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Make Work FUN: 139 Ways to “Lighten Up”

Your Workplace

By Ann Fry and Terrill Fischer

Copyright © 2003 Ann Fry and Krug Publishing. All rights reserved.

Cover image and BooksOnStuff logo use clip art that is Copyright © 2001 by Microsoft Corporation.

A BooksOnStuff ™ Publication

Books

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.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

INTRODUCTION 4

AWARD IDEAS 5

IDEAS FOR THE BREAKROOM 5

CELEBRATION ACTIVITIES 6

COMMUNICATION IDEAS 7

CONTESTS 8

ENVIRONMENT IDEAS 10

IDEAS TO PROMOTE IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY 11

IDEAS TO LIGHTEN UP MEETINGS 13

OUTSIDE EVENTS 14

RELAXATION OPPORTUNITIES 14

TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES 15

STRESS STOMPERS 16

JUST PLAIN FUN IDEAS 17

ANYTIME! 21

ABOUT HUMOR UNIVERSITY 22

ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND HUMOR UNIVERSITY FACULTY 22

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER 22

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INTRODUCTION We’re glad we got your attention. We all know people who are terminally serious. Black hole serious. No humor available. They drag an overcast day, if not a dark cloud, around with them. Maybe they’re just humor challenged. They have an occasional good mood or creative day sometimes, but other times they have those terribly serious days. Then there are those people who try very hard at humor but have no sense. Or humor. That’s a bad combination. Whatever kind of humor impairment, though, we all know people who need to “lighten up”. Now this may be shocking news for you, but -- some of them are you. In this guide to humor you will find many, many devices that work well. You’ll like some more than others and some will suit your style and situation better. If you implement one or two of these ideas a week for the next six months, you can improve the way you work, and quite possibly the way you live. This doesn’t mean you should settle for only the ideas that are comfortable to you. Try a couple that feel risky. You might surprise yourself. Please note that not all of these ideas are going to be fun for you. Some are best for individuals, some for groups, some for entire companies. The most important thing is to have fun with these ideas and later on share them with some of your serious friends or co-workers. Remember, “we don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!” Have fun!! Terrill and Ann

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AWARD IDEAS 1. Payday: Give out more than just paychecks on payday - give the

employees a special gift, like a candy bar with their checks.

2. Employee Dollars: Award an “employee dollar” to employees who do something special or exceed company expectations. Each month the employee with the most dollars gets movie tickets, dinner, and a plaque with their name as “Employee of the Month.”

3. Person Overboard Award: Reward employees who go “over and beyond” for their customers. The “Person Overboard Award” is a life-saving ring, which the president presents to an employee at a special ceremony.

4. Awards for Worst Customers: If you have difficult customers, have a contest to see who can identify the worst customer of the week. The winner gets a free bottle of champagne and you experience improved morale because your staff is working to please you and to win the award.

5. Worst Hairdo Day: Give out an award for the worst hairdo of the day, like an appointment at a Spa. (Let everyone know ahead of time to wear their worst hairdo.)

6. Pass out Special Fortune Cookies: Have them specially baked and include fortunes that are special to your company – a great way to announce promotions, gifts, etc.

7. “Good job” Stickers: Have staff give stickers to their supervisors when they do a good job and vice versa. They can wear the stickers or collect them on a sheet they post over their desk.

IDEAS FOR THE BREAKROOM 8. Finger-Painting Murals: Put up a large piece of Kraft paper in

the breakroom, set up finger-paints and let ’em rip. Great stress-reliever and creative, fun outlet.

9. Games in the Breakroom: Keep board games, puzzles and small area games like ring toss in the breakroom for entertainment.

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10. Percussion Instrument Day (or String Instrument Day): People bring in their favorite percussion instrument (or string instrument) and there is a “jam” session in the breakroom for 15 minutes in the afternoon.

11. Peanut Butter and Jelly: Put out huge vats of peanut butter and jelly, loaves of bread and knives in the breakroom. Let people make sandwiches whenever they’re hungry. Top it off with barrels of Oreo cookies.

