| Humor at Work |
ISSUE 679 - May 17, 2017 |
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Fresh Workplace Ideas to Munch On |
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It's time for another pine-scented, gluten-free edition of random musings and ideas...
- Never underestimate the power of humor to help you reframe and cope with a stressful event. In the tragic floods that have devastated parts of Canada these past weeks dozens of examples of humor have cropped up, such as signs reading, "House For Sale - Waterfront Views on All Four Sides!"
- The financial services company Morningstar Canada offers employees "Fresh Fruit Mondays" to help ensure employees get a healthy start to their work week.
- Always look for opportunities to score points with customers - even when they aren't your own. Passengers who were recently rerouted on a late night AirCanada flight and then told at the airport there were no food options available, were delighted when a WestJet pilot strolled into the crowd with some pizza announcing, "I'm from WestJet and we do things differently, want some pizza?"
- Although texting often isn't the ideal way to communicate, consider passing along simple messages of thanks and recognition to colleagues via text when appropriate - especially employees working remotely.
- According to a study in the International Journal for Humor Research, one of the primary reasons humor in the workplace is so beneficial is due to its impact on social support and cohesiveness: People that share a positive sense of humor tend to be liked more and teams that share positive humor form stronger social ties. It's the resulting social support built through humor that has an even greater impact on mental health and well-being than just the
humor itself.
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Mike's Fun at Work Tip |
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Brazil-based Semco company has an "Out of Your Mind!" committee whose sole purpose is to discuss "crazy" ideas that don't fit into the agenda of any regular meeting. If people don't respond to an idea by saying, "You're out of your mind!" then the idea is considered too tame! The name of the committee gives people permission to think in outrageous ways, and by ensuring their meetings are fun and respectful, the group
continually generates innovative ideas. And if nothing else, a committee such as this sends a powerful message around the need to avoid complacency and to constantly be on the lookout for new and better ways of doing things at work.
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Quote of the Week |
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“Give people slightly more trust, freedom, and authority than you are comfortable giving them. If you’re not nervous, you haven’t given them enough.” Laszlo Bock, Work Rules
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It's a Wacky World |
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A subscriber (thanks Dan!) passed along these really painful analogies written by high school students:
- He was as tall as a 6' 3" tree.
- Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
- The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
- She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
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Cost-Savings to Bring Mike in to Speak
Penticton/Kelowna: "Need to see Mom" special rate
Toronto: June 20
Toronto: Sept. 7-12
Cleveland: Sept. 24-25
Montreal: Nov. 23 or 25
Ottawa: Dec. 11-13
New Zealand: Feb. 20 - Mar. 5, 2018
How Humor Helps Build a Positive, Productive Workplace - Mike is interviewed on Head Forward Podcast
Psst - We Know This Event is Going to Sellout! So why not register now for the November 15 Customer Service Leadership Summit in Calgary, AB? Check out the great lineup of speakers and industry panelists here: Customer Service Leadership Summit
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mike@mikekerr.com
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