Is Workplace Humor Really Just a Bit of Fun - Essay Example

Is workplace humor really just a bit of fun? Introduction Humor has been an effective mode of face to face communication for many years in the society. It comes in different types which include; irony, sarcasm, riddles, jokes, word plays, satires, lampoons, wit, black humor, farce and parody. These forms of humor are not the same, different meanings are associated with each one of them; however, some have similarities. Through humor, people are able to uncover truth and mysterious stories which could have not been shared or revealed in a normal ‘no laughter’ session. Humor and laughter help in reduction of stress and to others it has many benefits. Humor is used in all aspects of communication and merely everyone uses it in their conversation (Ann, 2004). These include religious leaders, political leaders, lawyers, doctors, managers, scientists, engineers, educators or directors. People are mostly stressed at work places and offices more than any other place. Documentation has been done and it shows that workplace or office humor is a good stress reliever, boosts morale, unites people, and helps in to ward burnouts. On the other hand it can be used to create hostility in the working environment and to alienate a worker which leaves them stressed at the long run. As a result workplace humor can reduce stress and at times it can be offensive to the employees. Humor is brought about by popular jokes which are mostly associated with employee’s accent, personal hygiene, age, sexual orientation, physical appearances, weight or even their work behavior like poor attendance or closely working with the boss. We are all aware that the lecturers and teachers rated the best in campus and other learning and educational institutions were those with funny stories, jokes; to them these were a way of capturing the attention of the students. It helped in increasing attendance and kept the students awake. The same case applies to work place; in a working environment with humor, the workers are energized and vigorous leading to increased productivity (Bob, 1989). In many instances women are the ones who are mostly offended by humor as many male employees make jokes about their physical characteristics like cleavage, weight and scars. At times many office jokes meant to evoke humor are not received to be jokes. These may lead to conflicts in the organization and lowering morale and productivity. At some organization, great task are involved in trying to balance the funny office humor and its offensive nature. Humor in itself is not a problem, the problem comes in when a person uses humor to pass message that are offensive to another party (Ann, 2004).All forms of laughter are in most cases cultural. They explain and define a certain culture and thus enhancing its understanding. People can be judged by what appears funny to them. Through humor man is able to understand the most complex environment of a certain culture. How laughter works Laughter release chemicals known as endorphins which when compared to morphine are more powerful in reliving pain. Laughter is therefore better than pain reliving drugs such as morphine and it does not require doing exercises that are very strenuous. Endorphins lead to a feeling of well being and optimism, satisfaction and a sense of belonging. Laughter improves and increases intake of oxygen and thus replenishing the body cells to ease tension. Moreover, it boosts immunity and increases pain threshold. Scholars estimated that each good laughter helps reduce 3 ½ calories each day (Veatch, 1998). Through humor total strangers become acquainted to one another very easily as it helps in reduction of tension in both parties. Humor also works very well in tense situation whereby it brings in a joyful mode leading to easing of the tension. Humor plays a major role in any organization and it improves its productivity. Laugher also plays a part in oxygenation of the blood which plays a part in muscles relaxation, increasing of energy levels and strengthens the body’s immune system. Benefits of humor Humor in workplaces comes with certain benefits. It motivate, boosts morale and engage the employees to keep them alert at work, it helps in reducing conflicts and stress in workplace, increasing of the production level, it helps in retention level improvement, it also improve the customers service offered to clients, it also assists in strengthening team work spirit, humor keeps many workers awake and alert during meetings, in presentations humor makes participants more engaging and effective in message delivery, humor improves success chances and in a lighter note it improves the taste of the office coffee (Neal& Delia, 2009).Moreover, humor increases creativity in any workplace as peoples mind are free and are able to come up with new and creative ideas to help in the organization. Humor is also used to fulfill social needs. People with a great sense of humor are very effective communicators and good team workers. In case of problem, some people view at it negatively, laughs at it and they get back to solve the same problem with a positive perspective (Gruner, 1997). Perspectives of humor Humor has been associated with certain affiliations like conformity, boredom reduction, control, stereotyping, ethnicity and many more perspectives given by many scholars. Humor and reduction of boredom is very evident and jokes reduce the level of boredom in a workplace; by providing people with issues to laugh about. Humor reduces stress and makes a workplace lively. Humor can also be associated with stereotyping whereby people hold negative perception on certain members in the organization and hence make jokes about them constantly. This brings about conflict and it affects any organizations activity. Humor offers some sort of control to some people in the organization; whereby members of the organization with a great sense of humor are always respected when it comes to jokes. At times these people tend to take an advantage of the control and use it to inflict stress to other people (Bob, 1989). Humor also takes the perspective of ethnicity where members of a certain organization make joke to people due to their ethnicity and the practices associated with their ethnic group. This could happen when suggestive pictorial or oral jokes are administered to certain group of people or an individual in the organization; ill used humor in workplaces affect performances in an organization. Motives of humor Humor in workplaces has different motives. Workers make jokes about other people in an organization with motives attached to them. Mostly, jokes are made in the work place to change the mood and make the people livelier. This may happen when everyone in an office is looking dull, exhausted, angry or devastated. Humor sets the pace in working environment and its not merely fun but it motivates the workers and keeps them alive. On the other hand, it can be used as an offensive tool where a worker may use it to insult their fellow workmate