6 Ways To Introduce Humor In Your Workplace, Even If You’re Not Funny

Many workplace studies conclude that integrating humor into your leadership strategy can actually make your employees more creative, productive, and successful (7 Reasons Why Work Is The Time And Place To Laugh). Now you want to incorporate these findings into your office, but you don’t have a funny bone in your body, which you learned long ago when you gave that speech at your friend’s wedding, and it’s given you PTSD.

You’re not alone. Though, according to humor researcher Scott Weems, 94% of people believe they have a good sense of humor, only around 50% of people would rate above average.

It looks so effortless on Netflix when those comedians are making their audiences double over with laughter for a whole hour, but they have been perfecting their craft onstage every night for decades. Meanwhile, you’ve been stuck in the same routine at your job for the same amount of time and you’re looking to spice things up in the boardroom.

Here are 6 simple ways to introduce humor to your workplace, even if you’re not funny:

1. Know your limits and poke fun at them

You’re not funny, and that’s fine, but acting like you are when you aren’t can drive others away while owning up to it can make you more likable. In fact, owning up to any of our shortcomings can make us more likable and more relatable, especially if we’re in a leadership position. If we can laugh at our own weaknesses, stress, and mistakes, this subconsciously communicates empathy. Though laughing at ourselves may seem counterproductive, it helps others to stop striving to be perfect, own up to their pitfalls, and shows that you’re approachable in times of duress. Now it’s up to your leadership skills to work together on filling in each others’ weaknesses with your unique strengths. That’s leadership.

2. Foster a creative culture; stop saying no

You want your team to be creative, take risks, and come to you with ideas, but you keep saying no. If someone keeps telling you no, do you want to keep coming to them with ideas? NO! When people approach you to pitch their ideas, from their perspective, they are working to make your organization better and their day easier. Even if the idea is outlandish and implausible, at the very least, listen to them and ask questions. Take some time to explore together why they think it’s a good idea and see if your added perspective can guide them to the solution they’re looking for. At the very least, this will give them more confidence to come to you the next time they have an idea instead of pocketing it in fear you’ll shoot them down. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be the idea you’ve been looking for.

3. Know who your class clowns are and give them the freedom to work their magic

Keep an eye out for groups of people laughing together in your office and remember that this is a good thing – let your employees be human and bond. In fact, look to see if the same people are often involved in these shenanigans. As long as their humor is uplifting and open to all, not only should you let them keep doing their thing, but give them a platform, because keeping the office happy keeps them energized, and that’s when your people are at their best. Not only that, their sense of humor can work as a glue to bring people together during tough times and challenging projects. If it’s something they’re interested in, see if they’d take the responsibility of heading up a humor program to keep laughter as part of the everyday workplace culture. When people are laughing, it’s important to facilitate that culture, even if you aren’t the comedian in the room.

4. Share what makes you laugh

Did you see a funny clip on Facebook? Did you scroll through a thread on Reddit that had you rolling with laughter? Why are you keeping it to yourself? You don’t have to create the content, but sharing what makes you laugh may just be what the doctor ordered to break any tension in the room.

5. Delegate creative projects

Your creative team members are chomping at the bit to break from the routine and flex their creativity. Let them! This falls in line with knowing your people and knowing who to trust with what – you’re looking for the people who, instead of saying “no,” look for novel ways to approach problems. When a new, exciting project comes along, be sure to seek these people out to help with the creative planning stages and watch their eyes light up and their work become more inspired.

6. Organize events that will foster laughter

Does your team seem to be in a funk? Are you not getting the creative input from your people that you’re looking for? This is the perfect time to shake them out of their ruts by hosting an event or putting together a project that focuses on the fun. We’re all children at heart, and to activate that energy, sometimes we need to forget that we’re at work and let loose. Bring in an improv coach and play games that you don’t need formal training to participate in, organize a murder mystery dinner, hire comedians to turn your workplace into a comedy club and break up the workday, host a roast of yourself, someone else in a leadership position, or even the company in general to loosen people up.

