In general, leaders who use humor in the workplace are more effective than non-humorous leaders. Research clearly shows that humorous leaders can create warm and comfortable work environments and improve employee performance, creativity, and overall job satisfaction. One caution, however, the humor must be positive and appropriate to the situation. And, like all leadership tools, should be used judiciously.

First and foremost, for humor to be effective, it needs to be a positive, rather than a negative, form of humor. Positive humor can take two forms: Affiliative humor involves a funny story or some witty banner that focuses on shared experiences. (“Let’s see if we can’t break the record for the longest staff meeting in history.”) Self-enhancing humor targets oneself but is benevolent. For example, a leader saying, “You all know how my attention to detail is my worst fault.”

Aggressive humor, that targets others is a negative type of humor that should be avoided by leaders. Putting others down, even when teasing, can put a strain on the leader-follower relationship, and can impact the target, and the team, negatively. A leader also wants to avoid self-defeating humor that focuses on one’s shortcomings and makes the leader the butt of the jokes.

Leader Humor and Team Performance and Job Satisfaction

Research has suggested that a leader who uses humor is viewed more positively by their followers and that that might translate into better team performance (Mao and colleagues, 2017). Humorous leaders were also rated as more transformational. Employees with humorous leaders tended to be more satisfied with their leaders, and they were particularly happy with how team meetings were conducted (Pham and Lynn, 2021). Importantly, if negative forms of humor were used by leaders, or by team members, it reduced worker ratings of satisfaction. Again, it was positive forms of humor that were effective.

Leader Humor and Employee Creativity

Humorous leaders who cultivate an open and friendly work environment, where employees feel free to speak up and share their thoughts, have more creative team members. Employees who said that their leaders used positive forms of humor were more creative and generated more new and innovative solutions to problems (Lehmann-Willenbrock and colleagues, 2014). These same employees also reported that there was more positive socioemotional communication within the work team.

Guidelines for Leaders’ Use of Workplace Humor

1. Keep the Humor Positive. Negative forms of humor, such as putting others down, can have detrimental effects on employees and teams. Also, too much self-deprecating humor can erode respect and admiration for the leader.
2. Don’t Try Too Hard. Use humor carefully, and don’t try to be a comedian. Create an environment where natural and spontaneous laughter can thrive.
3. Encourage Others to Be Funny. When employees initiate positive and appropriate forms of humor in the workplace, respond positively to reinforce lighthearted comments.
4. Don’t Judge. Realize that different people use different styles of humor. Your humor may not always land with other people and their humor may not always land with you, but allowing people to be themselves creates a more positive work environment.
5. Provide Opportunities for Laughter. Whether it’s telling a joke, sharing a humorous story or a cartoon can encourage the positive effects of shared laughter. One team had an annual holiday gathering that featured a gag gift exchange that became increasingly hilarious as employees tried to outdo others’ humorous gifts, leading to good feelings all around going into the new year.