Inspiring Workplaces: More Reasons to Smile at Work

Published: Wed, 03/02/16

Humor at Work

ISSUE 620 - Mar. 2, 2016


			More Reasons to Smile at Work

	Part two of my epic two-part mini-series on what makes Beryl Health ("the workplace where everyone smiles") such an amazing place to work. Carrying on from last week's list, a few more things that makes Beryl so special: The HR manager's job title is "The Queen of Fun and Laughter." They have a Laugh Box that they place in the center of the office, filled with funny bloopers and humorous thoughts. When the call center floor needs a little stress relief, someone reads an item or two from the laugh box. They have a thought-based leadership platform called The Beryl Institute that has helped brand Beryl as experts in their field and that serves as a great motivator for coworkers. They've built a culture centered around four values: Passion for customer service; Never sacrifice quality; Always do the right thing; Spirit of camaraderie. They have a peer recognition program that recognizes employees for modeling their values. Their "Right Start" program ensures new hires are welcomed on day one by a large group of people and that each new coworker spends time with every manager at Beryl during their first few weeks. They hold monthly "Chat n Chew" luncheons where a group of employees chow down with senior managers and have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues. They have a popular intranet advice column called "Ask Paul," which lets employees ask questions of the CEO (many of which are tongue in cheek, offering great opportunities for a little levity). They have a monthly Business Book Club, where 75 coworkers read the same business book then report to the group on their thoughts and insights at a monthly book club meeting.

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

It's been a while since we've had an alter ego name generator, so how about one for your next team project. Why, after all, would you name a new work project something boring or bureaucratic-sounding when you can add some pizzazz by naming it something cool - something even James Bond could excited about - or something fun that's going to make everyone smile when they talk about the new program or project: At Project Name Generator you can seek out random offbeat project names such as: Adrenaline Skunk, Screaming Eagle, Intense Empty Neptune, Silly Storm, or Strawberry Alien Scoreboard.
		Quote of the Week

"I bought a package of batteries but they weren't included." Randall Munson
		It's a Wacky World

When our local economy (where I live in beautiful Alberta, Canada) is struggling so badly it's frustrating to read these, but here are a few of the stranger reasons unemployed workers in Australia gave for turning down work when offered a job: One man refused work as a driver's assistant, insisting he could only work as the driver or not at all. One 58-year-old man could not work three hours on Sundays because that was, yup, his golf day! One man said he simply couldn't work with chickens (no mention of turkeys).

Cost Savings to Bring Mike to Your Event

- Okanagan Valley: "I need to see Mom" special rate is on-going!
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mike@mikekerr.com

More Reading
Humor at Work Blog: How Companies Support Families as Part of Their Support Team

The Humor Advantage
Speaking of business book clubs, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank is a featured selection in the C-Suite Book Club - "The World's Best Business Book Club." To celebrate we're offering a special deal: Purchase the Humor Advantage and we'll include 2 free e-books: Inspiring Questions For Inspiring Workplaces & 340 Ways to Put Humor to Work.

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