Corporate America - Lighten Up!
By Judy Carter
There
is something missing coming from the office - the sound of laughter!
With HR patrolling corporate hallways looking any hint of
inappropriate language or behavior, jokes have become more scarce than
food in Mary-Kate Olsen’s refrigerator.
All jokes poke fun of someone and that has become a corporate
liability. People have
lost their jobs for telling jokes that refer to race, religion, sex,
and Polish People. That doesn’t leave much to joke about. With
workers losing their jobs to off shoring, and out sourcing, off-color
jokes and out-loud laughing has become a danger zone - just not
worth taking the chance.
You
don’t have to hire a consultant or put together a focus group to see
if “Laughing is a good idea.”
It is. Studies have
shown that laughter improves moral, lowers the attrition rate, and
even helps people to live longer.
Look how long comics live - Bob Hope and George Burns both
lived to see 100 years old. Phyllis
Diller still performs in Vegas at the age of 85.
So, what is a healthy diet?
It’s a diet of laughter, because Phyllis Diller is alive and
Dr. Atkins is dead!
Studies
show that Americans are very stressed out, making humor more vital
than ever. It’s a scary
world we live in: terrorism,
war, a VP who shoots at lawyers. We
need to laugh. Laughter
makes the workday brighter and helps relieve stress.
It’s hard out there for working people.
It’s hard raising a family.
And apparently, after watching the Academy Awards, it’s hard
out there for a pimp.
Here
are a few tips to help lighten up your office:
-
Catch people
doing things “right.” When
your boss says, “I need to see you right away in my office!”
You’re probably not thinking, “Oh goody, I’m getting a
promotion!” That’s
because we always notice when people do things wrong, and ignore them
when they do something right. Acknowledge
your fellow co-workers for little things such as writing a great
email, showing up on time, or even showing up at all.
-
When things go
wrong, say, “Whoo-Hoo!” Sounds
strange, but it can help to shift your mood from cranky to funny.
-
Have toys on
your desk. My favorite is
a sponge head that I can squeeze to relieve pressure.
I like to paint a picture of the person driving me crazy on
them.
-
Add humor to
your Power Point presentations - cartoons, funny quotes, your prom
picture. It will not only
wake up the audience, but also assist them in retaining your
information. And besides,
it great to have people laughing at you when you are still in the room
-
Finally, make
fun of yourself. Everyone
else probably is already.
Laughter
can just happen, but in stressful times, it sometimes takes an effort
to make it happen and remind ourselves, and the people we work with to
lighten up! Life doesn’t
show up funny - stress happens.
You get to work and listen to your messages, “You’re not
doing things right! You’re
way over budget!” And
that’s just your wife. Your computer will freeze, your email will
stack up, and eventually you will die.
The good news is that the experts predict that the hereafter
doesn’t have computers. So, don’t wait until you’re six feet
under to get over the blues. You don’t need the office clown to
cheer you up. Take your
sense of humor out of the file cabinet and start to enjoy life, now.
Read other articles and learn more about
Judy
Carter.
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