12. Ping Pong Table: Have a ping pong table or two available for playing. It fits many categories – e.g. stress stomping, communication (deals are often made this way), celebration, etc.

13. Video Games: Have a play station or video game system. Games can include individual choices or games for two. They can be aggressive or not.

14. TV and Videos: A great idea is to have funny videos like Three Stooges, Candid Camera shows and other short-segment videos. These get people laughing and put them in a good mood. A great way to spend a break.

CELEBRATION ACTIVITIES 15. Pizza Parties (or Bagel Parties, or Candy Bar Parties): Food

always lightens up a serious occasion - make sure it’s “safe” food and doesn’t create “ptomaine poisoning”.

16. Christmas in July: Celebrate a little holiday cheer with your fellow workers. Sing a few carols and give each other a small present or stocking stuffer to break up the summer routine.

17. Celebrate Hiring Anniversaries: We celebrate birthdays, so why not celebrate the anniversary of when people were hired, by having a little party. Make them feel special for being with the company.

18. Road Warrior Celebration: Throw a party for the person with the most frequent flyer miles or most car miles - they need it because they’re never home long enough to have a party of their own.

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19. Ice Cream Service: Bring in your favorite ice cream server to serve cones of ice cream for afternoon breaks.

20. Lemonade/Popcorn Service: Serve these free, especially on late workdays or when people put in a lot of overtime. The smell of popcorn alone will put them in a better mood.

21. National Tortilla Chip Day: Have a Mexican fiesta where everyone brings in a Mexican dish. You could even hang a piñata for everyone to take a whack at and have it filled with candy, quarters, and other goodies for everyone to snag when it busts open.

22. Build a "Submarine Sandwich Day": Have everyone bring a different meat, cheese, spread, etc. The goal is to build the perfect sub that everyone can enjoy consuming.

COMMUNICATION IDEAS 23. Storying Around: Tell stories walking down the hallways, riding

in the elevators, going up or down the stairs. But you must stop the story when you arrive at your destination. You can pick it up again when you leave. This is great for enhancing your story telling ability and adding humor and adventure to everyday situations.

24. Give a Standing Ovation: Alleviate someone’s stress or pain by gathering a group of co-workers and give that person a standing ovation when they come into a room. Watch their face light up.

25. My Way Coupons: From the song sung by Frank Sinatra, “My Way.” Make coupons that say “my way”. Give each employee 3 of them, and tell them that they can use at least one anytime they want to have it their way. Watch how no one will give away their last coupons because they want to save it for something very important.

26. “Rule of Three” Approach to the Benefits of Your Argument: You use a set-up with two straight messages followed by a third that is humorous and unexpected. For example, “This car gets great gas mileage, it has a full automation system to tell you when something is wrong, but it won’t tell you when you’re lost.”

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27. Creative Excuses: When you are late for a meeting, or make a mistake on something, try making up ridiculous, creative excuses for your mistake. What have you got to lose? It’s better than beating yourself up. Just be willing to take responsibility.

28. Funny One-Liners for Your Voicemail: Make sure your voice mail has a funny message for anyone calling in. It lightens up their day.

29. Email Pal: Have an arrangement with a funny friend to send each other fun emails during the day just to keep spirits up.

30. Pass around a Compliment: Whisper a compliment to one person, have that person pass it, etc. See how it sounds when it gets to the last person and also see how it’s made many people feel great to hear it.

31. Laugh Track: Record a laugh track on your voice mail. Have it come on first, before the message. It’s bound to be contagious.

32. Flower Power: Buy a flower and anonymously place it on someone else’s desk just to make them feel better—to boost their self-esteem. Guess what, you’ll feel better every time you pass their desk knowing you made them happy.

33. Pencil Power: Sharpen people’s pencils anonymously and leave them on their desks. They’ll really appreciate the secret angel in the office.

34. Graffiti Board in the Bathrooms: A graffiti board can be set up for people to write funny sayings, messages (e.g., “help, I’m trapped…”), jokes, etc. (Be careful to set rules here, like clean language required, no sexual jokes, etc.)

