Facing Chaos, Upheaval, Demoralization? Have A Laugh!
By Reva Nelson

One of the best ways to deal with change is to call in some humour. However, that's in the "easier said than done category," especially when morale is low. If you find some of the office phrases are, "There's nothing funny around here." or "Everyone's so grumpy and touchy lately." or "We need to double our return if we're going to stay competitive." than it can be real tough to crack a smile. Add on a corporate culture that says having fun at work is verboten and anti-productive, and it gets even harder to try to bring levity on board. Yet humour could be just what's needed to help with the changes.

One of the first signs of depression, and a sure sign of more severe mental illness, is the lack of humour. When we lose the ability to laugh, we lose the ability to cope. Humour is not merely telling a joke though. In fact, joke-telling is a very small part of the whole, sort of like scratching an itch. Real humour is more like a good long soak in the tub. Many people admit to not telling jokes well; few say they have no sense of humour.

We can develop and increase our sense of humour in a number of ways, such as:

1. Watch humour on TV, such as Seinfeld, comedy specials, "Evening at the Improv" on A&E.
2. Go to a card shop and read the funny greeting cards. Buy some.
3. Go to a comedy club in your city.
4. Rent some old classics, either movies such as Funny Girl, or old TV shows like Jack Benny.
5. Read some cartoon books, joke books, or satire.
6. Speak up. Try saying something funny, in the moment, instead of just thinking about it.
7. Plaster cartoons all over the office. Give others a laugh too.

A word of caution about inappropriate humour. It has no place anywhere, but especially not at the office. What's acceptable between you and a close friend is different, if you have an understanding between you, and high trust. Generally though, any humour that is against a particular race, sex, or religion is very inappropriate. If you think it could have a potential for harm, don't say it. The closes distance between two people is a shared laugh. The fastest way to get distance is to offend. The damage could be irreparable.

I hate to think, though, that because we need to be careful and considerate, we've lost the ability to joke around. Laughing together relieves stress, creates bonding, gives a new perspective. So what's left to laugh about? Anything that makes fun of the basic human condition, whatever many of us face: mortgages, taxes, kids, pets, traffic, relationships, cars. There's always something going wrong with something else-- we can share the common human element in the situation.
Once when I was leading a Presentation Skills session, there was an auditor in the group who was very funny. Finally I said, "I can't believe this. An auditor with a sense of humour!" His reply, "It's true. But I'm the only one!" (I've since met two more.)

Quite a few years ago, I worked as a consultant in an open office environment at a University. The Director was quite dismayed that he didn't have a door, and therefore, no privacy or even a knock on a door to announce he was about to be interrupted. We all bought him a door, signed it, and hung it with wires from the ceiling. We made a big deal out of knocking on his door before we entered what remained to be an open space anyway. That door brought several laughs to the Department. We also worked very hard for that Director, who was always joking around himself. Productivity increased because of his personality and terrific sense of humour and play.

There is a responsibility to maintain a sense of levity in the workplace, and that responsibility rests with all of us. Smile more. Share a cartoon. Put a plastic dancing plant on your desk. Humour gives us a sense of perspective in the midst of being buried deep. It's sort of like the first daffodil of spring. A bright reminder that beauty rises from muck. Reason to smile.