Anthony Solimini is a seasoned UBS banker by day and a stand-up comedian by night. Here is his exclusive take on why people with a sense of humor are the most productive workforce.

I have been working in the financial services industry for over 27 years. In that time, I have learned a lot, travelled a lot, and met some amazing people along the way. I did, however, also learn that leaders and people with a sense of humor are the most productive, most respected and typically run the most engaged workforce.

Why? Well, aside from the obvious fact that it's probably more fun, as early as the mid-1980s, a survey found that 84 percent of Vice Presidents and personnel directors in 100 of the largest corporations around the globe felt that employees with a sense of humor are more effective on the job than people with little or no sense of humor.

Many companies still believe work and fun should never be mixed

The organization conducting the survey concluded that «People with a sense of humor tend to be more creative, less rigid and more willing to consider and embrace new ideas and methods.»

But many companies, and individuals, still believe the old adage that work and fun should never be mixed. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Leaders and organizations cannot just worry about efficiency. People have emotions, personalities, and a paranoia about what other people might think of them. Efficiency doesn’t work for people. It works for processes.

How do we know? Well, according Yue Xiaodong, Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Social Studies of the City University of Hong Kong, «Humour, according to psychologists, is a playful frame of mind that gives individuals a feeling of well-being, better thinking skills and pain relief».

«Humor improves communication skills, builds relationships, and enhances problem solving»

Think about this definition. It already tells you how much humor can help in the office. It can improve employees’ psychological well-being, strengthen their ability to cope with stress, improve their interaction with co-workers, unleash their creativity and foster an inclusive work environment. There is thus no doubt that humor should be encouraged in the workplace by HR professionals: why wouldn’t you hire someone who gets the job done and makes you laugh?

Humor improves communication skills, builds relationships, and enhances problem solving. It increases productivity, strengthens leadership, and boosts health. It makes work less boring, more fun, and makes it something you actually want to do.

After 7 years of doing stand-up comedy, I started the first of its kind workshop in Hong Kong called «Stand Up and Deliver». It is a public speaking course using stand-up comedy as the training medium. Instead of a boring boardroom and PowerPoint slides, we do the workshop at the TakeOut Comedy Club on Elgin Street.

«Using humor in the office isn’t about making work funny, it’s about making work fun»

We spend a few hours talking about how we can be more engaging, memorable and charismatic by injecting lighthearted humor in your everyday work life and in presentations. At the end of the workshop, each participant delivers a three minute stand-up comedy routine, and I can tell you this: it's transformational for many participants. When they see the power of getting the audience to relax, be empathetic and laugh, they realize its potential.

Please remember, when we talk about humor in the workplace, we aren’t talking just about comedy, or telling jokes. Using humor in the office isn’t about making work funny, it’s about making work fun. It’s about doing things a little differently that causes people to smile.

Humor and comedy, when you break it down, is nothing more than looking at the world in a different way than usual. When a leader sees a problem, he or she has to think differently, creatively and sometimes downright crazy to come up with a solution. With stand-up comedy, sometimes 3 or 4 comedians will help each other re-write and re-write a joke until it makes sense or is punchier. Same for the workplace, ideas need to come from all angles to ensure the best solution.

«Just hire me and I will charge you exorbitant amounts of money»

Over the past decade or so the Wall Street Journal columns by Hal Lancaster (Managing Your Career) and Thomas Petzinger (The Front Lines) have frequently drawn attention to the growing need for creativity in the workplace. As we move into the new millennium, you can assume that your company’s competition is learning to work faster and smarter.

So to get ahead of the competition, you have no choice but to be innovative. And a company becomes innovative only when it has innovative employees and provides a work environment that nurtures creativity, spontaneity and fun.

So, if you’re ready to get started using humor, that's great. Just hire me and I will charge you exorbitant amounts of money and make your team so funny, they will quit their jobs and join the circus. Ok, I tried.

«Here are a few tips to get you started»

Once you've become convinced that making work fun and more enjoyable increase overall productivity, how do you go about introducing elements of fun into your work setting?

Each company has its own unique cultural considerations which influence what will and will not work, so it's up to you to make your own best guess about how to go about lightening up your work environment. Whatever approach you adopt, remember to always ensure competence and professionalism, even when you're having fun. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Establish a Fun Centre!

Every company has its own unique culture and having fun in one place might not work in another. Establishing a «fun centre» helps create fun activities and events that will be appropriate for your company.

This team of people should rotate to keep ideas fresh and sustain ongoing commitment to fun on the job. This could include a night at a comedy club, a night at a theatre, a copy of a book that is relevant for your industry, etc.

2. Create a Humor Corner!

Encourage employees to contribute anything they find or read that is funny. Especially work related items. For example, Dilbert comics are plastered all over engineering companies around the world.

Have 2-3 owners of the corner and review for appropriateness and sensitivity. Start with a blank corner each Monday, but keep the old items. Put them together in a book and give them to the employee who’s had to deal with the most difficult customer or issue that month, or was most effective in using humor to deal with a difficult problem on the job.

3. Have Crazy Fun-Days (Instead of Mondays!)

Consider a day in which everyone is encouraged to wear a silly tie, shoes, shirt, etc. Many companies do this on certain public holidays in their country. Think of Richard Branson wearing a flight attendants uniform and greeting passengers boarding the plane.

Or perhaps staff at Apple having a jeans and black turtle neck day in honor of Steve Jobs. And, of course, have fun prizes that staff can proudly display on their desks.

4. Promise, the Leader Will Dress up as a Gorilla!

Let's say you are working on a tight deadline for a project. Tell the team that if it comes in on time, under budget, whatever that you as the leader will come to work dressed up as a gorilla, or a dinosaur or a cowboy.

This is fun, and also shows your staff you're human and can take yourself lightly.

5. Have a Complaint Fund!

Let's say you have too much negativity or complaining at your work place. You have a jar in plain sight and any staff member caught being negative or complaining puts money in it. At the end of each month the money is used for a small office party.

So, remember, while making the effort to bring elements of fun into your work, always remember to continue taking your work seriously while taking yourself lightly. You can remain professional and competent and still bring a sense of humor and fun to your job. Keep laughing!

Anthony Solimini is a UBS banker based in Hong Kong by day and a stand-up comedian by night. Originally form Boston, MA, he has worn many hats in 26 years of international experience in London, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, and has excelled at most of them. Certified in the Sandler Sales Process as well as the Management Groups Leadership 360', for the past 15 years.

He has worked with companies all over the world such as J.P. Morgan, Lenovo, Heineken, Societe General, Deutsche Bank, Gulf Oil, Freshfields, USA Consulate, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America helping people become more charismatic and compelling leaders by using body language, humor, «power» words and confidence.

A published author of two books, he is also a stand-up comedian and self-confessed travel junkie. He currently resides in Hong Kong as well as spending time at his home in Marco Island, Florida.