Humour in the workplace

In last week's workplace section of the Globe and Mail, Wallace Immen writes about pranks in the workplace. With April Fool’s Day upon us, a number of recent surveys suggest that most workers don’t appreciate pranks in the office and are not tolerated.

I must admit, I hate practical jokes. I don’t take them very well and see them as hurtful and mean-spirited. I will, however, tell you that there is lots of room in the workplace for good-old fashioned humour and funny story-telling. I love to laugh. Anybody who has worked with me knows I have a permanent smile on my face (unless someone has irked me into a scowl) but my personal DNA is made up of passion, perfection … and a good healthy dose of humour.

I love to surround myself with optimistic, charismatic, funny people. Not “Bozo the Clown” funny but people who can laugh at themselves and make light of situations when you really need to smile. These are usually smart driven people, who have amassed a ton of popular culture and a have a gift for high level wit. I met Warren Buffett a few weeks ago and, let me tell you, if this guy wasn’t a business genius he could easily have a career as a standup comic!

My friend Catherine Lawrence is one of the smartest and funniest people I know. She actually runs a company that teaches corporations of all sizes (law, accounting, finance too!) on how to infuse humour in the workplace. She calls humour a "critical survival skill" and I agree. She is a wonderful speaker, and is the quintessential “Chief Laughter Officer.” I think what she preaches is sorely needed in today’s businesses.

Our agency culture is built on several guiding principles that put our clients first and foremost, but the undercurrent of the company’s culture is rooted in fun and laughter. Why? Because nobody wants to work in a gulag. Yes, we handle serious situations for our clients including managing hardcore crisis and issues, but should a workplace be devoid of humour because of a dire situation? I think just the opposite. I believe the tougher the situation, the more you need to see a lighter side to get through it.

I’ll never forget the day of my dad’s funeral. The saddest day of my life. On the way to the funeral home in the back of the limo, my brother and I were discussing who would be the most appropriate pallbearers to carry my dad. My mother (whose second language is English and certain words still escape her), who was seated next to us, looked at us in a maddening and disgusting way. She remarked in her heavy Italian accent, “I don’t understand why you and your brother are discussing polar bears at a time like this!” My brother and I laughed hysterically in the back seat and, to this day, I’ll always remember my dad’s funeral with a smile. Even then, in the toughest of times, humour went a long way to alleviate the pain and trauma of the situation.

Certainly we can bring that thinking and style to the workplace.

After all, it’s just PR… so lighten up!

Happy April Fool’s Day!

Chatting it up with the coolest rich guy I know

Well, I was there last night. Me and about 200 Bay Street guys and gals all suited up at the Toronto Board of Trade to meet the richest guy in the world (okay, he’s #2 after Bill Gates).

Warren Buffett came into town yesterday, courtesy of his new company purchase, Business Wire, which is now set up in Canada to do business. Another wire service for us PR folks to choose from…goody.

The evening was spectacular and I was pleased as punch to get on the select invite list. Only a few months before when he was in town speaking at some gala event, the going price for a coveted table was $25,000 … and there I was with a free ticket to hear him speak for 90 minutes, with some free drinks and munchies to boot!

I had no idea just how charismatic and funny Mr. Buffet is. He is full of “quotable quotes” and wonderful anecdotes. The program for the evening was exceptionally well done. Mr. Buffett set the stage for the evening – an open Q&A session allowing the audience to participate in the conversation. He said he is open to discussing anything and would answer any question because, as he put it, “I’m not that discreet.”

Well, the evening got off to a quick start with a number of hands shooting up instantly to get some mic time. They came fast and furious: questions on the recession, inflation rates, the mortgage crisis, the state of the U.S. dollar, the U.S. election blah, his investment habits blah, blah… okay, they are all important questions, especially for one of the richest guys. But I can read that by grabbing a copy of his book The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America. Or by reading the paper.

But I went last night wanting to know something about the real Warren Buffett. Like if he works out, his favorite leisure activity, whether he ever made a decision based on gut instinct, how he spends his weekends, his favorite travel destination. As one of only a handful of publicists in the room, I wanted to know the human side of this extraordinary individual.

I was relieved when someone finally asked him a question about his philanthropic views, his charity-giving, and why a lot of his fortune is going to Bill and Melinda’s foundation. “I can only sleep on one mattress and watch one T.V. at a time,” he answered. Poignant and moving, much like all of his answers were (but I bet he owns some mother of a flat-screen television!).

Mr. Buffet can teach all of us a thing or two about public speaking. Although he addressed complex topics, all of his answers were colorful and easy to understand. He didn’t use jargon, he wasn’t convoluted. He answered like your next door neighbor might speak if you asked him why his rosebushes always look so healthy and yours never even bloom: he used simple language, threw in a few compelling anecdotes, and gave a big hearty smile. I was so impressed.

At the end of the evening, I finally got up to approach Mr. Buffett. As the scrum around him started to dissipate, I mustered enough courage to stand in the queue to say hello and ask him my very profound questions. He looked at me with a warm smile and, as he shook my hand, all I could utter was an excitable schoolgirl squeal and the words, “Mr. Buffett I can’t believe I’m shaking your hand!” To which my new American idol so graciously replied, “And I can’t believe I’m shaking yours!” Everyone around us roared, while I blushed. Don’t ask me what I asked him – it was all a blur after that.

What a cool rich guy.