How important is humor in the workplace?
One of the categories on the blog here is “Fun With a Purpose,” and the exact choice of that title was highly intentional. Many, if not most, people in Corporate America seem to think “fun” is reserved for only a very select set of creative disciplines, or for companies with play as their main sales driver (i.e. video gaming companies, toy companies, etc.).
And then for the rest of us, “fun” is often labeled as a distraction. Something only to be tolerated in small doses as a brief steam let-off, before getting right back the grindstone.
Well, it wasn’t until after the fact that I remembered that Highlights magazine uses “Fun With a Purpose” as its registered tagline. It’s goal is to entertain children while it educates, and for more than 60 years, it’s set the bar for taking fun and making it practical.
(Heck, when I was a kid, the only good thing about going to the doctor or dentist was getting to check out Highlights in the waiting room.)
So when I bring up something fun on this blog, I’m always mindful of its practical application in your business life. And in this case, the “something fun” is a rollicking survey performed by Robert Half International.
As detailed in their press release, Work and Humor Do Mix, “Ninety-seven percent of professionals polled feel it is important for managers to have a sense of humor.”
97%!!!
I completely believe that, but another stat they cite, that “87 percent of workers said their supervisors do indeed have a funny bone,” I find a bit hard to swallow. It makes me wonder how many managers were standing over their employees’ shoulders while they took the survey. 
But Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, does warn that moderation is the key:
“To be taken seriously, supervisors must balance their desire to keep the mood light with the need to accomplish business objectives, inspire great performance and maintain professionalism.”
For more on this topic, check out this article, which expands on the survey’s results.
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[...] But fun in the workplace is a huge factor, too. And not to be taken lightly, since it affects your job satisfaction. Appropriate humor in the workplace is a must, and yet I don’t think I’ve heard anyone flag this as a deciding factor in choosing job offers until my bro-in-law brought it up. [...]
[...] Work and Humor Do Mix, “Ninety-seven percent of professionals polled feel it is important for managers to have a sense [...]