersonal relationships are what makes the world go around. Just as it is in personal life, the workplace presents an environment within which people interact with each other on a consistent or recurring basis. Formally, it is taught that the better one knows oneself (communication style), the better one is able to improve communications by adapting to others. Informally, it is understood that every person and every encounter is different. For all the situational differences amongst interactions in the workplace, humor can often be the icebreaker to effective and
