A free, effective, research-backed, and universal tool is at the disposal of global leaders seeking to engage their workforce and drive performance– humor. But do we dare laugh about work?
Humor is a complex phenomenon that engages various brain regions and key neurological processes, including the prefrontal cortex and limbic system, causing a cascade of cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses, often resulting in laughter.
The benefits of laughter are clear: it enhances communication, builds rapport and trust, reduces stress, diffuses tension, and stimulates creativity. Laughter can serve as a powerful antidote to the stresses of the modern workplace because it gives us space to acknowledge our shortcomings and turn anxieties into appreciation to move on (and hopefully, forward). Laughing together creates a unique sensation, nurturing empathy and connection, transcending language barriers and uniting demographic differences.
Comedic devices such as irony and satire also help us understand difficult topics and provide a comic relief to the tension we all experience. They can humor us. From the Native American Heyókhas challenging societal norms and performing therapeutic ceremonies and medieval jesters providing comic relief amidst hardships to late night talk shows shaping ideological self-categorization and TikTok’ers chronicling modern workplace absurdities around toxic behaviors, bossware, and corporate jargon doublespeak (e.g. Corporate Bro ridiculing tech CEOs), those who make us laugh comfort us.
Managers face the challenge of promoting well-being and human connection in a dehumanized organizational environment, where unresolved conflicts accumulate and perpetuate negativity. In such a serious atmosphere culture of fear reigns supreme, and introducing optimism becomes nearly impossible without a humoristic intervention.
In the middle of professional disagreement, comedy brings healing rather than justification. By reducing tension, it promotes companionship, teamwork, and cooperation. Humor promotes prosocial actions and reinforces workplace humanism. Over 30 years ago, Dutton and Dukerich (1991) proposed that emotionally engaging communication strengthens positive organizational identity and contributes towards a positive organizational culture. Yet, the application of these principles in contemporary management practice remains limited to this day. More recent studies highlight the significance of humor as a multifunctional management tool as well as an important interpersonal leadership resource. Humor allows us to understand the possibility of multiple interpretations unexpectedly from a seemingly predictable premise, which we tend to accept under the influence of laughter, regardless of its intensity.
Yet, the scarcity of humor among leader and managers raises questions about whether it is a conscious choice to conform to professional norms or a reflection of humorlessness (e.g. Plester, 2015).
Instead of embracing humor, leaders and managers often avoid or suppress it. Some fear that it might undermine their authority or feel too risky in a world of work that feels fraught, destabilized by the trenches of social and political polarization. Long deemed to belong outside of work, they now reach deep into it—with cell phones constantly reminding us of wars to be waged. In addition, an increasingly diverse and dispersed workforce working asynchronously experience stress differently (e.g. Perry et al., 2017) making it harder for us to share in the joke of life and labor. The more we progress technologically, the more stress we endure, seemingly regressing humanly (e.g. Srivastava et al., 2015).
It is not for lack of material. We experience so much absurdity in the contemporary workplace, with seemingly no space to laugh about it within the office environment, given its hypernormalization (e.g. Bal et al., 2023). Our only solace lies in niche online communities, where we get to laugh at similar experiences and potentially laugh at our own mistakes, united under the same culture of late-stage capitalism.
Humor has a multifaceted purpose, unifying generations with different interests while also improving social dynamics and well-being. Generational humor preferences, such as millennials’ tendency for self-deprecation seen on social media, are consistent with Martin et al.’s (2003) comedy styles preferences, which highlight various humorous dispositions and psychological bases altering individual preferences. However, misunderstood jokes can lead to awkwardness or even social consequences, as humor needs to be nuanced and culturally appropriate. So if we are to apply a progressive comedic perspective in the present-day corporate setting, we have to acknowledge how the ethical components of humor have evolved over time and focus on ridiculing situations, instead of ridiculing others.
You don’t have to be a comedian as a leader interested in capitalizing on workplace humor.
Take inspiration from great comedians’ bravery in confronting delicate issues risking ridicule in hopes of getting their message across; in the workplace, sincerity, inventiveness, storytelling, and effective communication are prized managerial talents. And you don’t have to write jokes. Often the cleverest observation is something looked at by all but seen by no one. A matter of fact, straightforward observation about what doesn’t work well in the professional setting, or doesn’t compute as part of the process, can be challenged if all concerned see the folly as a discovery. The joy of discovery makes humor exciting and emotionally engaging.
But no one wants to be the butt of the joke. The key to group comedy is to make the joke accessible to everyone and everyone on the right side of the punchline, utilizing its aesthetic power to emotionally engage while being aware of its ethical implications which evoke an even stronger emotional reaction. A clever joke can alienate those who get it from those who don’t.
Thoughtful and ethically mindful humor in the workplace unites instead of divides, brings joy and showcases leadership authenticity, empathy, along with some other positive effects:
- It enhances communication: Effective use of humor in presentations and meetings breaks down barriers, engages employees, and delivers messages in a memorable manner, improving team communication (e.g. Meyer, 2000).
- It builds rapport and trust: Appropriate humor helps establish a positive work environment, making employees feel valued and understood, thus strengthening relationships, encouraging collaboration, and improving team dynamics (e.g. Tremblay & Gibson, 2015).
- It reduces stress and helps build resilience: Witty remarks act as a stress management tool, helping employees cope with pressure and setbacks, encouraging adaptability and emotional well-being (e.g. Wanzer et al., 2005).
- It stimulates creativity and innovation: Embracing humor encourages a playful mindset, creating a safe space for creative exploration and risk-taking, championing original thinking and continuous improvement (e.g. Ali et al., 2021).
- It’s inspirational and reinforces leadership influence: A lighthearted approach inspires team members, breaking down barriers, promoting collaboration, and empowering employees to strive for excellence, reinforcing leadership influence on tangible organizational outcomes (e.g., Hughes & Avey, 2009)
In the ever-changing world of work led by artificial intelligence, leaders may utilize comedy to emphasize the beauty of flaws, setting the cornerstone for psychological safety by accepting shared vulnerability among team members. Being able to laugh at our imperfections compared to technological perfection is a powerful step towards reclaiming our humanity in the modern workplace.
Indeed. But I find that sometimes there is a thin line between sarcasm and humor. You have been careful to indicate that “effective humor,” “appropriate humor,” and “witty remarks” work best, and those qualifications fit with my own experience. I often find that when I am super-stressed, I am tempted to make wisecracks about the value conflicts creating the stress and it helps me to calm down. Sometimes though, it is misunderstood as making light of a serious situation!