CONTESTS 35. Joke-a-thons: Plan running joke contests or have a “live” open-

mike style “joke-a-rama”. Warning: Make sure you set rules for non-offensive, clean joke telling.

36. Stupid Human Tricks (a la David Letterman): The winner could wear a hat that says, “I can do the stupidest thing.”

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37. Wear Your Underwear on the Outside Day: Pretty self-explanatory. If a woman wins, she gets a gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret and if a man wins, he gets one too.

38. Doughnut Ring-Toss: A novel way to play the ring-toss game - and you get to eat the doughnuts, but only if you play on a clean surface. The winners get a free doughnut each day for a week.

39. Baby Picture Contests: Have everyone bring their own baby picture, post them on the bulletin board and have contests to see who can identify the most people from the pictures. Appropriate prizes might be a photo session with a top photographer or an awesome picture frame.

40. Funny Memos: Instead of dry, serious memos invite employees to say what they need to say in the funniest way they can. Have a contest for the funniest memo of the week. The prize could be tickets to the local comedy club.

41. Stupid Idea Contests: Have a contest where you award the lamest idea for how to improve a work situation. The winner has to wear a hat that says, “I had the stupidest idea.”

42. Scavenger Hunt: Pit individuals or teams against each other with a list of items to collect. Give them 15 minutes and reward the person/group who collects the most.

43. Paper Airplane Contests: Let people (individually or in groups) create the most aerodynamic paper airplanes possible and fly them to see which go the distance. Prize can be a model airplane kit.

44. Dance Contests: Bring in a boom box, move the tables in the breakroom and have a 15 minute dance party. Have winners in a variety of categories - worst dancer, best dancer (individual), best dance couple, most original, etc. Take pictures of them in action and post on the bulletin board or print in the newsletter.

45. Funny Trash: Have a contest where everyone rummages through their trash and comes up with the funniest thing they threw away. Winner gets a free latte.

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46. Paper Clip Art: Create chains and pieces of art with just paper clips. Have a contest. Prize is a gift certificate to Office Depot or Office Max.

47. Daydream Contest: Have people share their most outrageous daydream (if they dare). They can post a written description on the bulletin board anonymously.

ENVIRONMENT IDEAS 48. Dress Down Friday (or Monday or Middle of the Week): Who

says it has to be Friday? The point is people act different in casual mode than on “suit” days.

49. Suggestion Box: Have a suggestion box that really collects “fun ideas.” Read the top three ideas at a staff meeting.

50. Role Switching - Bosses/Employees: For one hour/day the employees tell the bosses what to do and the bosses become employees. Of course you want to get the input of the bosses when making decisions just as the bosses should get the input of their employees.

51. Plays and Skits: Take an issue that needs to be resolved or play with a situation that the company recently dealt with and have a fun afternoon event of skits or plays that employees put on. It’s a great way to have closure on a difficult time and a great way to hype something new.

52. Decorating Allowed: Let people decorate their cubes/offices, to make them individual to their personal taste. Let them cover their walls, select their colors, etc. The way a person feels about their environment makes a huge impact on their productivity.

53. Common Areas: Paint the common areas (reception area, break room, conference rooms, etc.) bright colors to liven up the environment. Have plants and flowers all around these areas to give a sense of aliveness.

54. Music: Pipe in music in the common areas and in the work areas. Let the staff select the styles of music they desire. Perhaps there can be a music selection committee. An alternate suggestion is to let

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individuals have music in their own cubes/offices – radios or CD players, etc.

55. Feng Shui: Hire a Feng Shui expert to consult on furniture placement and design decisions. This Japanese art of “placement” is built on the belief that energies flow best in certain patterns and directions.

56. Assess the Humor Quotient or Laughitude of Your Workplace: Hire a humor consultant to survey your staff on their humor attitudes. Once the survey gives you data on how “lightened up” your employees are, let the humor consultants (at www.humoru.com) write your improvement prescription and coach you to greater results.

57. No-Whining Area: Create Whining-Free areas around your work environment, where whining is off limits. If anyone is caught whining in these areas they have to put a dollar in the Whine Pot. Once a quarter the money is used to have a wine and cheese party.

