For those who have worked with me, sharing a laugh is something I often do and encourage on the (digital) workfloor. It’s so important to me that I had to write a blog post about it! Laughter isn’t just about having fun; it’s a powerful tool that can significantly improve our work lives. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the benefits of laughter at work, share typical occasions where you can enjoy a good laugh, and discuss how to incorporate humor into team retrospectives. By the end, you’ll see why adding a bit of humor to our day can make work more enjoyable and productive.

The Benefits of Having a Laugh at Work

Laughter is more than just a reaction to something funny; it’s a powerful tool that can make our work lives a lot better. It can reduce stress, boost our immune system, and release those feel-good chemicals called endorphins. At work, this means better team bonding, more creativity, and higher job satisfaction. Plus, happy employees are up to 12% more productive, according to a study by the University of Warwick (*1). So, by adding a bit of humor to our day, we can make work more fun and get more done.

Typical Occasions for a Good Laugh

There are plenty of opportunities for a good laugh at work, and they often happen during the most unexpected moments. When I’m working at the office, I start my day by briefly visiting the teams and wishing them a great day. Often, there’s joking involved, and we share a laugh. Besides the common after-work drinks and lunch breaks, you can have a laugh during a spontaneous fun challenge after lunch to kick start the after-lunch dip. Celebrating successes and done work with a creative twist is also an opportunity to have a good laugh and strengthen bonds among team members. I believe it’s part of my role (RTE), or any leader or facilitator’s role, to lighten the mood. Don’t forget that sending someone a thoughtful message can also bring a smile and lighten their mood.

Building One of Your Team Retrospectives Around Sharing a Laugh

Have you ever considered using a retrospective to lift team morale and incorporate laughter into every detail of the session? This type of retrospective is especially powerful at the end of a PI (Program Increment) or when your team could use a boost in building trust.

My retrospectives always start with an Energizer (stay tuned for one of my future blogs on this topic!), followed by the main activity, and end with the check-out.

Outline for a Sharing-a-Laugh Retrospective:

• The Energizer – Animal Mimicking

Every team member draws a ticket from a bowl on which an animal is written. In turns, the team member behaves like this animal, and the group guesses the animal. Repeat until everyone has had a turn.

• Main Activity – Snakes and Ladders

The facilitator creates a game of Snakes and Ladders (you can either use my digital creation (*2 see link below) or draw a board yourself). In this game, you need to come up with two types of questions to challenge the team. Assign a challenge to certain positions on the board. I use two types of questions: (1) an agile question and (2) a team/environment-related question. When they answer incorrectly, they have to move back two spots. Let the team members team up with a buddy. Happy playing!

• Check-out – Reflection

Challenge your team(s) on why it’s important to share a laugh together and ask them how they can and will incorporate this into their day-to-day workdays.

I’d love to hear what works for you—leave a comment below with your favorite ways to share a laugh at work.

(*1): Oswald, Andrew J. , Proto, Eugenio and Sgroi, Daniel. (2015) Happiness and productivity. Journal of Labor Economics, 33 (4). pp. 789-822.

(*2): https://playingcards.io/z9tr5n