A manager and a horse walk into a bar. The bartender glances at them and asks, “Why the long face?” The manager sighs, and says, “Well, I’m way behind on my quarterly report, I’ve an employee review to deliver next week, and the boss is hinting they’re going to cut my budget by 10% next year.”
The bartender says, “That’s a pity. But I was talking to the horse.”
How often do you hear the sound of laughter in your workplace?
If it’s not at least once or twice a day, it’s time to lighten up.
Humor can bring so much to the workplace. It can reduce tension, energize a team, help somebody feel more comfortable, and unleash creativity. A workplace that’s more fun, frankly, is more engaging and productive.
Of course, some managers are more comfortable than others at bringing humor to their workplace, just as some are better at running meetings, or conducting interviews, or setting goals. But if that’s you, remember that you can learn to do it better.
You don’t have to be a comedian (and probably shouldn’t be)…
to gets folks to laugh now and then. But you can poke an occasional joke at yourself, or share a cartoon in a slide presentation, or maybe drop a humorous story into an email and lighten up the mood.
In case it never occurred to you, there’s a lot of material available on Google. It’s that easy.
One manager wanting to introduce some levity at the next staff meeting sent his team an email looking for material. “Send me a joke,” he wrote. One employee responded, “I’m working right now.” The boss replied, “That’s a good one!”
Perfect.
If you’re not hearing the sound of laughter in your workplace, bring it on. Get everyone to lighten up!