IDEAS TO PROMOTE IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY 58. Improv Games: Unless every move or conversation of your day is

planned, you’re improvising all day long. Improv games help you be more spontaneous, learn to roll with the punches and laugh and have a great time. You can find a list of improvisational games on the web at www.comedysportz.com

59. Transform an Object: Take an ordinary object and transform it into something else by telling a story about what else it can do or using it in a creative way. (This is great for creative thinking.)

60. Create Funny Headlines: Look at what’s going on at work that is major news, and create an amusing headline and story that you can share with your co-workers or staff.

61. Develop an Alias: Create an alias or evil nickname for the unpleasant side of your personality. Have people call you by your alias when that bad side of you shows up to provide some levity.

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62. Start Your Own Association: Create your own association that highlights a quirk about yourself. Enlist other members who share your quirk. e.g., The National Association of People Who Don’t Know What they Like.

63. Visualize People in Their Underwear: When you are confronted with someone who is yelling at you, just visualize them wearing a big diaper or polka dot boxer shorts. They won’t know you’re doing it, it won’t shut them up, but it will take the charge off the confrontation for you.

64. Be Each Other at the Office: Pretend to be someone else, put on an accent, and take on the role of someone else while answering your phone. You could be a rich Texan, a cab driver from New York, or even Elvis.

65. Invent Your Own Buzzwords: Use your imagination to invent your own words for the various tasks you do at work. Look at the words used to describe situations around your office and think of new terms for them. We call this “mooseticating.”

66. Ambiguity in Conversations: Make a conscious effort to find ambiguity in everyday conversations-both your own and others. Be on the lookout for words where a second interpretation is possible, e.g. credit card machine says to put the card in “strip down, face forward” (I better put my clothes back on!)

67. Cartoons: Take cartoons and white out what they say and make up your own captions based on your work environment. Don’t only use Dilbert – use any comic strip and adapt it.

68. Hide and Seek: A person with a problem goes into hiding to come up with solutions for their problems. After 30 minutes others seek him out and the problem must be solved. You might even establish a small hiding room.

69. Be an Expert for a Minute: Each person takes on an expertise in some area, and pretend that they know everything for that minute

70. Fun Committee or Minister of Comedy: Appoint a minister of comedy to oversee humor in the workplace and/or select a fun

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committee to plan events for the company. The important trend here is to involve employees, not just management.

71. Complain to Yourself by Leaving Messages on Your Voicemail: Some examples are: "Hi Bob, this is Bob! What a bummer day. I was late this morning and my boss yelled at me, and right now I feel like a cockroach about ready to get stomped. Talk to you later... BYE!”

IDEAS TO LIGHTEN UP MEETINGS 72. Gibberish Meetings: Much of what we say is gibberish anyhow,

so why not designate a part of the meeting where everyone communicates in their favorite gibberish - watch and see how well you understand each other anyhow.

73. Sing-A-Longs: How about starting every meeting with a song everyone can sing together - like children’s songs or contemporary songs or your favorite rock and roll song, e.g. the Rolling Stone’s song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” (With this song you’d not only be singing but also learning a REAL lesson for your personal development).

74. Games Show Events: Next time you have a big event or meeting, create a game show environment like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Build morale and promote fun and creativity by spotlighting the hidden talents of your co-workers.

75. Backward Meetings: Start with the last thing on the agenda and work backward all the way to the opening. It provides a fun way to run a meeting and break out of the old routines.

76. Props Distribution: Distribute clown noses or Groucho glasses or Dr. Spock ears to all employees and have them wear them to the next employee meeting or whenever they need a chuckle.

77. Accent Interviews: Start a meeting off with pairs of people interviewing each other using accents. Invite them to find out something about their partner they never knew before, e.g. what their favorite midnight snack is, who their cartoon hero is, what their favorite Christmas present of all time was, etc.

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78. Talk Show Meetings: Instead of a meeting, set up a talk show scenario. Have a host, take questions, etc.

