Why Fun at Work is so Important

The Viennese sense of humor is not everybody’s cup of tea. Often deemed rather lowbrow and morbid, it has the greatest impact when delivered in an aloof and pessimistic tone. But – all jokes aside – humor can be an effective tool for business leaders, as Barbara Stöttinger points out. “When deadlines are looming near, a team has to make difficult decisions, and everybody in the office is uncomfortably tense, fun at work can be used as an escape valve to release the situation’s pressure.”

Fun at Work: When it Works and What to Look out for

Barbara Stöttinger explains that humor works best when people least expect it. She names an example, “Bestattung Wien, the City of Vienna’s leading provider of funeral services, excels at that. They sell this T-shirt that states ‘The last car is always a station wagon!’ A sports bag that says: ‘I do sports till it’s my turn to enter the urn.’” She points out that humor is, however, not always in good taste. “Something one person finds funny can be no laughing matter or even insulting for another person. It’s a thin line you must walk here.” So, what are her tips for managers looking to put fun at work? And can you actually learn to be funny?

5 Tips on How Fun Can Improve your Working Life!

We have 5 tips for you on how you as a manager can use humor successfully in the workplace and tell you what the benefits are.

1. Tip: Use Fun at Work to Relieve Pressure

Barbara Stöttinger explains that a joke at the right time can not only help the team relax, it can also support them in changing perspective. “If everybody is working under pressure – because a project deadline is approaching or a critical customer must be appeased –, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. A light quip, such as ‘Let’s call it a day today at 2 p.m.!’ can be enough to eliminate some of the pressure in the office.” After a quick laugh shared by the team, everybody will be able to work more effectively and get things done faster. When doing so, however, it’s important to not belittle the tasks that people are stressing about.

2. Tip: More Fun for a Pleasant Working Atmosphere

This leads us to the next function of humor. People like working in an office where no one takes themselves too seriously. Fun at work can create an atmosphere that most people perceive as comfortable. “There’s a word in Viennese for the friendly but also at times caustic banter that’s so typical for the city: Schmäh. Leaders absolutely need Schmäh. It fosters trust and brings a sense of lightness to teams and also to the relationship between staff and their superiors.” As a result, employees will feel more comfortable addressing touchy topics, “because they don’t take themselves too seriously” and thus are not preoccupied with saving face.

3. Tip: Humor Creates Serenity - and that Goes for Managers too

Managers benefit from fun at work and a relaxed atmosphere, which can even help them make better decisions. But they must also be able to take a joke at their expense. “Managers should not take themselves too seriously. They can’t be offended if somebody pokes fun at them.” This would spoil the mood. Instead of thinking, ‘I have to be perfect all the time; I have to know the right answer right away; I have to know everything,’ managers should dare to show their vulnerable side as well. If a project has gone astray, they could admit to this failing with a light joke such as ‘Now we know how not to approach this next time around.”

4. Tip: Fun at Work as the Key to Building Relationships

The Dean emphasizes the importance of building rapport, which is another function humor serves. “Most people like to laugh, and sharing a laugh is a perfect way to connect with others,” she says. “A good joke can create closeness among people who have not known each other for a long time yet. It conveys the message: ‘Good to have you here. We’re a team.’”

5. Tip: Humor Should not be Neglected even in Home Office

This message is hard to spread among employees who mainly work from home – but it’s especially important for them. “When people work in an office, they meet and get to chat at the water cooler,” Barbara Stöttinger points out, “but this doesn’t happen for remote workers.” In such a situation, it is important to organize social events where everybody gets together. When the coronavirus pandemic suddenly forced everybody to work from home, companies started to have “coffee calls” in the morning.

Managers vs. Clowns: Where to Draw the Line

Having said all of this, Barbara Stöttinger emphasizes that business leaders should not confuse their role with that of a stand-up comedian. “If you don’t want to risk offending somebody through a funny remark gone wrong, you must know them well. There must be a certain level of trust.” This is more easily achieved in small teams where members know each other well than in larger companies. Managers should also be aware of intercultural differences when working in international teams. Something that’s funny in Austria can be perceived as quite rude in Japan, and the other way around.

Plus, what’s considered funny or not changes over time. Jokes that were acceptable in the past, have become a no-go today. A heightened sense of political correctness has also limited what can be joked about today, “which is a good thing. Non-PC jokes often garnered laughs at the expense of individuals or certain groups. You can be funny without making fun of somebody or hurting their feelings.”

Fun at Work: Navigate with Sensitivity

The line between what’s funny and what’s an insult can be blurry. It might be hard to learn to see it: “That takes intuition.” When a manager doesn’t know somebody very well, they should proceed with care. How does the other person respond? Which jokes do they laugh about; when do they frown? But despite being careful and considerate, they should always stay authentic. And they also should not overthink it, the Dean says.

Dealing with Leadership Mistakes in a Fun Way

So, humor helps managers adopt a more relaxed view of themselves and their own mistakes. To further elaborate on how this is the case, Barbara Stöttinger discusses the three most frequent leadership errors, not resisting the temptation to give the enumeration a funny twist.

1. Leadership Mistake: When a Lot of Work Brings Little Progress

Most managers are busy, but some still don’t get their projects off the ground. “This is a kind of leadership I refer to as ‘management by rocking chair,’” Stöttinger says with a wink. “A manager without a good strategy or who does not have their priorities straight can toil away all they want. They will not get anywhere. They will simply be rocking back and forth.”

The solution to this dilemma is to think about which tasks to handle yourself and what needs to be delegated. An obsession with doing everything yourself – for fear of missing out or to prove something to your colleagues – is a surefire way to end up in the rocking chair. “Managers have to see the whole picture, but they can’t be involved in every last detail.”

2. Leadership Mistake: When Contact with the Team is Lost

Then there is the management mistake the Dean calls “Management by graveyard groundskeeper.” “On top of a bunch of people, but not in touch with anyone,” she summarizes this leadership mistake. Many managers lose touch with their employees when they supervise large teams. And that’s really not advisable, as Barbara Stöttinger explains. “Some managers think that department heads can lead staff and they themselves only need to keep an eye on the strategy. This is far from effective leadership. Especially large teams need leaders.”

If a manager is in close contact with the whole team, he or she also knows what customers want and which developments are shaping the market. This is also why many companies have started to work in smaller teams. This way everybody in the organization has a point of contact.

3. Leadership Mistakes: When Others are Intentionally Kept Down

And then there is a third leadership mistake Barbara Stöttinger often observes. Nipping ideas and initiatives of staff members in the bud to keep them small in comparison to the manager’s achievements. The economist refers to this as “management by bonsai,” explaining, “It’s like people who only laugh about their own jokes and are unable to appreciate a good pun by somebody else. Frequently, such behavior is the result of insecurity, because the manager mistakenly believes that others’ success is a threat to their power.”

Good managers should not only be able to laugh about a good joke but also to celebrate and promote others’ professional success. This motivates the team and gives rise to new ideas. And at the end of the day, a successful team is also evidence for a successful team lead.

Why Fun is so Vital in the Working World

We know that funny jokes aren’t the cure-all for the business world’s problems. “Humor is more like an energy kick,” Barbara Stöttinger says. “It doesn’t take long to share a funny comment. But in this short amount of time, positive energy is released that enables the team to change perspective.” As a result, the solutions a situation calls for are more easily found.

And if you are still not convinced, consider your own benefit: “It really does not hurt to have fun at your work.”

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