How to Use Humor to Motivate Employees

Making your employees laugh gets productive results.

Bringing a sense of humor into the workplace motivates employees by reducing stress, enhancing communication and giving employees a sense of teamwork and shared goals. Laughter and fun can even create a healthier workplace. According to the University of Pennsylvania's Behavioral Health Corporate Services, laughter increases immune system strength, eases muscle tension and provides relaxation. Use humor in the workplace to unleash your employees' creativity and make the office a fun place to be.

Instructions

1. Have fun theme days. Set aside a day each work for "Funny Tie Day" or "Funny Hat Day." Give employees awards or gag gifts honoring the best funny outfit. You may even give out gag gifts or awards to employees to recognize hard work or overcoming a significant challenge.

2. Avoid being sarcastic and making the jokes personal. Don't single someone out or embarass someone. Making a joke at some else's expense can add to the tension and create barriers to communication and teamwork. You may even lose an employee. Be conscientious when it comes to jokes about religion, politcs, ethnicity or sexuality. Jokes of this nature create a hostile work environment.

3. Humor should be positive. Find humor in every day situations so that everyone can relate. Tell a non-offensive joke to start off an employee meeting or tell a funny story about your morning. Give employees a space to hang up funny cartoons or stories from a newspaper.

4. Be goofy in front of your employees. Laugh at yourself when you make a mistake. It shows that you're human and that you can tolerate everyday mishaps.

References

• University of Pennsylvania Behavior Health Corporate Services: Using Humor In the Workplace