Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!

#1,119- April 8, 2026

Taking a moment to intentionally laugh out loud might sound a little silly, but next Tuesday, April 14th is International Moment of Laughter Day - a day dedicated to remind us all to celebrate the importance of laughing out loud. 

More than a third of a 1,000 employees Monster.com surveyed said their workplaces have grown more serious in the past year, which is not a good thing! The absence of laughter in a workplace is thought to be one of the primary indicators of high stress levels and workplace burnout. 

Conversely, workplaces rich with laughter suggests a workplace where people feel as though they belong, feel safe, and feel connected to the people around them. 

And here's one of the many cool factoids about laughter: even just the anticipation of laughter reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 39% and epinephrine by 70%! 

Laughter lowers our blood pressure, eases the tension in our muscles, increases the flow of oxygen to the brain (highly recommended by doctors!), relaxes our bodies faster than Valium or Vodka (two things you probably shouldn't be bringing to the office with you), and a hearty belly laugh burns off as many calories as two minutes on a rowing machine (which is why I go down to my local gym and just laugh at the people working out). 

A moment of laughter can keep us humble and human. 

And hey, you don't need a membership to laugh! Laughter is sugar free, cholesterol free, fat free, gluten free, alcohol free, and nicotine free!  

Speaking of laughter...is your workplace devoid of laughter? Are you working in a soul-sucking, fun-sucking workplace? Are you anxious about uncertainty and change? Are your meetings places where ideas go to die? Is morale in your workplace in desperate need of a turbocharge? 

In my virtual presentation Putting Humor to Work for Less Stress & More Success! now on Thursday May 7, I'll share examples of humor at work from around the globe and you'll learn how humor can be used to engage and recognize employees, help your communication stand out from the herd to be heard, make your meetings more effective, improve customer experience, and create a more resilient workplace that fuels extraordinary results. 

And the research is clear: Workplaces that are infused with humor have lower employee turnover rates, greater productivity, improved collaboration, higher morale, and more engaged employees. But wait! There's more! Humor is one of the most potent stress busters and resiliency boosters available to us all!  

When I've researched great workplaces around the world, one of the most common characteristics of successful leaders, teams, and entire organizations was their belief in the power of humor to intentionally drive results. Humor truly is one of the most undervalued, underappreciated, and underutilized resources we have at our disposal to create not just more effective workplaces, but more compassionate and humane workplaces. 

If you can't make the live presentation you'll still have access to the recording and the follow-up resources including the eBook "401 Ways to Create a More Inspiring and Fun Workplace" and an access code to view any of my previous virtual presentations at a 50% off rate.