Humour in the office: a good laugh is good for morale

Like scent, humour has extremely offensive or captivating effects on us, depending on the kind of humor-unifying or divisive.And yes office humour and other pranks have helped land many workers out the door in lots of places. But a recent study may change perception to workplace humor forever. According to the study, office humor can help reduce stress, hypertension and many other physical and mental ailments. Yes, even that typical pain in-the-neck your boss gives you (as well as other places) traces back to a lack of humor or humanness. Sarcasm is perhaps the most common form of humour found in the workplace, but this gets old quickly if done excessively and perceived in a negative context. Imitations of people can be comical, but it also reveals your true feelings about someone, plus, if your target finds out about it, you might earn their wrath or turn a friend into an enemy. Practical jokes are still around and are amazing too but in a country like Rwanda, you better be careful what you are being practical about.Humorous posters, banners and other reminders help to brighten worker attitudes and boost productivity. It’s a wise business expense especially if your business requires high employee morale. Ofcorse we all know of those people who dont take humor-of any sort. Apparently humorless people often prefer to focus on doing the task, being good and - or other “productive behavior.” I know I could be wrong but people who seem to have no vein of humor are more likely to be most harsh and unforgiving in their judgments of others and more likely to see the world in “right/wrong” categories. They are least able to be accepted as team players The price of not having a lively work environment has proven costly to businesses who ignore this new trend in boosting worker morale. Those old school business practices of the serious hard core office environment have resulted in low employee turnover, increased sick days and lower employee morale. What’s the most alarming statistic to any businesse in a highly competitive market? Increased customer complaints and poor customer service. It makes sense, the more unhappy an employee - the harder it is to give good customer service I know you have at one time been shocked by the quality of service and the sic attitude the service people some times throw at you.Am not ignoring the fact that there are other reasons why they serve the way they do. Why has humor become a recognized asset in the workplace? Among others, there are the principal reasons why humor is important: it energizes, helps facilitate communication, and build relationships. All these facts have come to light to more businesses on the importance of cultivating happy employees by finding ways to inject humor and a sense of fun in the workplaceHowever a fine line between silliness and getting in the way of accomplishing productive work should be clearly and definitely drawn. You should know your audience and tailor your humor accordingly. No, we no longer live in an era where crude jokes can be openly told in the workplace. We must be careful not to offend, but aside from this, there is nothing wrong with a little levity to liven things up. douglasfirst@gmail.com