Wit + Wisdom | June 2, 2023

If you don’t know Ryan RedCorn, you’re missing out 😂

Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. doesn’t happen until November. But since when do we at W+W follow the rules of polite society? We say any month is a great opportunity to showcase the spirit and resilience of Native Americans. To wit, check out this fantastic piece by Caty Borum at yes! on how Native activists are using comedy to fight cultural invisibility and structural oppression. It’s yet another reason on our ever-growing list of why the art and science of humor can (and should!) be applied to even the most serious topics.It’s been proven to help people break down walls and come up with innovative solves for the most persistent problems.

David, you’re on mute!!! 🦉

At W+W, we really, really try not to suppress our feels. And, yes, sometimes we get angry at work. Like when HR orders lunch for everyone, but makes us sit through a benefits seminar before we get to eat it. (Technically, that makes us hangry). Or when we’re 1,000% sure we unmuted ourselves on a Zoom call, but after talking for 30 seconds someone yells at us: “You’re on mute!” It happens to all of us, amirite? If you’ve noticed your colleagues’ inner volcanoes erupting more often, try humor to lighten the mood. According to George Mason U. management professor Mandy O’Neill, “Expression of joviality and humor is a way of channeling anger in ways that actually can promote group bonding.” Professor O’Neill also taught us a new phrase: companionate bonding. It’s the feeling of connection between coworkers that makes a culture of levity easier to foster. Yes, please!

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Let’s face it: the average employee survey is about as fun and creative as our dentist’s waiting room. That’s a shame, because building a great culture absolutely depends on gleaning in-depth, honest feedback from employees. If you’re struggling to get your people to connect with surveys, try a little bit of levity. The folks at ContactMonkey offer 40 fun questions you can add to your surveys to spark engagement. Take this with a grain of salt, though. Asking about our teen celebrity crush might be NSFW. (It’s Taylor Lautner, of course.)