Crossing the line: boundaries of workplace humour and fun

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to present exploratory, empirical data from an ethnographic study into workplace humour and fun. It explores the notion that workplace humour and fun are influenced by the creation of boundaries that either enable or constrain activities.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were gathered from four New Zealand companies within different industries. Mixed methods were used and included semi‐structured interviews, participant observation and document collection.FindingsThe findings suggest that organisational culture is influential in boundary creation. In three formal companies, boundaries for humour and fun activities were narrower, and this constrained humour activities. In an informal company, wider boundaries resulted in humour activities that were unrestrained which created an unusual and idiosyncratic company identity.Research limitations/implicationsIt would be useful to replicate this exploratory research in different workplace sectors and environments.Originality/valueBoundaries constructed through social processes are assuming greater importance in modern organisations. However, research has not investigated boundaries around workplace humour and fun. Understanding boundaries may assist work groups when creating (and promoting) fun. This original research considers both managerial and employee concerns, and findings extend theory on workplace fun and humour.

Fun and friends: The impact of workplace fun and constituent attachment on turnover in a hospitality context

“…With respect to fun activities, such endeavors should be strategically implemented and carefully designed to ensure congruence with employees' needs and interests to help ensure maximum benefit. Overall, it should be emphasized that fun should be aligned with the culture of the organization at hand (Plester, 2009;Warren and Fineman, 2007 Another opportunity is to examine the impact of fun on turnover and performance in a single study. They present research has demonstrated that fun curbs turnover, yet research is warranted to test whether fun may or may not detract from other important outcomes at the same time.…”

Joking aside: Theorizing laughter in organizations

“…Indeed, the atmosphere of ebullience and frivolity encouraged in such workplaces are intended to 'loosen up' the formal modes of behaviour and styles of dress we normally associated with employing organizations (Fleming 2005;Fleming and Sturdy 2009). This is certainly the case in Plester's (2009) study of Culture and Organization the various uses of humour in four New Zealand organizations. In one company, a small IT firm known for its informal organizational culture, transgressive humour is actively encouraged by management.…”

“…Indeed, they go on to note that 'the same instance of humour works in both plateaux and with both effects simultaneously' (2012,16). For example, the type of humorous activities that employees engage in at the high-commitment call centre in Fleming's (2005) study -namely partying, flirting and joking around with colleagues -may be either contestive or repressive depending on the specific context in which such activities take place; moreover, the line that separates the former from the latter may be a rather porous boundary, open to contestation and negotiation, rather than a fixed and impermeable barrier (see also Plester 2009;Plester and Orams 2008). It may not, therefore, be possible, in the end, for critical scholars to make a strict division between rebellious and disciplinary forms of humour in an organizational context if the very same joking practice can be mobilized equally for the purposes of worker subversion and management control (Billig 2005, 203).…”

Personality or skill: a qualitative study of humorous recruitment advertising campaign on social media

“…Humour is able to predict mating success (Greenross and Miller, 2011), and humour and fun are important parts of a successful working climate and strategic business communication (Plester, 2009;Vuorela, 2005). Whether or not humour is effective in advertising also strongly depends on the context, and this study addresses recruitment advertising, which might be risky for several reasons.…”