Inspiring Workplaces: Managing Uncertainty at Work

Published: Wed, 03/11/20

Humor at Work

ISSUE 813 - Mar. 11, 2020


			Managing Uncertainty at Work

	I had three calls last week from clients who are experiencing huge levels of anxiety and uncertainty at at work. Whether it's the Coronavirus, impending layoffs, or the plunging price of oil, without a doubt there is a lot of uncertainty and stress in some quarters. I'll be facilitating a webinar in a few weeks on how to create a more resilient workplace culture, but in the meantime here are a few thoughts: 1. During times of uncertainty you have to redouble your efforts to be even more intentional about your culture and living your values out loud. As I often say, it's easy to live your values when times are good. It's during challenging times when you need to step up and treat your values like lines in the sand and avoid making rash decisions that don't align with your core values. 2.Communication is everything, even when you have nothing to communicate (it's okay to say you don't have all the answers, but you still need to say it). Rumors and gossip fill a communication vacuum, and it's thought that leaders under-communicate by a factor of 10 during challenging times! Employees need to hear from their leaders and employees need to be heard. 3. Be even more intentional about planning some fun events and injecting some humor into your workplace. Fear and anxiety are highly contagious emotions, but so too are optimism and joy! It's when times are most challenging that you need to reinforce the importance of keeping your collective sense of humor. Keep in mind, there's a difference between laughing at a crisis vs. using humor to help us cope with a crisis. And yes, some black humor may creep into your your workplace, but understand that 'gallows humor' is a normal reaction during stressful times. 4. Be extra kind to one another. This is no small thing. When times get challenging we all need to embrace our common humanity, appreciate one another even more, and actively demonstrate that we have each other's back. For ideas on how to maintain positive attitudes at work and build a more resilient workplace culture, hop on over to Building More Resilient Workplace Cultures. And because I want to have your back, let me know if there's anything I can do to be of service to you and your team!

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

As a busy speaker frequenting planes, trains, and automobiles I've been a long time fan of the elbow-to-elbow bump greeting during the cold and flu season. For obvious reasons, this is in the news again, so why not have a little fun with this? As a meeting icebreaker event have everyone come up with at least three creative ways of greeting one another without shaking hands and award a prize for the most inventive strategy. Maybe it's the Vulcan salute, a toe-to-toe tap, or a "bee dance" wiggle? And speaking of Vulcans and adding some levity to a serious situation - if you want to encourage employees to thoroughly wash their hands, a nerdy alternative to singing 'Happy Birthday' is to recite the opening monologue to Star Trek. Apparently reciting, "Space...the final frontier..." takes the same amount of time as singing 'Happy birthday!'
		Quote of the Week

"Culture is like a baby. You have to watch it 24/7. It needs to be fed at least three times a day. And when it makes a mess, you have to clean it up and change it.” Dan Guerrero, UCLA Athletic Director
		It's a Wacky World

I get very troubled when the instruments of humor get turned against us! Yes, a thief stole a donation box from a Tim Hortons doughnut shop in Alberta with the help of a rubber chicken, by using the rubber chicken as a cover to sneak a donation box out of the shop! So, is this a case of a hard-boiled criminal or somebody who merely chickened out!?

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If you sometimes suffer from "Hire's Remorse" you need these ideas! Learn what innovative businesses are doing to attract great employees, hire for culture growth, onboard employees in innovative, fun ways, and teach new employees to live their culture out loud! Includes the e-book, Hire, Inspire and Fuel Their Fire! For details and to register: Hire & Inspire Webinar

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