90, 360 hours. That’s the average amount of time you will spend at work in a lifetime; that’s more time than you spend eating, driving or even surfing the internet. And your time at work can have its ups and downs. If you embrace humor in your work environment, it can not only make those 90,360 hours a little more enjoyable, but it can make you more successful.
Here’s how:
The humor break. Giving yourself a mental break during the workday allows you to recharge your batteries and get the creative juices flowing. Relaxed minds produce better results and are able to think outside of the box.
Chamber tip: Take five minutes a day to escape from your workload. Watch a funny clip, check your fantasy football team or watch a cute animal video. In fact, watching a cute cat video could make you more productive at work.
Put on a happy face. Smiling can make you appear more approachable, trustworthy and even appear more competent. People want to work with and be around happy people. Not to mention, smiling reduces stress and boosts your mood. Your brain’s natural tendency is to think negatively; by smiling you are training your brain to think positively.
Chamber tip: Happy employees take 66 percent less sick leave than other employees. Embrace humor in your work culture to keep your employees happy and healthy. Watch Andrew Tarvin’s TEDX to discover why a happy workplace is key to success.
Laugh your way to productivity. Happiness is directly correlated to greater performance and productivity. Happier employees spend 80 percent of their time at work on what they are there to do; the least happy spend only 40 percent of their time. Why? They are more likely to be passionate about what they are doing.
Chamber tip: Passion, like a smile, is contagious. If you enjoy what you are doing, your teammates are more likely to enjoy their work, too. Check out these eight rules for creating a passionate work culture.
Humor can make your workday more productive, fun, enjoyable and even burn calories. Make it a part of your workday so that the time you spend working doesn’t feel like work.
Laura James is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Denver Metro Chamber.