by doing it in a provocative way which is not directly targeted to a certain individual but it ends up bringing conflict I the organization. Humor can be source for development of hostility in workplaces (Neal& Delia, 2009). Humor and developments Humor is important in development of strong relationship in organization and companies. It brings about cohesion and gives them a sense of team effort. Many of the organizations involvements like emails, memos, voice mails, bulleting boards etc can be used to share humor in the workplace. A joke in the office make the workers become more connected to each other.Humor is also a career asset that can be used to instill seriousness in workplaces. An organization thrives very well where there is effective communication and harmony in the organization. Humor can be used to enhance effective communication (Porter, 2000). When workers share jokes and laughter together, their relationship is strengthened and a special bond is created between them. The workers end up enjoying each others company because they are team workers and they have confidence and trust in each other. When approaching a certain problem, they cooperate and are more creative as a team. People with high scores in creativity tests are fun loving people who are exposed to lots of humor. Humor and emotional distress As far as humor brings people together, it can be used a tool to division in the organization too. When jokes are directed to specific group of people or a person, they bring in conflict in the organization. This leads to exclusions or retiring form a job or a department; because humor affects some people in an emotional way based on their gender, race, ethnicity, values, beliefs and background experiences (Janice, et al, 2007). If a joke is against their way of life or what they feel, it may be a source of stress or mental disturbance. This could portray a sense of disrespect to n individual or a certain group of people which leads to division between the two parties involved. When one is emotionally distressed, they work less effectively due to stress and anxiety. Humor however help reduce negative emotions and provides a tool for taking control over ones moods and feelings. Humor has been viewed as a tool that helps to manage negative disruptive emotions like stress, anger, anxiety, tension and depression. It plays a major part in alleviating the mood of the workers and hence plays a part in improving the productivity of many organizations. Managers who are very effective uses humor when making negative approaches to an employee to reduce their negative reaction which may disrupt effectiveness. Assisting people improve their mood is very essential in any organization (Porter, 2000). It also has an impact on the level of emotional intelligence especially to organization dealing with very difficult mind juggling jobs. Use of humor effectively encourages positive attitude towards an idea or a situation. Ability to manage moods in others and oneself is an essential part of boosting the morale of the workers. A shared laughter creates a shift from negative to positive direction. This alleviates and energizes a person’s spirits thus generating self confidence. For one to enjoy their job, fun must be incorporated in between. Utilization of a person’s sense of humor is an important facility in ensuring that your workplace is fun. Humor as a problem solving tool Humor helps in presenting ways for solving problems in an organization; as it maintains a mind with positive thinking and hence playing an important role in problem solving. In complex situations, many people tend to get be affected by the negative disruptive emotions being anxious, upset or depressed. When humor is introduced in such a situation, it distracts the negative emotions thus easing tension and anxiety. Positive emotions pull together and form a strong force that work towards success. Emotional state of individual influences their productivity at work and hence the happier a worker is, the higher the levels of productivity. On the hand humor should not be used for the wrong intention (Gruner, 1997). The following guidelines have to be observed when dealing with humor. Humor in workplaces should not be about other people’s religion, ethnicity, background, race or sexuality. It should make people laugh and feel good, relaxed and accepted. Humor should not be used to hide problems in any organization, and they should not be used as a way of complaining as it may be insulting to the management. Humor should not be aimed at insulting a fellow worker as it may bring conflict in the organization and finally humor should not be used as an avenue to show discriminations, stereotyping and harassments. Manufacturing humor In an organization, humor can be manufactured in different ways. The organization can create a ‘humor board’ in the common room where workers paste funny cartoons, photos, jokes, about their colleagues. The organization can also create a ‘humor box’ for suggestion by the workers on silly activity over the weekend (Holden, 1993). When managers allow and promote humor among the employees, creativity is enhanced; costs due to stress related diseases are reduced while employees become more supportive to one another. Many people with a sense of humor are very creative and as a result they find their way to the top more easily due to promotion. Humorous working environment leads to flexibility which plays a role in creativity and productivity of any organization. Conclusion Humor becomes dangerous when used excessively at the wrong time and for the wrong purpose. Humor is fun and it also serves as an important tool in any organization in communication, relationship building tress reduction and many more. It is used in the right way and for the right intentions; it is a very important way to success and increasing the productivity of the organization. It also creates a favorable working environment in the organization (Janice, et al, 2007). Employees’ levels of confidence, self esteem and self image are very high; as a result they work efficiently and effectively. References Ann, F. (2004). Laughing matters: The value of humor in the workplace. Krug Industries Inc. Bob, R. (1989). Laugh, lead and profit: Building productive workplaces with humor. Arrow head Pub. Gruner, R. (1997). The Game of Humor: A comprehensive theory of why we laugh. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Holden, R. (1993). Laughter, the Best Medicine: The healing power of happiness, humor and Joy! NY: Thorsons. Janice, L., Cary, L., & Richard, J. (2007).Research companion to the dysfunctional workplace: Management challenges and symptoms. Edward Elgar Publishing, Neal, R., & Delia, C. (2009). Humor in interaction. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Porter, J. (2000). "Terror and emancipation: The disciplinarily and mythology of computers." Cultural critique, vol 44, pp. 43-83. Veatch, C. (1998). "A theory of humor." Humor: The International Journal of Humor Research, vol 11. pp. 161-175. Read More