79. Conduct Your Meeting as an Opera: Everyone must sing his or her comments in the form of an aria.

OUTSIDE EVENTS 80. Shut Down Days for Outside Activities: Or, go to skeleton

staff. Take the whole office bowling in the middle of the day, or have a catered picnic in a park. Use your imagination on this one, but know that it’s a great morale builder. People love it. The important thing here would be the element of “surprise” - announce it and do it without notice.

81. Movie Days: Similar to above - rent out a theater and take the whole crew spontaneously. Or, rent the theater on a weekend morning and invite them to bring their families along. Make sure everyone gets popcorn and a soda.

82. Family Day: Have staff bring their families to work for the day to see what they do; or have an outside family event day (as above). Work/family balance is the “hot” issue of the new century.

83. Dunk the Bosses: Rent a dunking booth for an afternoon and give the employees the opportunity to “soak” their bosses.

84. Adult Camp Scenario: We have camps for kids so how about a camp for adults for the day. There would be activities for all the adults to engage in to make them feel like kids again. For some great ideas on setting this up, check out: www.campcamelot.com.

85. Bicycle Riding: Ride your bicycle to work or during your break. Better yet, if you have a bicycle built for two, take turns giving others a ride.

RELAXATION OPPORTUNITIES 86. Happiness List: When things start to make us upset we must to

be able to tap into what makes us happy instead of brooding. Start

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your own happiness list. It could include things that make you laugh but need not be limited to that.

87. No Talking Hour: For one hour, impose a vow of silence and allow yourself to be quiet with everyone else. You will find yourself becoming relaxed and calmer in the silence.

88. Siesta Times: A 15 to 20 minute nap on the job makes people more energetic, recharged and less moody. Set up a small room filled with soft, long massage tables or sleeping bags, with some relaxing music and let them have a little peaceful nap. It’s a lot better than dealing with a tired, irritable co-worker.

89. Turn off the Computer: For 20 minutes have a department or division turn off their computers and play a game that everyone can get involved in playing.

90. Nurture Your Plants: When you care for your plants, it’s a good way to lighten the mood, relax. You can even talk to your plants without fear of them talking back.

91. Toys for Desks: Every desk needs at least a couple of fun toys to play with during a tense moment, while on the phone, with an irate customer or “just because.” Good desk toys include: koosh balls, slinky’s, nerf balls and baskets, wind-up toys -- anything to give you a “laugh break “ or tension break.

92. Pet Days: Bring your pets to work. Some companies are already allowing this everyday. You could begin experimenting. Let Monday’s be dog days, Tuesday be cat days, Wednesday be bird days, Thursday be fish days, and Friday’s could be “safari day.” Good luck!! Pets really help us to relax.

TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES 93. Buddy System: Assign everyone a humor buddy that you can go

to when you need a laugh or a chance to look at something in a more lighthearted way.

94. Cooking Contests: A great team project - each week a different team concocts a snack or meal to share with others.

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95. Blind Trust Walk: This is great for developing trust in teams. Have one person blindfolded and another person leading that person on a “walkabout.” They can walk inside or out. Add texture by having the person touch certain items along the way.

96. Twister or Knots: Play these human puzzle games with your team.

97. Murder Mystery: Someone sets up a scenario of a presumed crime. Teams work together to solve the mystery.

98. Silent Tension: Great for team building. Take 5 minutes to be silent, but you must act out whatever it is you’re trying to express. You could even have someone do sound effects.

99. Spontaneous “Shoots”: Bring your Polaroid or digital camera to work and take spontaneous pictures of your teammates, especially when they’re snoozing in a meeting.

100. Create “Ally McBeal” Co-ed Bathrooms: Try it for a day - it will make for some great stories later on.

101. Kindergarten Day: Have a show and tell session during the day where you bring something you want to show your co-workers. You’ll discover some wonderful fun things about your co-workers.

STRESS STOMPERS 102. Water Balloon Fights: You might want to do this one outside -

excellent stress reduction experience.

