Experts talks about power of having people laugh for better engagement
Discussion around diversity, equity and inclusion can be filled with tension sometimes, but humour can be the things that soften things up without letting people take the topic lightly, according to one expert.
Tina Varughese says she uses humour when it comes to DEI as a way of connecting with her audience.
“Gender equity, racism, racial, equality – these difficult topics are very tough to manage at the workplace. And often, keynote speakers come in with a shame and blame approach, which doesn't work… because people will tune out before they tune in,” she says in talking with HRDTV’s Chris Davis as part of HRDTV’s Thought Leaders Series.
“I use humor as a bridge to build bridges and break down barriers,” she says in the video, available here for free.
Humour can be powerful in dealing with other issues in the workplace as well, says Varughese.
“Studies have shown that productivity will increase minimally by 12% when people feel they have a positive workplace culture. Conversely, studies show that productivity will decrease minimally by 10% if they feel they have a negative workplace culture.
“So, the one easy way to add that engagement, you know, wanting people to be at the workplace, is adding humor and laughter into your environment.”
Humour can be useful, even for workers who deal with death on a regular basis, she shares.
“I was keynoting for one of the funeral directors associations in Canada. They're dealing with death on a regular basis, and yet the laughter and the humour was placed in strategic ways. They used it as a bridge.
“Sometimes, if we don't laugh about it, we're going to cry about it. And so if we can minimally find ways to have more fun, have more laughter and humour in the workplace, people tend to be more engaged, more productive, more collaborative, and they feel psychologically more safe at the end of the day. So I encourage it in every capacity.”
HRD previously wrote about the place of humour in the workplace.
Varughese also discusses strategies to facilitate open and authentic communication amongst employees and the measurable outcomes that employers can see from moving from being siloed to being more collaborative.
Catch the full conversation here.