He who laughs last, laughs best at work.
1 March 2012
Read by 2069 persons
Humor and derision are excellent management tools, especially for their stress-relieving effect.
Once considered detrimental to employee productivity, laughter was banished from offices. In his book, Laughter in the Workplace(1), Jawad Mejjad points out that, "if there is one place where, a priori, one would not expect to find an expression of laughter, it is the company. Indeed, a company implies work, production, efficiency." According to this doctor of sociology, the acceptance of laughter is a recent phenomenon that spread during the 20th century, and more particularly in recent years. Laughter has been gradually "recycled" to become a management tool capable of strengthening ties between employees... and allowing them to combat stress.
A solution to employee anxieties
In Europe, 20% of employees believe their health is affected by work-related stress problems. "How do you cope with stress at the office?" the online recruiter Monster therefore asked 2,100 employees in Southern Europe, including 1,000 French people. While the results differ from one country to another, a great burst of laughter constituted the majority of the responses: 39% of those surveyed say that it is necessary to "see things with humor and derision" to counter the anxieties of work. According to Clementine Dunne, founder of the Coeur de rire association, "the praise of workplace health has contributed to the development of laughter workshops in companies."
Italians take the lead, with 46% considering laughter as the anti-stress solution. Note that the Arts Office of ESC Dijon has just launched the first edition of The ESC LOL Tour, a humor festival running until December 14 on the campuses of around ten French management schools.
(1) "Laughter in the Company. A comprehensive analysis of laughter in society", L'Harmattan.
Martin des Brest
Lexpress.fr
Published on November 7, 2011.
Posted online on March 1, 2012.
Once considered detrimental to employee productivity, laughter was banished from offices. In his book, Laughter in the Workplace(1), Jawad Mejjad points out that, "if there is one place where, a priori, one would not expect to find an expression of laughter, it is the company. Indeed, a company implies work, production, efficiency." According to this doctor of sociology, the acceptance of laughter is a recent phenomenon that spread during the 20th century, and more particularly in recent years. Laughter has been gradually "recycled" to become a management tool capable of strengthening ties between employees... and allowing them to combat stress.
A solution to employee anxieties
In Europe, 20% of employees believe their health is affected by work-related stress problems. "How do you cope with stress at the office?" the online recruiter Monster therefore asked 2,100 employees in Southern Europe, including 1,000 French people. While the results differ from one country to another, a great burst of laughter constituted the majority of the responses: 39% of those surveyed say that it is necessary to "see things with humor and derision" to counter the anxieties of work. According to Clementine Dunne, founder of the Coeur de rire association, "the praise of workplace health has contributed to the development of laughter workshops in companies."
Italians take the lead, with 46% considering laughter as the anti-stress solution. Note that the Arts Office of ESC Dijon has just launched the first edition of The ESC LOL Tour, a humor festival running until December 14 on the campuses of around ten French management schools.
(1) "Laughter in the Company. A comprehensive analysis of laughter in society", L'Harmattan.
Martin des Brest
Lexpress.fr
Published on November 7, 2011.
Posted online on March 1, 2012.