There are many activities that can get your team laughing, activating their creative juices – all you have to do is give the okay and be open to the ideas of others. It’s one thing to be funny, but it’s even more important to appreciate what’s funny and foster an environment where people can lean into that.

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7 Reasons Why Work Is The Time And Place To Laugh

I had just finished presenting at a leadership conference when my phone vibrated in my pocket; it was an email from a gentleman named Bruce who had booked me to speak at another leadership conference five months later. It turns out, he had just seen me speak, so the only reason he could be emailing me is because couldn’t wait to have me present to his group. What the email actually said was, “We’re going to rescind our request to have you present to our group,” then he called me “wildly unprofessional” which was just salt in the wound. That was unnecessary, Bruce.

The audience laughed throughout, I was approached by another attendee to speak for her group, and I received an email thanking me for my “funny and insightful presentation.” What the hell was wrong with Bruce?

But the more I reread his email and thought about what he had said, the more I could see his point of view: my presentation was designed to shake people out of their comfort zones by making fun of the status quo of work, but I didn’t take into account that many people were comfortable with the status quo.

The status quo of work I was making fun of: 1 in 3 Americans are engaged by their jobs and this disengagement costs American companies $450-$550 billion per year.

How can we engage the people who work with and for us and disrupt this status quo?

Remember you’re a human being and so are they. The world needs to be able to laugh at itself, which is why I sometimes approach my presentations with uncomfortable humor. When we can acknowledge that discomfort, we come to the realization that perhaps it’s time to make changes, and what better way than to introduce laughter into the fabric of work?

Do you like to laugh? Of course you do! And if you know you’re going somewhere you’re going to laugh, don’t you look forward to it? My hypothesis: if people actually look forward to laughing at work, it’ll engage them and inspire them to work better.

Here are 7 reasons why it’s time to make work the time and place to laugh:

1. Improves employee performance

According to a 2007 University of Missouri study, employees with a sense of humor show higher productivity, more effective communication, and a psychological connection to their work.

2. Improves leadership skills

According to the same University of Missouri study, leaders with a sense of humor were found to be more effective at motivating others and reducing workplace stress.

3. Employees want humor in the workplace

A Bell Leadership Institute survey found that employees would rather work for leaders who exhibit a sense of humor, as well as a strong work ethic. Imagine that!

4. Increases shareholder returns

A study by Huet and Associates found that organizations with higher levels of employee engagement where humor played a role outperformed similar companies on the stock market with increased shareholder returns of 19%.

5. Reduces the number of sick days

We’ve all heard that “laughter is the best medicine.” This doesn’t mean to stop taking your meds and laugh constantly, but incorporating laughter into your workplace’s leadership strategy improves overall health. The endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine that is released into the bloodstream when we laugh counteracts the cortisol that stress releases, thus reducing sick days and increasing productivity. Studies have found that consistent laughter lowers blood pressure, increases oxygen flow, fights upper respiratory infections, and improves pain tolerance.

6. Creates new perspectives of problems

Whether it’s a difficult coworker who spends most of their day complaining or a worldwide pandemic strikes, being able to laugh about it gives us a healthier perspective. Laughing about something minimizes the psychological impact by giving ourselves power over that thing. When we laugh about something that’s “too soon,” it’s our brain’s way of saying “I haven’t seen it that way before.” If we know to laugh, it presents a bigger picture that makes adversity seem smaller.

7. Helps solve creative challenges

In such a fast-paced world, outside-of-the-box thinking is vital in workplaces, and laughter activates our creativity much better than simply telling others to “think creatively, idiot.” A University of Maryland study found that groups who were shown funny videos then solved creative challenges at a rate of 58% vs. the 30% exhibited by control groups. So have the office watch, well, The Office before a meeting where you need ideas.

If you work for an organization looking for a creative edge, take a moment to find small ways to have fun around the office: from sharing funny memes to incorporating humor into your boring slideshows, there are a myriad of ways. Above are just 7 reasons to make work the time and place to laugh, but the benefits are endless. This is why it’s time to change what it means to be “professional” and explore what it means to be “wildly unprofessional.”