Inspiring Workplaces: Less Stress, More Fun a Great Recipe for Success

Published: Wed, 03/26/14

Humor at Work

ISSUE 531 - Mar. 26, 2014


			Less Stress, More Fun a Great Recipe for Success

	April is Stress Awareness Month, begging the question: How aware are you and your organization of the costs associated with stress? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: 40% of job turnover is due to job stress 60% to 80% of all on-the-job accidents are stress related Health care costs are 50% greater for employees with high stress levels There's also the increase in errors, lost productivity, loss of creativity and negative impact on customer service to consider. Fortunately, April is also official Humor Month - and humor, as we all know, is one of the most potent archenemies of stress. So it's a great time to meet with your team and pose a few fundamental (because fun affects da' mental stuff) questions: 1. How is everyone's level of stress? Are we trending worse or better and why or why not? 2. What can we do to manage not just the symptoms of stress, but more importantly reduce the source? 3. How can we add more humor into the workplace to help fight stress? How can we use humor to create a more relaxed environment, re-energize the workplace, reward people when they experience a challenging situation and mentally reframe our workplace stress so that we keep our sense of humor?

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Next Tuesday is April Fool's Day, so please remember to practice safe humor - humor that laughs with people, not at them, and of course humor that doesn't get your fired. Here's a few ideas: - Turn it into a team event. A humor raid/team prank on another department can serve as a team building experience while also ensuring any blame gets diffused. - Share the fun with your customers by offering them a fun surprise (emphasis on fun). - Generate some free publicity by making an outrageous announcement. Kulula Airlines in South Africa announced how, thanks to technological developments, they were getting into the skywriting business on their passenger flights. Burger King introduced left-handed burgers. WestJet Airlines has released videos announcing their Child-Free Cabins, Helium-Based Cost-Saving Flights and Pet-Friendly Flights. - Turn a practical joke into a positive end result by honoring a team member with something special after the prank is pulled. - Practice safe humor by collectively laughing at yourself. For example, have everyone on your team wear the same clothes for the day and tell everyone else that it's your new team uniform.
		Quote of the Week

"You know you're getting old when you start to dress in more than six colors." Comedian David Brenner (RIP David, thanks for the laughs)
		It's a Wacky World

Today, March 26 is "Make Up Your Own Holiday" Day, so why not have a quick contest to see who can come up with the most-needed or most peculiar holiday in your workplace? And speaking of peculiar holidays... here's a preview of just a few of the wacky theme days headed your way this April: April 1: April Fool's Day (free advice: try not and get fired) April 1 - 7: Laugh at Work Week April 2: Love Your Producer Manager Day April 3: Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day April 4: Walk to Work Day April 5: International Pillow Fight Day April 8: Be Kind to Lawyers Day April 12: Walk on Your Wild Side Day April 14: International Moment of Laughter Day April 16: Stress Awareness Day April 17: Blah! Blah! Blah! Day/Get to Know Your Customers Day April 18: Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day April 23: Admin Professionals Day April 24: Take Our Sons & Daughters to Work Day April 25: Hug a Plumber Day April 29: International Dance Day

Cost Savings to Book Mike

Kelowna/Penticton: Special "need to see Mom" discounted rates all year

New York: April 25 - May 3

Edmonton: June 25, 2014

Europe: July 12 - July 27

Contact [email protected]

Foolish Reading

Some April Fool's Day jokes that worked, and some that didn't, sent in by Humor at Work subscribers: Practical and Impractical Readers' Jokes

Mike's Cup Joke

A simple practical joke that I've shared with many of you:Keeping Your Practical Jokes Practical

Inspiring Reading

Mike is quoted in the Business Insider article:

13 Things Successful People do During Their Lunch Hours

Humor at Work TV

A new episode is up: Making Your Employee Recognition More Meaningful

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