Less absenteeism
An epidemic of workplace stress has been blamed for a near doubling of
days taken off sick by employees. The Health and Safety Commission reports that
33 million days were lost in the past year due to ill health, compared to 18
million in the last survey in 1995.
The biggest myth about laughter is that we laugh when we’re happy.
In fact, it’s the other way around – laughing makes us happier.
This is for several reasons: the release of chemicals in the body that creates
a ‘feel good factor’; the deep breathing and also because laughter is a coping
mechanism for a variety of types of stress.
Through laughter we clear enough emotional space to either handle
whatever needs handling, or move on from the situation.
Dr Lee Berk has conducted extensive scientific research on laughter and
has shown it to attenuate stress-related hormones – that it stops them from
getting too high.
Studies have also shown that laughter helps protects us from colds and viruses
because it increases the levels of antibodies (Immunogloblin A) in the nose and
respiratory passages.
Laughter also increases levels of Natural Killer (NK) cells and
antibodies to boost the immune system (stimulates production of lymphocytes
containing T-cells which deal with cancer cells).
So lots of laughter each day keeps the doctor away.
Staff retention
The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or
dull. It ought to be fun.
An increasing proportion of employees don’t tend to think in terms of a
life-long job or career.
More money and promotions simply are not the key motivation. Commonly,
people leave a job because they are not happy.
Maybe they believe, like Tom Peters, that work is meant to be fun….or at
least that life is meant to be enjoyed.
Laughter can help make any task more fun.
Research shows that the majority of our happiness (70%) depends on the
quality of our relationships, both personal and work-related.
Laughter is very powerful in teambuilding.
Client relationship building
Increasing service standards mean polite service is not longer
satisfactory to customers; modern service comes with a genuine smile.
It’s much easier to work with happy people, and a sense of humour helps
any kind of work go better.
Building a positive brand feel
Nowadays organisational culture and external branding are intrinsically
linked by an increasingly cynical public.
Ask anyone about the people they like doing business with, and words
like ‘we can have a laugh together’ are often used.
Laughter breaks down barriers and builds trust.
I believe that talk of building ‘happy staff brands’ is no fad – it’s
just bringing back to the foreground what it is to be human and doing business
with other humans.
People tend to prefer to deal with happy people.
Increases efficiency
Laughter creates a better mood by releasing tension, anger, frustration,
fear or anxiety – it’s a powerful form of catharsis or 'letting go'.
I think they're called e-"motion"s because they indicate a
need for movement and release.
Then we can get on with the task!
Time scarcity is a top issue – we feel we don’t have enough time in our
day.
But the fact is, we have exactly the same amount of time in each day as
Einstein, Mozart and Gandhi.
And the answer is in not how to manage our time so much as in how to
manage ourselves better.
We can let our tasks weigh us down, but as Monty Python said 'levity is
the opposite to gravity'.
Have you noticed how many
of those who have achieved great things and live with a lot of stress are great
laughers?
Corporate Stress Management
