by Michelle Peters

Created on: February 14, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
Mark Twain

Mark Twain makes an interesting point. Humor and laughter always diffuse tense situations. I should know. While we were growing up, my brother perfected his skills of applying humor to ameliorate on an oft annoyed older sister and chagrined parents. It is a skill he uses to this day at work and in relationships to bring perspective to all parties. Humor and laughter are great ways to deal with difficult people and situations at work and to connect with your staff while still maintaining your role as leader.

Sometimes staff complaints and requests can be exasperating, especially if the complainant focuses on the negative. For any manager or HR professional, interactions with employees with this mindset can prove stressful. You know the cadence of their footsteps and feel your shoulders stiffen before their shadow crosses the threshold of your doorway.

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with a wise, very experienced HR professional who astutely developed a system using humor that diffused the strain incurred by frivolous staff complaints. She had cards made up with flying pigs on them, kept a stack in her office, and carried a few around with her. When an employee would corner her in the hallway, she would listen to them, smile, hand them a card with a flying pig on it and walk away. The card always made people smile. They got the point. She was saying, "I heard you and your request, but I'm overwhelmed right now. And is it really worth complaining about?" Some may gasp at her audacity, but her reputation as a fair and kind-hearted HR manager allowed her to use levity in these situations. Her sense of humor saved her undo stress and it saved the employees from going too far with their complaints.

Another general manager I've observed uses humor frequently to lighten the atmosphere when the stress of collections or a long week is weighing heavily on his staff. While his humor is sometimes outrageous, his staff appreciates these moments where they can laugh out loud and release some of the tension they're feeling. Many of his staff thinks the office would not be the same without his antics. This is how he connects and lets them know he cares. It works. Countless staff members have confided in and have looked to him for direction through the years. Both of these professionals effectively used humor to create lighter work environments without diminishing the respect owed to them as company leaders.

You don't need to be a stand up comic to utilize humor in the workplace. Just change the way you look at things and always be ready to laugh at yourself.
What can you do today to bring humor into the lives of your staff? Would utilizing humor throughout help give you a different perspective about certain people and situations?

Laughing with you!

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