#1: Humor lightens the atmosphere.
It takes courage to admit your mistakes, and humor makes it easier to own up to your blunders. Driven teams devote a huge chunk of the day in order to build world-class products and services, yet sometimes the best of intentions and efforts do not materialize into positive results. The ability to laugh it off and stay resilient is the only way to tackle and achieve the dynamic needs of today's well-informed customers. In fact, many companies acknowledge the importance of infusing humor into everyday work practices.
Appster, one of the leading app development agencies, funds outings for employees to boost their morale. Appster also has a pet dog named Howl at its California office to lighten the mood of their employees after an exhausting brainstorming session.
#2: Humor encourages different ways of thinking.
Did you know that the squishy rubber handle of your toothbrush was a brainchild of IDEO, a remarkable design thinking organization? Something so mundane, yet so extraordinary.
David Kelley, chairman of IDEO, (an Albert Einstein look-alike and think-alike, too) repeatedly attributes the secret of IDEO's success to a work culture that infuses humor into everyday problem solving.
#3: Humor disrupts monotony.
What is the point of spending a major portion of your life into producing excellent results, if the process is never enjoyed in the first place?!
Fresh ideas come faster in a fun place.
In a study of around 2500 employees, it was found that 81 percent of them felt that having a fun working environment increased their productivity. Keep the Jacks and Jills around you hip and happy. Let the endeavors be as exciting as the end product.
#4: Humor breeds bonding between beers (hic) peers.
Some wild ideas need to be acknowledged. Uninhibited imaginations can create amazing innovations. Successful companies around the world nowadays encourage their employees to take these 'creative breaks' very seriously.
As a matter of fact, Ben & Jerry's, one of the world's most successful ice cream companies, advocates the infusion of humor into the company's work culture which such level of seriousness, that they have created an employee committee called the "Joy Gang", which arranges various events for employees ranging from Pizza & Puttin' to American Chocolate Week encouraging creativity and innovation as an inherent trait in the company's work atmosphere.
#5: Humor helps us stay human.
Humor helps us stay true to ourselves.
Southwest Airlines, known for its employee-friendly work culture, encourages its employees to have fun both on- and off-duty. David Holmes, a flight attendant popularly known as "The Rhythmic Ambassador " raps the usually boring pre-flight safety precautions to the onboard travelers. Can you guess the impact of such innovative practices?
The airline company has been a huge hit among customers and serves a whopping 100 million of them annually. Customers "LUV" Southwest, and the employees do, too.
All thanks to the work culture that not only celebrates the customers, but also the employees.
Don't take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.
Elbert Hubbard
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