Inspiring Workplaces: Is Laughter the Reason Elephants Never Forget?

Published: Wed, 11/28/18

Humor at Work

ISSUE 753 - Nov. 28, 2018


			Is Laughter the Reason Elephants Never Forget?

	Happy hump day! It's time for another edition of random musings and ideas... To help address the issue of "karoshi" (death by overwork), the Japan Ministry of the Economy is encouraging something that's been dubbed, "Shining Monday," where employees are encouraged to take one Monday morning off each month. If you want to give better feedback to your colleagues then learn to adapt your style based on their preference for receiving the feedback: Some people prefer a "get to the point" approach; others need a bit of a gentler, ease-into-it approach when receiving feedback. In his book, Brain Rules, biologist John Medina suggests that laughter is beneficial at work because it releases oxytocin and dopamine, which help improve memory and information processing. In fact, some research suggests the next time you lose your car keys, laughing might help jog your memory! A great coaching question to ask: "How good do you want to become at _______?" This question helps determine how committed and motivated the person is and it encourages them to take greater accountability and ownership. To encourage a culture of appreciation, the Danish auto parts company The Kjaer Group has a ritual called the Order of the Elephant. When a colleague does something noteworthy, they receive a large stuffed elephant so everyone can plainly see they've done something awesome (because it's difficult to ignore the elephant in the room). That employee then has to pass the elephant along to someone elephant-worthy to keep the appreciation going. Why not adapt that ritual for your office with a mascot or artifact that makes sense for your particular business?

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Inspired by this dancing doctor, who dances to help women through their labor, create a "Fun Dance" video contest where employees or teams have to submit a video of themselves dancing with your customers. And yes, get your customers involved as a way of including them in the fun.
		Quote of the Week

“Teasing is a statement of trust in a relationship. It’s an indication that there’s a reservoir of goodwill in the relationship.” The Dalai Lama
		It's a Wacky World

December is almost here so I've posted the December theme days on the website, including such notables as... December 1: Bartender Appreciation Day December 5: Bathtub Party Day December 8: Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day December 15: Cat Herders Day December 16: Chocolate-covered Anything Day December 18: Answer the Telephone Like Buddy the Elf Day December 21: Ugly Christmas Sweater Day December 26: Whiners Day December 30: Bacon Day December 31: Make Up Your Mind Day

Cost-Savings to Bring Mike in to Energize Your Workplace!

Winnipeg: Jan. 24-25
London, Ontario: Feb 5
Edmonton: Feb.19/22
Winnipeg: May 1 or 24
Toronto: June 10-12
Toronto: June 20
Montreal: Sept 9

Hire, Inspire, and Fuel Their Fire Mike offers up some great ideas on how to connect and inspire your new employees before they've even started working for you: Before Day One

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