I remember once walking past an office and the staff in there were obviously enjoying themselves. They were laughing – at what, I know not. My first thought was ‘How odd. Shouldn’t they be taking their work more seriously? We pay them to work, not to play. “
But, of course, first thoughts are quite often wrong thoughts. This is why you should always pause and reflect before firing off angry emails or taking important decisions.
Luckily, I had read something fairly recently about the effects that laughter can have on your body- releasing a cocktail of chemicals that can prove to be quite positive for many..
I also recalled a recent brainstorming session when the flow of ideas was definitely enhanced by the presence of a joker in the pack. His flow of jokes, quips and anecdotes was matched by a flow of ideas aimed squarely at the problem under review.
So, I walked on, thinking I had witnessed a positive rather than negative experience.
Laughter provides us with obvious benefits – a reduction in stress, an increase in camaraderie and team-bonding … but it also improves creativity.
So, encourage the jokers and pranksters … let’s build fun into the working day, and innovation into the organisation.