Laughter in the Workplace   

There is an old adage that laughter is the best medicine. 

Studies now confirm that a good belly laugh will lower the blood pressure below normal resting rates for 45 minutes and laughing exercises the lungs, increases oxygen in the bloodstream and stimulates production of endorphins, the brain's built-in painkiller. 

Laughter is good for the health of a business, too.  One corporate study showed that after a trial period during which humour was incorporated into the workplace in a variety of ways, including everything from a special humour bulletin board to silly hat days, the company in question experienced a 21 percent decrease in staff turnover and a 38 percent decrease in Friday absenteeism. 

Catherine Lawrence, who does laughter workshops for companies, often begins her sessions with a quote from Paul Hawken: “Laughter and good humor are the canaries in the mine of commerce– when the laughter dies, it’s an early warning that life is ebbing from the enterprise.”   

She also refers to the London Times Online survey which shows that the percentage of laughter amongst colleagues is one of the latest criteria being used to measure the best companies.  

This concurs with a Harris & Associates online poll. It asked 1000 peak performers what kind of workplace they would be reluctant to leave. More than 75% said they would be reluctant to leave a company where fun and relationships to colleagues are promoted. 

So how can laughter work for you in your company? The answer is as individual and personalized as your company environment. 

At one Canadian marketing company, the budget that was normally reserved for quarterly employee recognition awards was used for company-wide employee appreciation days.  Every month, each employee was treated to something special. Warm apple cider in a smiley-face mug, chocolate covered strawberries, pancake breakfasts, and lunchtime barbeques were some of the special events staged. For days afterwards, staff goodwill reached epic proportions–a great deal more "bang for the buck" than the former program. 

A few years ago, a major multi-billion dollar Canadian organization got its chief executives together for a brainstorming session on how to improve the company’s performance and identify new opportunities for growth.  The session began with a good old-fashioned food fight, replete with bottles of ketchup, mustard, relish, and other savory items! 

The reason behind this mayhem was even more germane. By incorporating laughter and fun into a serious business meeting, the company broke down people’s reserves, enabling them to think outside the box, and discover truly creative solutions.  

Catherine Lawrence, a corporate lawyer by trade, now works at something she considers far more important than drafting contracts–harnessing the value of laughter to immediately impact personal energy and enthusiasm for work and life. Catherine is a resource that can assist your organization to survive and thrive by demonstrating that humour is a vital business and workplace skill. She once asked Sir Edmund Hilary his view on the role of humour in life. He replied he had always found the main ingredient in any successful expedition was a sense of humour. 

“Laughter clubs are a great way to start incorporating humour into the workplace,” suggests Catherine.  

“Laughter clubs are groups of people who meet at a regular appointed time in a designated place to take part in laughter exercises and workouts, and other activities that encourage playfulness, fun and mental balance. Members enjoy the social as well as the physical experience. There are discussions of the benefits of laughter and its physical impact. A laughter club session can take as little as five or ten minutes, as a workplace break, for example, or at the start of a shift or workday.” 

Laughter at work is an inexpensive way to increase staff morale and combat work-related stress and fatigue. But it’s not a quick fix. It has to be a top-down commitment. 

“And It’s important to be authentic,” says Catherine. “Any laughter initiative you want to implement must be tailored to your company. It’s not ‘one-size-fits-all’.   

“If you’re committed to building what your employees need (a better place to work), then use the tools humour offers.  Laughter will make your organization a better place to work. Why? Because it will be more fun!”