Humor: Encourage it in the Workplace

Q. My co-workers have hinted that I’m too serious at work. They’re smiling when they “rib” me, but I’m getting the message loud and clear. They joke around more than I do, but I want to project a good image with my boss. What’s your thinking on this? —Betty S.

A. As a start, take a good look at your boss’s behavior. Does she or he smile often? More important, what’s the boss’s reaction to the behavior of the others? If the workplace behavior is so distracting that people have difficulty doing their jobs efficiently, it’s inappropriate. At the same time, today’s workplace is increasingly demanding and stressful, and daily humor can relieve much of the tension, and help make working together more enjoyable. If your co-workers continue to be high-performers as they joke with each other, you may want to take your lead from them.

Motivational humorist John Kinde (www.humorpower.com) believes that humor plays a key role in today’s workplace. He says that powering up our smiles throughout the day is a great start: “A smile is the number one feature that makes people attractive. It's a welcome mat. It's what makes folks approachable. People with great smiles radiate warmth that draws others to them instantly.

“Some people naturally have a great smile. Others—analytical types like me—must work at it. One way to tell if you're in my category is to recall picking up your developed photos. As you flipped through the pictures, you didn't like the way you looked in most of them. But then...you discovered that one great picture of yourself. In it, you look friendly—you're smiling broadly and your eyes twinkle. Now THAT picture looks like you!”

Kinde calls a smile an “instant facelift.” A good way to tune in to your smile, he says, is to study yourself in the mirror. How do you look in the rest room, when shopping, and while passing a reflective window? Do you look friendly? Approachable? Do you really LIKE the image you're projecting?

In fact, a mirror is ideal for a smile “workout.” Try this: cut a paper rectangle that lets you see only your eyes in the mirror. Practice smiling just with your eyes. Get used to the feel of your cheekbones as they lift to brighten your eyes. When you see how a great smile LOOKS, remember how it FEELS. When you can finally project your best smile, hold it. Turn away from the mirror. How does your face feel? What muscles are you using? Make an effort to develop muscle memory, so you can instantly recreate this smile at will.

Kinde designed his own “smile” lapel pin that he gives to strangers he sees with a “million-dollar smile.” He tells them, "You have a wonderful smile...thanks for brightening my day! I'd like you to have my golden smile pin."

Once your co-workers have gotten used to your new smile, you may want to spread the pleasantness further—into your break room. A good break room helps people to change unproductive patterns and negative preoccupation. Kinde’s book, Workplace Humor: Brightening the Break room, suggests some great ways to enhance the impact of a break room:

• Decorate the break room to enhance its warm and relaxing impact. Find a room with a window and a nice view. Comfortable sofas and chairs are important. Add some plants and fresh flowers.

• Dedicate a bulletin board for rotating a variety of humorous items:

--Humorous posters, favorite jokes and cartoons

--Baby pictures of coworkers.

--A cartoon caption contest. (Post a cartoon without a caption. People drop their suggested captions into the contest box. Award an inexpensive prize, perhaps at a staff meeting.)

• Display light-hearted reading material like books, magazines and newsletters to brighten

the break time.

• Open a “library of humor resources” that people could check out and take back to their

office or home to enhance their self-development program.

• Provide toys and games to stimulate creativity and encourage non-competitive play.

• Put something unexpected in the room from time to time. Theme decorations, unusual

snacks, a goldfish bowl —have fun with the unexpected!

• Arrange for a local massage therapist to drop in for some ten-minute neck and shoulder

massages.

• Set aside a second break room, if you have the space. Having a place dedicated for quiet

time is a good idea—no phone, no TV, no conversation. It provides a retreat for reading

and meditation. If you don't have the space, a tape recorder with headphones may help

provide a quiet place.

Beefing up your daily smile, and brightening the break room, could even add some fresh meaning to the cliché we hear so often: “Have a nice day!”