How to Save 14% Per Year Managing Workplace Stress with Humor,
Attitude and Appreciation By Mike Moore
It is generally accepted that the health and viability of any
company or organization is directly related to the emotional
and physical health and well being of its employees or
members. If you have a happy and healthy staff you are going
to be able to minimize people problems and people problems
make up most of the workplace problems.
I think it was Henry Ford who said,” Why is it that
when all I need is a good pair of hands, they have to come
attached to a human being?” He too realized that workplace
problems are inevitably people problems and when you begin to
solve people problems you begin to solve problems in the
workplace.
In a recent Ipsos-Reid poll it was revealed that 60
percent of all employees surveyed are dissatisfied with their
job and that 43 percent of these are actively or passively
looking for other employment. The cause of this was
discovered to be a lack of appreciation and praise, poor or
nonexistent communication between worker and supervisor and a
lack of autonomy on the job.
William James once remarked that we all have an
insatiable hunger to be appreciated and it is so true. When
we feel that we are appreciated by those with whom and for
whom we work job satisfaction increases dramatically and work
place disease diminishes. People do not want to leave a job
where they are appreciated and where their contributions are
praised and celebrated. On top of this if you really want a
happy, productive and loyal workplace add humor and fun to the
equation.
When you commit yourself and staff to the HA Principle
(Humor, Attitude and Appreciation) you vaccinate your staff
against the six deadly dis-eases that are plaguing workplaces
throughout the world.
Workplace Disease
* Stress
Employee stress is definitely on the rise and is
causing serious problems for both employers and
employees. It has been determined that unmanaged workplace
stress is a 300 billion dollar profit killer in workplaces
throughout North America. According to author Ravi Tangri
companies could boost profits 14 percent per year by dealing
with workplace stress and that stress management programs pay
for themselves in six months. I read recently that half of all
Long Term Disability claims are stress related and that a good
number of worker absentees throughout the year are stress
induced.
* High Employee Turnover
When people have to function in an unhealthy stress
filled work environment where appreciation and praise are
absent they want out and begin to look elsewhere for
meaningful and more satisfying employment.
* Low Morale
I believe that low morale is the inevitable result of
a lack of personalism in the workplace. When your staff
perceives that they and their well being are priorities for
management morale begins to improve. It is in the best
interest of management to care for the health and well being
of its employees.
* Low Productivity
People who don’t feel valued don’t produce as well as
those who do. This is a basic axiom in my opinion. It rings
true in every area of human interaction. I once had a woman
approach me with glowing praise for her supervisor. When I
asked why she felt this way she handed me a brief note written
by the supervisor. It contained two lines and they said. Dear
Joy. Just a note to let you know how much I appreciate your
presence and hard work in our department. We are better for
having you among us.” That’s all it said, but the impact on
this woman was profound. She would have walked over a field of
razor blades in her bare feet for this person. Two little
lines. People produce when they feel cherished.
* Lack of Creative Problem Solving
When people work in a climate of encouragement,
empowerment and appreciation they are more willing to
contribute their creativity to the solution of company
problems. Every organization needs creative employees and
creativity thrives in a climate where people are listened to,
valued and encouraged to laugh. Always remember that there is
a huge reservoir of creative potential within the individual
and collective wisdom of the group. All one has to do is tap
it.
* Lack of Effective Communication
Communication is fundamentally the sharing of self
with others. In an effective workplace employees need to be
encouraged to honestly and comfortably say what is on their
minds. I once asked a manager, “ Who tells you what you need
to know and don’t want to hear?” He thought for a moment and
said, “ Nobody”. This is a tragic situation but a very common
one. Most workers keep their opinions to themselves for fear
of being labelled a boat rocker. I have news for you. A
company who wants to maximize the potential of its staff and
reap the benefits of their collective wisdom must encourage
people to be boat rockers. Boat rockers are a valuable asset
to any company or organization. Isn’t it sad that they are
considered liabilities? It is in the best interest of any
company to encourage people to give their opinions whether
they are dissenting or not. No one person has a monopoly on
wisdom, insight or correct thinking. We are richer when we
access the attributes of the group.
How Humour Combats the Toxic Workplace
A few months ago I received a call from a supervisor
in a large company in New York City asking me to work with his
organization on implementing a humour in the workplace
program. In the course of our conversation he said, “ Now
Mike I’m not going to end up with a bunch of people sitting
around telling jokes all day am I?” I assured him that this
is not what humour in the workplace involves. His question
did, however illustrate the misconception and the reservations
that many managers and supervisors have about humour in the
Workplace.
I don’t like the incessant telling of jokes in the
workplace or in a social gathering. Sharing humourous
experiences and stories yes, jokes no. The reason why I don’t
like jokes is that the telling of them tends to be
competitive. I tell a joke and before the listeners have a
chance to laugh someone jumps in with another and someone with
another. On it goes. It is almost as if the tellers are
trying to better one another. The other problem I have with
jokes is that they can be offensive to someone in the group
and that is not what humour is meant to do. You want humour to
entertain and united not offend and divide.
