Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!

#1,042 - October 9, 2024

Introverts (who could easily make up 50% of your employees, if not more) often tell me they feel left out of some of the fun workplace events because they are designed by and for extroverts. So, it’s important to think about a variety of events that will appeal to everyone and to include introverts on planning teams to make sure their voice is heard. 

No one, including dogs as it turns out, wants to be forced to have fun either. A study led by Adam Miklosi found that dogs can teach us something about the effectiveness of humor as a stress buster. The study measured levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, before and after the dogs played, examining two different groups of working dogs – German shepherds who worked for the Hungarian police and German shepherds who worked at Hungarian border crossings. The results were surprisingly quite different. 

The police dogs' stress levels rose, whereas the border-crossing dogs' cortisol level decreased. Why?

It turns out the dogs were working in two very different cultures with two different styles of play. Whereas the police commanded their dogs to play, the border guards invited their dogs in voluntary play. 

So, make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to have some fun in your workplace, but without feeling coerced.