MarketPlace

Tired of routine at work? A dose of good humour is all you need

JOKE

Overusing humour can hurt a company’s credibility. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The male employees of car battery company, Chloride Exide Kenya, on October 4 this year reported working dressed in women attire in a display of a positive sense of humour at the workplace that research shows could lead to increased staff engagement and ultimately better customer service.

The unusual dress code was part of the commemoration of the national customer service week marked annually on the first full week of October. During this period, over 500 companies nationally engage in different activities that show appreciation to their customers.

For Chloride Exide Kenya, all its male employees led by the Managing Director Guy Jack wore dresses with matching high heel shoes, handbags and wigs as a way of showing support of women’s health especially breast cancer.

The pictures were then posted on its Facebook page with an accompanying statement reading: “Our customers were highly entertained today when our male staff, led by our CEO, walked a day in women’s shoes (literally) to show support of women’s health, particularly breast cancer.”

Their efforts were acknowledged by consumers online. In fact, its posts on Facebook prior to the day, show that the company’s engagement with its public was between 30 and 70 likes per post.
However, when they posted the pictures for customer service week, they received 6,100 likes with an engagement of 3,300 comments and the post was shared 6,800 times.

One consumer, Anna Wamaitha, commented: “I find this extremely hilarious. Are some of you in the photos actually men?”

Display of humour at the workplace is a way of entertainment and it breaks the monotony of routine. It helps boost employee morale and gives them a sense of belonging while maximising on the level of services being offered to customers.

Additionally, employers providing a fun, supportive workplace may attract workers who see their work as a joy and approach tasks positively. Research shows that such employees would provide better customer service and would have an abundance of energy and enthusiasm to focus their talents toward the organisation’s goals and objectives.

‘Positive workplace humour can increase the level of employee and senior staff engagement which reflects on its interaction with customers and could increase sales especially if it resonates with the target market. However, it is important to note that not all humour is positive, some might be offensive and rub consumers the wrong way leading to a backlash of the brand,” said Purity Mithika, a Business Development Manager at Institute of Customer Experience, the professional body for customer experience in Kenya.

Indeed, according to a 2007 paper on the use of humour in the workplace by Kevin W. Cruthirds, a professor of management and marketing at the University of Texas at Brownsville, humour can lighten the mood within organisational environments and make work life more enjoyable.

In different circumstances, humour is a double-edged sword, because what is perceived as humorous by one person can be quite offensive to another person.

Negative humour includes humour-based activities that result in repression, humiliation, degradation and intentional or unintentional distress in organizations

“Humor in an organisation creates an open atmosphere by awakening positive emotions that improve listening, understanding, and acceptance of messages.

It has an attention-grabbing quality and leads to improved comprehension, persuasion and emotional connection. Therefore, humour in the workplace can be tailored to produce amusing messages for clients that are likely to lead to positive results.

However, due to differences in sense of humour, what is funny to one person can spark negative feelings in an organisation which is reflected in their work.

Furthermore, companies that use too much humour can lose credibility, as customers may not take them seriously which is also problematic,” reported Cruthirds.

- African Laughter