When I talk about humour in the workplace I am talking
about fostering and encouraging a climate where humour,
laughter and fun are seen as vital ingredients to a heathy,
happy and productive place of business.
The Social Benefits of Humour
1. PROMOTES BONDING
Humour has been called “ Social Glue” because of its
power to bond people to one another. People do gravitate to
those who laugh easily and have a great sense of humour. Just
watch the next time someone in your organization tells a funny
story about something that happened to them. Not only are
people eager to listen to a funny story but the shared
laughter seems to bring the group closer together. When a
supervisor tells a funny self-deprecating story to his/ her
department the resulting laughter seems to promote a, “
hey, we’re all in this together” attitude.
When you consider what organizations spend to send
their employees on team building seminars cultivating a
climate of humour makes a lot of financial sense. It is the
ultimate team builder.
2. BANISHES BOREDOM
Humour and laughter tend to banish boredom and boredom
has been identified as a destructive reality within a
workplace. Laughter, by its very definition, implies fun and
fun is never boring. I once asked a member of my audience if
he liked his job. He replied, “ No I hate it, but I do enjoy
coming to work. When I asked him why he said, “ The people I
work with are a lot of fun to be with and we have a lot of
laughs.” The most tedious of jobs can be enjoyable if humour,
and fun are present.
3. HEALTH AND HAPPINESS
Health, happiness and humour go hand in hand. When you
have a workplace where people laugh easily and often chances
are that you are going to have a health and happy workplace. a
place where employees like to be. This kind of positive
environment is conducive to high morale and high productivity.
The fact that humour cuts stress in half and enhances our
immune system adds to its value to any employer.
4. FOSTERS FLEXIBILITY
People with a good sense of humour and a ready laugh
tend to be more flexible. They usually take their job
seriously but not themselves and therefore are more open and
receptive to the ideas of others. People who take themselves
too seriously are often difficult to work with and
inflexible. The term uptight comes to mind. When a company’s
supervisors or managers have a great sense of humour and take
delight in the humour of other staff members they give people
the freedom to try and the freedom to fail. When this is
present comfort levels, and creative achievement are high.
People can soar to great heights of creativity when they know
that they are free to fail. Wisdom helps us avoid mistakes
and comes from making a ton of them.
5. RELAXATION
Laughter cuts stress levels in half thus lessening
employee anxiety. If stress is a major cause of absenteeism
among employees it is vital to reduce stress and in the
process decrease a high rate of absentees. People don’t want
to stay away from a place that is fun and people who are fun
to be with. When absentees are reduced you save money.
Laughter also impacts positively on the bottom line when you
consider that happy people tend to be more productive.
6. REDUCING CONFLICT
Earlier in this article I mentioned that all workplace
problems are people problems and if you solve people problems
you solve workplace problems. Well humour goes a long way in
the solution of the inevitable conflicts that arises in human
relationships. People that laugh together like one another.
You don’t laugh with people you don’t like. When conflict does
arise among people who like one another it is more easily
handled. You might get angry at someone you like but odds are
you won’t stay angry long and in no time you will be back
enjoying one another. One thing you can count on when
employing a humor program and that is you will
increase co-operation and mutual support among your staff.
7. INCREASED ENERGY
Humor increases the oxygen levels in our blood
resulting in increased energy. What organization couldn’t use
a dose of increased employee energy at specific times
throughout the day. To illustrate my point consider for a
moment how tired you feel after a week of hard work on the
job. You come home on a Friday night worn out. All you want is
a quiet, restful weekend doing as little as possible.
Just as you walk through the door your significant
other tells you that you have been invited to a party that
evening. You immediately make it clear that you DON”T want to
go. After being convinced that a party is just what you need
you give in. At 1:00 a.m you return from the party. It was a
lot of fun with a great deal of laughter and good company. You
get into bed and you can’t get to sleep. You are filled with
energy and sleep is impossible. What happened to the fatigue
that was plaguing you hours earlier?
CONCLUSION
When you consider workplace dis-ease and its negative impact
on your business or organization you will be hard pressed to
find a more effective, cost efficient solution than a program
including humour, laughter, appreciation and praise. They fit
together like hand and glove and are very simple to implement.
All you need is a commitment from upper management and a few
training sessions to teach the hows and whys of such a
program. Once you have your people on board you will be able
to see your workplace culture improve significantly.
Check out Mike's complete Humor in the Workplace ebook "Thank God it's Monday"
Mike Moore is an international authority on humour in the
workplace and humour and health. For more information on the
subject you can contact him at 519 753 0702 or at
Motivational Plus
