The Serious Case for Workplace Humor
Homage to April Fools
In 1989, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson pulled off an elaborate April Fools' Day prank that nearly got him arrested. Branson and his team had built a UFO by attaching silver casing and flashing lights to a hot air balloon. They flew the contraption over London, watching gleefully as motorists below ground to a halt and gawked at the spectacle.
What Branson and his crew didn't realize, however, was that their stunt had drawn the attention of the police and the army. When the police finally surrounded the landed "UFO," they sent a single officer to confront the "alien" emerging from the craft — only to watch him sprint away in terror as a Virgin employee dressed as ET descended through dry ice vapor.
Initially, the police threatened to arrest Branson for wasting their time. But they eventually joined in the fun and left with smiles on their faces. For Branson, the escapade exemplified the value of infusing the workplace with humor and surprise. It's an ethos he has espoused throughout his colorful career.
The Power of Playfulness
Branson is hardly alone among successful CEOs known for their puckish streaks. From Steve Jobs' prank calls to Starbucks during iPhone launches (video HERE) to Southwest Airlines' CEO Herb Kelleher's legendary arm-wrestling match for the rights to an advertising slogan, history is replete with examples of leaders who understood the transformative power of humor in the workplace.
These antics aren't just about having fun — they serve a deeper purpose. Humor is a powerful tool for boosting morale, sparking creativity, and fostering a sense of camaraderie and trust among colleagues. In a world where the line between work and life is increasingly blurred, a little levity goes a long way in making the office feel more human.
Yet many of today's workplaces seem to have lost sight of this wisdom. A creeping corporatism, coupled with valid concerns about inappropriate behavior, has made a certain paranoid seriousness the default mode in many offices. In our drive to sanitize the workplace, we risk sanitizing the soul out of our organizations, hollowing out the very spirit of invention and daring that most companies claim to prize.
The costs of this humorless approach are steep. It saps morale, stifles original thinking, and makes work feel like a soulless slog. It's no wonder that, according to a recent Gallup poll, only 36% of U.S. employees feel engaged at work. Surely some of the blame lies with the sheer sterility of the average corporate environment.
The Science of Laughter
There has to be a better way. And there is: It's to take a page from the Bransons and Kellehers of the world, and embrace the power of humor and playfulness at work. Not as a frivolous distraction, but as a strategic necessity. As a way to tap into the full, creative potential of our people and organizations.
Research backs up the idea that humor is a serious business asset. Studies have shown that laughter can increase creativity by up to 20%, while also aiding in stress relief, group cohesion, and overall team effectiveness. A meta-analysis by Mesmer-Magnus et al. (2012) found that positive humor in the workplace was associated with enhanced work performance, job satisfaction, workgroup cohesion, health, and coping effectiveness, as well as decreased burnout, stress, and work withdrawal.
The benefits extend to leadership as well. The benefits of humor extend to leadership as well. A study by Avolio, Howell, and Sosik (1999) published in the Academy of Management Journal found that managers who use humor as part of their leadership style tend to perform better and receive higher performance ratings from their subordinates. This suggests that leaders who can effectively use humor not only create a more enjoyable work environment but also tend to be more successful in their roles.
Fun is for Everyone
You don't have to be a household business name or a born entertainer to bring more humor and humanity to the workplace. Anyone, at any level of an organization, can wield levity to lighten the mood, foster camaraderie, and make work feel a little more playful. The key is to find small, authentic ways to infuse the day-to-day with moments of mirth and joy.
Consider the story of a colleague who discovered his officemate's aversion to calling IT for help. The tech-savvy prankster began subtly changing his coworker's computer settings whenever he stepped away — resizing the font, hiding the taskbar, tweaking the screen resolution. For months, he watched in amusement as his frustrated deskmate huffed and puffed, refusing to admit defeat. When the jig was finally up, the prankster treated his colleague to a shoeshine and a valuable lesson in humility.
This playful approach isn't just about having fun; it can actually improve how teams work together and get things done. A study by Lehmann-Willenbrock and Allen (2014) found that teams that joked around together performed better. When team members shared a laugh, it led to better communication, more organized work processes, and even sparked new ideas. Interestingly, the study showed that humor was linked to better team performance even more strongly than general social chatter. In other words, it's not just about being friendly — there's something special about sharing a joke that really helps teams click and excel.
Even in the most serious environments, a well-timed joke can break tension and foster collaboration. At one of my previous companies, during an intense collaboration with Air Force officials, a playful prank involving a "top-secret" message about revolutionary concrete (which was just a photo of a grass field) not only amused the generals but also brought our teams closer together. It signaled to our employees that even in high-stakes contexts, there's room for levity.
This aligns with research by Romero and Cruthirds (2006), who found that humor can be used strategically in organizations to accomplish several objectives, including reducing stress, enhancing leadership, and creating and maintaining organizational culture. They emphasize that when used appropriately, humor can be a powerful tool for improving group cohesiveness and communication.
By incorporating these small moments of joy and laughter into our workday, we create an environment where creativity can flourish and team bonds can strengthen. And as these studies show, the benefits extend far beyond just having a good time – they can significantly impact our work outcomes and organizational culture.
Putting Humor to Work
So how can leaders infuse their organizations with a healthy dose of humor and humanity? The key is to start small and lead by example. Share a self-deprecating story at the next all-hands meeting. Crack a joke during a tense negotiation. Celebrate the "epic failures" that taught valuable lessons. By showing that you don't take yourself too seriously, you create space for others to let their guard down and bring their full, authentic selves to work.
One powerful way to set the tone is through rituals and routines. At Southwest Airlines, for example, flight attendants are known for turning safety announcements into stand-up comedy routines — a practice that not only delights passengers but also reinforces the company's fun-loving brand. Similarly, leaders can institute lighthearted traditions like "Funny Hat Fridays" or a weekly joke contest.
Whether it's forwarding a clever cartoon to your team, instigating a friendly prank war with a colleague, or simply showing that you can laugh at yourself, there are countless ways to create pockets of fun and joy in even the most buttoned-up environments. The goal is to create an environment where moments of levity and laughter are a normal, natural part of the workday.
Serious Business
Of course, there's a time and a place for humor. It should never be used to punch down, exclude, or harm. The humor should be inclusive, consensual, and fit for the occasion. And even in fun cultures, there are moments when a "game face" is required.
The key, then, is not just to use humor, but to use the right kind of humor in the right way. This aligns with research by Yam et al. (2018), which found that leader humor can increase employee creativity and performance, but only when it aligns with the leader's overall style and organizational culture. This underscores the importance of authenticity in workplace humor – it should feel natural and consistent with the company's values.
But those caveats aside, the upside of humor at work is immense. In an era of extreme churn and uncertainty, it's laughter that will give organizations the resilience to adapt. Amid fierce battles for talent and relentless quests for innovation, it's the companies that know how to have fun that will be most adept at luring top performers and hatching breakthrough ideas.
So to the leaders striving to build cultures of innovation, engagement, and sheer competitive advantage, I say: Embrace the power of humor. Not as a fluffy nice-to-have, but as a strategic imperative. Hire for it. Train for it. And model it, relentlessly.
Because in a world of relentless pressures and blistering pace, it's the organizations that know how to laugh that will have the last word. Not just because people will enjoy working there, but because they'll be more inventive, more agile, and more fiercely alive. And that's no joke.
Happy April Fools!
Evan Loomis is an early-stage venture investor at Overmatch, where he focuses on critical technology, space, and defense.