Do this 1 thing to increase employee retention
New research from the University of Kansas reveals that laughter is a predictor of satisfaction and success in romantic relationships. In other words, couples who laugh and joke together are more likely to be happy and stay together than those who don’t.
Although romantic relationships are significantly different from those that arise in the workplace, the same concept applies – laughter is a powerful tool that unites people. And it can improve the retention of your employees.
How? Here’s a look at the science of laughter, how it can make your employees want to stay around, and how to fill your work environment with laughter while maintaining your level of professionalism:
Laughter reaffirms the corporate culture
While laughter in itself can make you feel good, these warm blurry sensations are not what will strengthen the bonds between people. According to research by the University of Kansas, it’s really about laughing at the same things that bring people together.
Your humor is a reflection of your own attitudes, interests and behavior. So when someone finds the same things funny as you, it shows that they share similar feelings and beliefs. And when someone laughs at your jokes, you feel like they understand you.
In this way, laughter strengthens relationships. And in the same vein, laughter reaffirms your corporate culture and promotes employee retention.
When coworkers laugh, it restores their sense of belonging to the team and the organization as a whole. If your employees feel they belong to a group of individuals who understand their point of view and have similar values, they will be happier and less likely to jump off the boat.
How to bring it to the office: Lead the way to employees and show them what appropriate humor looks like within your corporate culture. Try using YouTube memes, emoticons, or videos in PowerPoint presentations, emails, chats, and other internal communications—and encourage your employees to do the same. Just make sure everyone is on the same wavelength in when it’s acceptable to make a joke. For example, a team status meeting can be the perfect time to share this Bad Girlsclip, but they probably won’t appreciate it when meeting with a client.
Laughter encourages creativity
Laughter not only makes people feel more connected, but it also helps your employees feel safe and comfortable.
Inside jokes help build shared space between people, according to a report by the University of Kansas. In this space, people feel more comfortable taking risks and accepting the unconventional.
In fact, research published by the Association for Psychological Science found that when humor and laughter are used in workplace meetings, it encourages participation and creative problem solving.
When teams joke and play with each other, your employees feel more comfortable sharing their ideas, finding creative solutions, and taking risks. They will also feel empowered to try out new ideas and take control. In other words, they will be more engaged – and engagement is a great predictor for employee retention. When employees feel their team is a safe springboard for ideas and have the freedom to use their creativity, they will want to stay on board for the long haul.
How to bring it to the office: Allow employees to make internal jokes — but keep an eye on jokes that go beyond playful to malicious. If you hear jokes on behalf of any one employee, nip them in the bud. Talk to the team and see how indecent jokes or jokes that single someone out are inappropriate and not in line with the company culture. The key is to keep humor safe and funny for everyone.
Laughter reduces stress
When relationships are strained or life becomes stressful, romantic partners often use laughter as a way to lighten the mood, according to research from the University of Kansas. . . In the same way, you can use humor to increase employee retention in your workplace.
When employees laugh with their coworkers every day, they will feel less stressed overall. And if they can laugh through difficult things, they will be less likely to head up the hills when a last-minute project falls on their desk or when work suddenly gets underway. No office will ever be truly stress-free, but laughter can help relieve tension, lift the mood, and make work a little easier in difficult times.
How to bring it to the office: In stressful times, pull out the clowns. Encourage managers to send supportive and funny emails to their teams when they’re in the middle of a big project or screening Office episodes in a breakroom after the team reaches a tight deadline. Whatever your approach, rest assured that humor does not distract you too much from completing tasks. After all, there is still a lot to work on!