By Scott Reddoch
No joke, I worked at a place that had an official no laughing rule. It was even in the employee handbook. There were many stories about why this absurd rule existed. I heard all of them and can summarize the whole thing.
A couple of my coworkers made a friendly bet on the outcome of a college football game. The wager was that the loser would shave his head for an entire month. The game was played and the losing bettor showed up with a shaved head.
When he walked into the office he was met with laughter from everyone there. News of the bet had spread. Once in the break room, the members of the conversation where the bet was made erupted with laughter when they saw him.
The president’s office was next to the break room and he was having a bad morning. He made the rule before the end of the day.
Clearly this threw morale in the toilet. A few months later the company celebrated 52 years in business. I turned in my resignation that day. Others followed suit shortly after. What kind of person bans laughter?
I told that story to friends over dinner. One interrupted and said “no laughing is absolutely insane.” She was right.
The rule was a reaction, not a response.
There were some instances where I fell prey to my emotions too. Although I’ve never made a ridiculous no laughing rule, my results have also been damaging.
I have gotten better at meeting conflict with a thoughtful response instead of an emotional reaction. I find it is way more constructive.
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