103. “Stress-out” Exaggeration Day: An opportunity for people to “blow up - not as in firearms, but as in exaggerate” their stress. They can jump up and down, be shaky, fearful and act out their stress response. Everyone will laugh.

104. Sacred Cow Hour: Take all of your so called “sacred cows” and slaughter them in a room designated for it. Have fun killing them off.

105. Beat the “Dead Horse”: Have a toy horse doll which can be used as the “dead horse”. Use it anytime someone starts to beat a “dead horse” issue by passing it to them.

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106. Play the Blame Game: For 15 minutes you get to blame everybody and everything that hasn’t gone right for you at work. Blame the President, the traffic, and your dog. Don’t hold back, let it all hang out and then after 15 minutes let it all go and take responsibility.

107. Newscaster: Express your upsets as the 10:00 news headline story. Include an on-the-scene report, sporting report, weather report, market report, fashion report, etc. Get others to play with you by taking on the various roles of the newscast. This game helps you highlight the absurdity of your upset.

108. Stress Trash Collection: At 4:00, have managers go around to their employees with huge garbage bags, inviting employees to “trash their stress” into the bags. Then, put on a twistee and toss the bags. Their stress goes with the bag.

109. Distribute Funny Band-Aids for Injuries: Whenever someone is injured, they have to wear kids Band-Aids – neon ones, ones with dinosaurs, etc.

110. How TV Shows Can Help Your Work Day: Pick out your favorite sitcom and plug your stressful situation into it. Have peers play the parts with you and play out the scenario the way the TV cast would.

111. Relay Races in the Hallways: These are great tension-breakers - you can do “funny walks”, office chair rolling races, who can walk fastest with their foot in a trash can while holding their office chair, etc.

112. Basketball: Place a regulation-size basketball hoop in the middle of the break room or the rotunda of the building for inside play or if more practical, on a court outside. In addition to stomping stress, this is great for building teams and releasing creative thought.

JUST PLAIN FUN IDEAS 113. Theme Days: You can have film “noir” day, or Star Wars Day, 60’s

Day, or come dressed in your favorite hobby garb, etc. It’s a chance to know another side of your co-workers and what interests them.

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114. Silly Walks: On the old Monty Python shows, we saw a variety of silly walks. Create a time of day when everyone walks down the hall in a silly way.

115. One-Minute Parades: Have the staff dress in their tackiest best and parade through the offices. Then vote on the winners.

116. Character Day: Come as your favorite character from a movie, cartoon, TV show, or politics. Award prizes for best characters. (Similar to Theme Day)

117. Personalize New Equipment: Create some humor for all the equipment that you work with, like your computer, printer, copier, etc. You can give them pet names or put your favorite toys, props, or cartoons on them.

118. Bring Your Toddler to Work Day: Everyone enjoys seeing people differently than in their typical work role. Watching them interact with their babies is really special.

119. Bizarre Recipe Days: Once a quarter, have people bring in their most bizarre recipe and have them swap with someone else. They can follow through with preparation if they want.

120. Have Fun Classes Available: Offer classes in face painting, clowning, finger-painting, or something similar.

121. Hire Kids as Consultants: Talk to kids about how to solve some of your issues at work. You’ll be surprised at the solutions they come up with – practical, simple and direct.

122. Have a Big Band-Aid to Pass out for People Who “Band-Aid” the Problem: In addition to this being fun, it’s a commentary to the person receiving it. A great way to give “feedback” in a lighthearted way.

123. Joke Books: Have joke books around to refer to when you need a chuckle.

124. Internet Bookmarks: Bookmark all the funny sites you’ve found on the Internet so you can take a humor break whenever you feel like it.

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125. Ceiling Hole Count: If you have those tiles on your ceiling that are full of holes, count the number on one tile and compare what you get with the next person. See if you agree. The loser gets a set of math flashcards to spruce up their counting skills.

126. Play Jump Rope in the Hallways: Have two people turn the rope, maybe double ropes and jump in.

127. Hopscotch: Set up a hopscotch pattern in the hallway.

128. Mismatched Socks Day: Everyone wears two different socks.

129. Learn a Magic Trick: Learn a simple feat of prestidigitation – in other words, learn a magic trick that you can show off to your friends and co-workers.

