You must have heard the saying “Laughter is the best medicine”. Research has now confirmed that laughter, being funny or even taking it easy is an important trait to get a job and keep it too!

The Harvard Business Review has found that executives with a sense of humor climb the corporate ladder faster and make more money in their careers. They found an overwhelming amount of evidence that trust is significantly enhanced with levity. Other benefits are better communication, since when we are laughing we are listening. Boeing uses fun to drive creativity in their organization, which is a fascinating case study in the book

One great example is Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Empire. He’s crossed dressed, bungee jumped, hung out in bars and done about everything possible to connect with and have fun with his people. He’s a billionaire who got there by building an organization that is serious about winning, but serious about having fun along the way.

According to The Great Place to Work Institute the top 100 organizations every year (Fortune’s top 100) have more than 80 percent of their employees who say they have fun at work.

Chris Robert, assistant professor of management in MU’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, said that humor – particularly joking around about things associated with the job – actually has a positive impact in the workplace. Occasional humor among colleagues, he said, enhances creativity, department cohesiveness and overall performance.

In their book “The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up”, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher trace the word “levity” to the Latin “levitas,” which is the same root for levitate. “That’s the secret to levity,” they write. “It raises things.” In the book they lay out a very compelling argument for levity in the workplace, and give real-life examples of companies that get it right and companies that don’t.

Why is humor so important in the workplace today? According to Wysocki, a survey of Fortune 500 executives revealed that one of the top traits they look for in a manager is a sense of humor.

The reasons most cited include:

1) A sense of humor implies character, social skills, and an ability to laugh at oneself.

2) A sense of humor in the workplace can be seen as an integral quality to success, or perhaps a necessary survival skill.

3) A lack of a sense of humor may suggest someone disconnected from the trials in life, or someone incapable of tapping into laughter. These are all things that make more resilient, effective managers.

So keep smiling and you may get a job too!

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