Why So Serious?
Importance of humour at work!
I was having a chat with a friend — who is a visual thinker (www.curiouspiyuesh.com) and we stumbled upon this topic of role of humour in the work place. And it has piqued my interest since then especially in the context of work and work relations. Don’t we all have that friend who in order to add gravitas to their persona has changed their diction, bought spectacles or even started dressing more maturely. All are attempts at being taken seriously and making us look more ‘professional’ in a workplace.
Most of us have been trained on some body language, diction, presentation skills, analytical skills, personal brand building skills etc. but ‘Humour at work’ does not make it to the list. One of the most complex socio-cognitive processes and it does not even feature. Why is it so?
These two real life observations point towards a powerful insight. The governing principle at play is ‘being serious is the same as taking his/her work seriously’; which also (somehow) implies someone who is humorous may not be serious about his work responsibilities. This two way reductive equation is the root cause of this flawed thinking.
But this logic does not hold true in life at large. Be it a date night or a social situation, humour works magic at bringing people together, acting as an ice breaker or a conversation starter — generally facilitating connections. We all have wanted to be that funny guy from time to time in large social settings, haven’t we? Just imagine FRIENDS without Chandler and you will get the drift.
Then why do we deprive ourselves of the odd chuckle, a harmless smile or a hearty laugh at the workplace — WHY SO SERIOUS?
Research done by Stanford Business School reveals that we loose our funny bone by the age of 23 — when we are most likely to get inducted into a workplace or can we say as we start falling in line. The reason is regimentation of behaviour.
So what are, if at all there are, the advantages of bringing humour to work? Let’s start with a quote from a famous person… yeah that always works.
Hiroki Asai — Head of Marketing Communications at Apple and someone who has led over a thousand creatives says,
“Fear kills creativity, and that humor is our most powerful tool to drive fear out of the system.”
It has positive impact across the organization no matter what your role is:
- For Leaders : This is a way to show their humane side, be more empathetic and personal, thereby reducing the power distance and making a connection with their employees. This also portrays that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Now just to sound scientific, I think there is a negative correlation between ‘How seriously others take us’ vs ‘How seriously we take ourselves’.
- For Organisational Culture : It has a positive impact on productivity, retention, engagement of employees and also reduces stress related disorders. And of course it is a much bigger thought than just doing ‘fun at work’ initiatives like ethnic wear, Rangoli competition or Secret Santa. We should see this as a communication tool which defines the culture of the organization and builds an egalitarian and democratic work place.
- For Teams : Teams which have employees who enjoy a good laugh, can take a joke on themselves, don’t take themselves too seriously tend to diffuse tension, build trust and create a sense of belonging. It also makes them better at what they are doing. There is clear evidence that people with a sense of humour are more likely to excel in the corporate world. Lets investigate why is it so.
What is it with people and sense of humour which makes for a great recipe for corporate success?
- It is a great defence mechanism — a subversive way to get ourselves out from a sticky situation. Humour in a tight situation suggests that you are still on top of the situation.
- Humour is disarming — it gets around your defences and allows you to talk about things which are otherwise difficult to discuss. It is a great way to say what needs to be said in an acceptable manner. That’s why humour has always been able to represent counter culture voice.
- Most importantly, it is a distinctive trait which makes you more memorable. Just as we have seen in marketing, humorous ads are more memorable, since they activate pleasure points in our brain. Similarly, as people we are custodians of our personal brand and humour goes long way in making us memorable. Just imagine a board presentation peppered with humour and some sharp oneliners. It has a better chance of being salient.
Now that you have survived this blog for so long, here are some tips to get you started-
- Start with ‘YOU’ — Laugh at yourself, make yourself vulnerable so that others don’t laugh at you but start laughing with you.
- Have a couple of funny anecdotes handy — They make for a good convivial environment during lunch chats.
- Start with your in-group — Before cracking a witty one in your annual exec meeting get comfortable with your in-group.
- Start with your email and voice mail — You can make the tone informal and personal and have a bit of fun rather than being monotonic about it all the time.
- The big question though is what is the right type of humour — Now I am no stand up artist. But you don’t need to be. It is not about making fun of others but making the environment more fun for everyone. So the type of humor that is enjoyable for all, which is sharp, witty and intelligent and does not make someone the butt of your jokes all the time — generally works. It comes from a deeper understanding of people, culture and what is enjoyable in the context. But a safe starting point is ‘YOU’.
Finally, the bottom line is-
Rather than just being present in-person, bring your ‘persona’ to work!
Although, we should also accept that not all of us are humorous. Well in that case, don’t bother. Everyone does not have to be. I don’t want you to read books on ‘Humour at work for Dummies’. That will be quite sad. Atleast have an appreciation that both levity and gravity are important and can coexist.
But if you think you are somewhat humorous as a person, then you have a superpower which is grossly undervalued, yet.
So, get working on your funny bone and you might just crack the code ;)
PS: It is still a fringe idea but it is peaking up steam. Stanford has started a course ‘Serious Business’ to incorporate humanity, humility and empathy at work place through humour. There are some good books like ‘The Levity Effect’ to understand this better — if you are up for it.