The Top Ten Ways To Use Humor at Work

Want to use more humor to celebrate National Humor Month? Here’s the top ten things you need to know about humor in the workplace, whether you’re working in a hospital, a long term care facility, a school, or any of the other places nurses call ‘the office’.

1.     Humor is in the eye of the beholder. Set boundaries of what is appropriate and what is not, because what some people find humorous, others will find offensive. Parameters of acceptable behaviors can be in the form of official written policies, but you want to be aware of your colleague’s verbal and non verbal communications. If you’re in a supervisory position, don’t forget to model the appropriate use of humor.

2.     Keep it clean and kind.  Therapeutic humor is humor that lifts the spirit and creates positive feelings. Avoid hurtful, embarrassing humor — if you’re the one who just went sliding through a spill of unidentified green goop, it’s okay to laugh. But if another nurse does it? You might want to see how she’s reacting, first. (more…)