130. Candid Camera Day: Pretend you’re Allen Funt (yes we know he’s dead) and spend one day videotaping people doing funny things around the workplace.

131. Play Marbles: Put together a marble game on the tile floor of the bathroom. There can be one in the men’s room and one in the ladies room, unless it’s the week you’re experimenting with the coed bathroom. Women can play jacks instead if they prefer.

132. Play Darts: Set up dartboards (the Nerf kind) on various doors or walls throughout the workplace. Let people shoot the Nerf darts as they pass by. Great stress relief.

133. Whistling: Walk down the halls, whistling your favorite tunes. Or, your least favorite if you prefer.

134. Make Up Your Own First Aid Humor Kit: Fill it with cartoons, humorous pictures and fun sayings to keep at your desk. Then schedule five-minute humor breaks twice a day.

135. Word in Underwear: Think of a favorite word, write it down on a small piece of paper, fold it up and stick it in your underwear. All day, only you will know it’s there and will laugh when you think of it. Have the entire workplace do it one day and everyone can be curious about each other’s words.

136. Have a Positive Day: Throw a “Positive Day” where everyone must maintain a positive attitude. If anyone is caught being

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negative they must put a dollar in the Negative Pot. Once a quarter the money is used to buy pizza or donuts for everyone.

137. The Ugly Sweater Contest: Award three people with the ugliest sweaters. Great for connecting everybody in a funny non-threatening way.

138. Decorate a Potato Contest: Have each employee issued a potato, with general instructions to decorate it however they choose, and give it a name. Vote for your favorites in 3 categories: Best Potato Pun, Funniest Potato, and Best Use of Potato as an Art Form. Honor the winners with a ribbon and a fresh bag of McDonald's French Fries, at a quick team meeting with snacks.

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ANYTIME!

And the last Way to Lighten Up the Workplace, fitting in all categories…

139. LAUGH!!! Just laugh, for no better reason, other than it makes you feel better. You don’t need an excuse to laugh – JUST DO IT!

We hope you had fun reading this. Now, add a few ideas of your own! If you’re willing, e-mail them to us – we’d love to receive them. If you would like to find out more about how humor and fun can enhance productivity and improve morale, please contact us at: Humor University P.O. Box 300567 Austin, TX 78703 For quicker information: Admin@humoru.com (512) 472-1855 Fax (512) 476-0540 To visit our website and subscribe to our free email Humor Tips: www.humoru.com

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ABOUT HUMOR UNIVERSITY Bringing humor to the workplace is just one of many “majors” at Humor University, a virtual university, committed to “eradicating terminal seriousness from the world.” Humor University brings laughter and an appreciation of the benefits of humor to people around the world through their web site at www.humoru.com, their tele-discussion classes (classes held over the telephone), independent study classes and workbooks, coaching and, primarily, their on-site presentations at conferences and in corporate and agency settings. In this e-book, you get a simple introduction to many of the suggestions that the Humor U faculty make when facilitating “culture changes” within companies. The faculty believes that the company that plays together stays together. So, why not give it a try?

ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND HUMOR UNIVERSITY FACULTY Terrill Fischer, Dean of Humor Ann Fry, Dean of Fun

Ann Fry has been a psychotherapist, an administrator, and a college professor. She works now as a professional speaker/trainer, an executive coach and does a bit of improv on the side. Terrill Fischer describes himself as a “Recovering Serious Person.” He’s a business consultant, a trainer, a stand up comedian and performs improv with ComedySportz.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER At Krug Publishing, we believe that learning never ends and that knowledge should be shared. Krug Publishing helps people get their expertise out of their heads and into the hands of the people who can benefit from it. We believe that almost everyone is an expert in some area or passionate about some topic. When people share their expertise and passion, the entire community benefits. If you are an expert in any area, please contact us to learn more about how we can help you to produce, market, and sell your knowledge. Send a brief email to bryon@krugpublishing.com, and we will get in touch with you to discuss how we can work together.

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