Small business success can be helped by humor

LOS ANGELES
March 14, 2006 2:01pm

Even the grumpiest of bosses can learn to use humor in the workplace to help the team succeed, says Roberta Gold, a Los Angeles-based humor therapist and owner Laughter For The Health of It.

She says proper use of humor in the workplace can translate into a better bottom line.

“I think a lot more people are realizing that when you inject humor you actually humanize the workplace and you make it a more cohesive and fun place to come and work at,” she says. “And when people want to come to work, then they work harder.”

((Listen to an interview with Ms. Gold by clicking on the link below.))

Ms. Gold has been coaching companies and other organizations in the use of humor for more than 20 years.

Even some of her toughest clients have bought into the concept of using humor, Ms. Gold says.

“Once they see how it can be used in a positive way … they really see the reality of how it works and they’ve come around,” she says. “I’ve had people change personalities on it; it’s been great.”

She suggests some easy ways to ease into humor at work. Have a “Humor Board” or “Humor Room” at work, or, if space is limited, have a “Humor Section” of your desk where you have funny cartoons and "toys" that invoke laughter when you see them, Ms. Gold says.